A House of Representatives committee investigating alleged discrepancies between Nigeria’s tax laws as passed by parliament and the versions later gazetted by the government has promised to conclude its work quickly and submit a report to the chamber.
The assurance was given by the committee’s chair, Muktar Betara, after the panel held its inaugural meeting in Abuja. The seven-member committee was set up following a matter of privilege raised by Abdussamad Dasuki, a lawmaker from Sokoto state, who warned of troubling inconsistencies in the tax laws now in circulation.
Dasuki had told the House that some provisions contained in the gazetted versions of the laws differed materially from what lawmakers approved, arguing that any post-passage alterations would represent a serious breach of legislative procedure and the rule of law.
In a statement released by the committee’s media unit, Betara said members were united in their determination to complete the assignment without delay. “The committee has resolved to conclude the investigation and submit its report to the House within the shortest possible time, in the interest of legislative integrity, due process and public confidence,” he said.
The chairman added that the panel’s findings and recommendations would be laid before the House immediately after the investigation is concluded, stressing its commitment to openness and diligence.
The probe comes amid heightened scrutiny of Nigeria’s tax regime, particularly reforms introduced through successive Finance Acts, which have amended a range of statutes including the Companies Income Tax Act, the Value Added Tax Act and customs and excise laws. While these changes were designed to modernise revenue administration, lawmakers say the current controversy raises fundamental questions about the authenticity of the laws being implemented.
The House has insisted that only legislation duly passed by the National Assembly and assented to by the president can have legal force, warning that any alterations outside this process would undermine constitutional governance and expose taxpayers to legal and financial uncertainty.
The controversy has also drawn in senior political figures. On Wednesday, a former Senate leader, Ali Ndume, urged President Bola Tinubu to suspend the implementation of the disputed Tax Reform Acts, which are due to take effect in January, until the allegations are fully resolved.
In a statement issued in Abuja, Ndume called on the president to constitute an ad hoc committee to verify the authenticity of the laws and investigate claims that they were altered after passage. Implementing the reforms without resolving the dispute, he warned, would erode public trust and create a crisis of legitimacy.
“With the controversy surrounding it, the president should constitute a team to verify the veracity of the claim and act accordingly,” Ndume said, adding that failure to do so would only prolong the dispute and stall implementation.
Opposition politicians, civil society groups and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) have also called for a halt to the reforms. The NBA president, Afam Osigwe, said earlier this week that the allegations strike at the heart of constitutional governance and threaten the credibility of Nigeria’s legislative process, urging an open and transparent investigation to restore public confidence.
The dispute was reignited last week when Dasuki alleged that the tax laws gazetted by the federal government differed from the final copies passed by parliament and transmitted to the president for assent. The House committee’s report is now expected to determine whether discrepancies exist, how they arose and who may be responsible, as well as propose safeguards to prevent a recurrence.
