The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, has expressed unwavering support for the Tax Reforms Bills, describing them as visionary legislation designed to revamp Nigeria’s economy.
He said the current tax system has been in operation for over 50 years and fails to provide maximum benefits to Nigerians.
Akume said comments on the bills should be assessed based on their intent, purpose, and credibility, rather than sectional or primordial feelings, citing their nationalistic and pro-poor nature.
“Solutions to complex problems are not as instant as instant coffee. The Federal Government and all tiers of government have to come together to ensure prosperity in the land.”
Speaking on TVC’s Politics on Sunday, the SGF said that subsidy removal was the best decision taken by the Federal Government in the best interest of the people, adding that the introduction of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses and conversion kits are some of the many alternatives already put in place to cushion the effect of the removal and stabilise the economy.
On local government autonomy, Akume assured that the 10-man Inter-Ministerial Committee to Enforce the Supreme Court Judgment on Financial Autonomy for Local Governments will soon submit its report in compliance with the ruling of the apex court.
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He posited that local government autonomy is not arbitrary but is pursuant to the dictates of the Constitution of Nigeria, which stressed the autonomy of the three tiers of government.
He said President Bola Tinubu has taken a bold step to commence the implementation of some parts of the Stephen Oronsaye report, which he noted had been abandoned by previous governments since its submission.
While calling on Nigerians to unite and give President Tinubu the required support to deliver on his mandates, Akume stressed that policy decisions have to be fine-tuned before full implementation to avoid duplication of functions among MDAs and to serve the best interest of the government and the people.
