Legislators Are Speaking As If They Are Governors’ Spokespersons – Dogara Speaks On Tinubu’s Tax Reform Bills

A former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has faulted the stand of some federal legislators on the Tax Reform Bills proposed by President Bola Tinubu.

According to Dogara, some of the lawmakers are beclouded by sentiments and are beginning to sound like spokespersons of the state governors.

Speaking on Monday during a Special Town Hall on the Tax Reform Bills put together by Channels Television, the former Speaker charged Nigerians to critically but objectively review the bill.

He submitted that Nigerians need to put away regionalism, sectionalism and religion in evaluating the bill.

“We should remove the cap of regionalism, the cap of sectionalism, the cap of religion and put on the cup of leadership because that is what will resolve the quarrel that we have,” he said.

Dogara added that the arguments against the bills are not enough to throw the proposal out in its entirety, rather the focus should be on doing the right thing.

In his words, “I think one of the major objections is related to the issue of timing. I’ve heard this from leaders that I respect.

“But in leadership, when you talk about timing, the way I have heard them talk about is a tragic misconception of the notion of time itself because there’s nothing like the future, there’s nothing like the past.

“All we have is now. It is what you are doing now that will become your past. It is what you are doing now that will affect your future”.

“I don’t even care if it was part of the president’s agenda. All I am bothered with as a leader is: is it the right thing?”

On the opposition to the bill because of insufficient consultation, Dogara also took a swipe at the State Governors, saying some state laws are written in the living rooms of Governors without any form of consultation.

“Secondly, I have heard about insufficient consultation. I had heard even legislators speaking as if they were spokespersons for some governors’ forum or others instead of looking at what is right and proferring solutions.

“Now, I don’t know why he [Taiwo Oyedele who leads the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee and a panelist for the event] didn’t address some of these issues. But I believe in the course of our interface, he will address whether there was enough consultation with the governors.

“But I want to say this: at the state level, how many people do governors consult when they are making laws? I’m not challenging them. As a matter of fact, in some cases, state laws are written from the living rooms of governors,” he submitted.

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