The House of Representatives Minority Caucus Ad-hoc Committee has delivered a bombshell, confirming that the Federal Government may have illegally altered key tax laws, raising serious questions about President Bola Tinubu’s respect for legislative authority.
In its interim report released Friday, the committee specifically flagged the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025, as the law most affected by the suspicious changes. The revelations follow public outrage after House member Abdulsamad Dasuki sounded the alarm over a version of the law circulating in the gazette that differed from what lawmakers had passed.
The committee’s preliminary findings are scathing: thresholds for taxpayers were unlawfully reduced, new punitive clauses—such as mandatory 20% deposits on disputed taxes—were inserted, and enforcement powers were expanded to allow arrests and asset seizures without court orders. These moves, the committee warned, amount to a direct attack on the National Assembly’s constitutional authority.
Other controversial changes include the removal of petroleum income tax and VAT from the definition of federal taxes, and forcing tax computations for petroleum operations in US dollars rather than the local currency—measures critics argue favor executive control over lawmaking.
The committee also slammed alterations in the Nigerian Revenue Service (Establishment) Act, noting that oversight provisions requiring quarterly and annual reports to the National Assembly were stripped out, a blatant disregard for parliamentary checks and balances.
Describing the situation as “anomalies, illegalities, and impunity,” the committee warned that these tampered laws undermine democracy and threaten the doctrine of separation of powers, calling for a deeper investigation into the scandal.
As public concern mounts, questions now swirl: was this a deliberate attempt to expand executive power at the expense of lawmakers, or a shocking administrative blunder? Either way, the controversy is far from over.
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