Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has said President Bola Tinubu’s tax reforms will increase Nigeria’s income and make the national budget five times bigger than it is today.

Abbas stated this in Abuja during an informal engagement with Nigerian youths, organised by the Office of the National Youth Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), tagged “An Evening with 004”.

He explained that the government was working on new ways to block revenue leakages so that the country could have enough money to fund essential projects and services.

Abbas was quoted in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Leke Baiyewu, as saying that the current amount of money available to the government was too small to meet the needs of Nigerians, which is why ministries and agencies were often asked to manage the resources allocated to them.

He, however, expressed optimism that the tax reform initiatives of President Tinubu would substantially improve the country’s revenue profile.
The Speaker also used the occasion to address national sundry issues.

He attributed the unity and peace in the House to the overwhelming support from members, noting that they were according their due rights and benefits irrespective of political, religious, and ethnic differences.

Speaking on the lessons he had learnt on his journey, which he would pass to his children, the Speaker advised youths in Nigeria to be honest and transparent in their dealings, saying the virtues would attract public trust and success.

The speaker also explained why President Tinubu is his first mentor. He said, “I have so many role models. Asiwaju is one of them, undoubtedly due to his track record of supporting people’s rights, from his time as a senator to his tenure as governor. And I have seen him with the same group of people over the course of 40 years, and he is still with them. Not too many Nigerians will be able to sustain relationships for such a very long time. So, he is my role model as far as that is concerned.”