Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule has dismissed claims that the northern region is opposed to President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
His comments follow recent reports suggesting a rift between the North and the Presidency after the Northern Governors’ Forum rejected a proposed Tax Reform Bill during a meeting with traditional rulers and other stakeholders on Monday.
Governor Sule clarified that the North remains firmly supportive of President Tinubu, pointing to the overwhelming support he received from the region in the 2023 presidential election.
He asserted that the decision on the Tax Reform Bill should not be interpreted as opposition to the administration.
Speaking on Channels TV, he said, “We can not bring President Tinubu as a president – and the North came in heavily in making sure President Tinubu the president – and then turn around and be against him.”
According to him, the north’s opposition to the proposed bill is because it is unfair to the region.
The Nasarawa governor said, “So, the states that have almost no VAT at the moment will end up actually with the shorter area of the state.
“And you know, the 19 states of the North are generating very little when it comes to VAT at the moment.
“What we said clearly is that we want fairness in the distribution of the VAT. We believe if we go the way it is, it is going to be unfair. I told you that it is going to be unfair to even some other states in the south.”
Governor Sule said Nigeria cannot drive growth through value-added tax (TAX) but can achieve such via a robust manufacturing sector.
“How do you drive the economy through VAT? You drive a grand economy through manufacturing, and production, not through VAT. You don’t overtax people and expect that this is the way to drive growth,” he said.
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