A former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has articulated reasons why individuals from the northern region should refrain from condemning President Bola Tinubu regarding the proposed tax reform bills.
These bills have faced significant backlash from northern leaders since their introduction in the National Assembly, with the Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF), which represents 19 northern states, voicing their opposition.
During a town hall meeting on Channels Television on Monday, Dogara remarked that those who are criticizing the bills are doing so without adequate information.
He urged critics to reflect on the potential advantages of the reforms, particularly in relation to addressing critical issues affecting the nation.
“I want to talk to my brothers in the North. I don’t think this is the time for us to begin to condemn the president and to begin to say that on account of these bills, he is anti-north because I want to remind us that the president has done something that is significant.
“If he can pursue this to the end, it would be that there is no northern leader of my lifetime that has done what the president has done for the north. And I will tell you [what he has achieved] is the creation of the livestock ministry. There is a global business around that.
“The global market size of dairies of beef in the next three years will rise to about $2.5 trillion. You can Google it. So if in the north, we are able to organise ourselves in such a way that we can corner just 5%, just 5% of this global market size of dairies and beef, I tell you that gives us $250 billion.
“We don’t need VAT from any state in Nigeria to survive. The North can survive on its own. We are the most endowed part of Nigeria,” Dogara stated.
