• Senate amends NW, SE commissions’ laws on MD, chairman, reads SS commission bill
• Northerners decry exclusion of women from NWDC board

President Bola Tinubu, yesterday, sent four executive bills to both chambers of the National Assembly on comprehensive tax reforms.

Among the bills is a proposal to rename the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) as Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS).

The Senate, same yesterday, commenced the process to amend the North West Development Commission and South East Development Commission acts, focusing on resolving issues around the positions of Managing Director (MD) and Chairman.

Also, a coalition of concerned northerners raised the alarm over the exclusion of female representatives from the governing board of the North West Development Commission (NWDC).

A letter read on the Senate floor by Senate President Godswill Akpabio noted that ‘The Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill’ seeks to repeal the Federal Inland Revenue Service (Establishment) Act of 2007. The proposed NRS would assess, collect and account for revenues accruing to the Federal Government.

The letter, entitled ‘Transmission of Fiscal Policy and Tax Reform Bills to the National Assembly’, also included three other reform bills.

The other three are ‘The Nigeria Tax Bill’ which aims to provide a consolidated fiscal framework for taxation, ‘The Nigeria Tax Administration Bill’ that seeks to establish a clear legal framework for fair and efficient tax administration, promoting ease of compliance, reducing disputes and optimising revenue collection, and ‘The Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Bill’, which proposes the creation of a Joint Revenue Board, Tax Appeal Tribunal and the Office of the Tax Ombudsman, all intended to harmonise revenue administration and resolve disputes.

Tinubu reiterated the benefits of the proposed reforms, which aim to improve tax-payer compliance, strengthen fiscal institutions and create a more transparent fiscal regime.

“I am confident that the bill, when passed, will encourage investment, boost consumer spending and stimulate economic growth,” Tinubu stressed.

AT the Senate floor, the South-South Development Commission bill was passed for second reading.

Presenting the amendment bills, Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, explained that the proposed amendment to the North West Development Commission Act of 2024 aims to ensure fair geopolitical representation on the commission’s board.

The amendments also seek to avoid appointing both the Chairman and MD from the same state within the zone and require Senate confirmation of the appointments as stipulated by the Constitution.

“To ensure fairness and proper representation, in line with Federal Character principles, the membership of the commission must reflect other states, aligning with existing acts governing federal commissions,” Bamidele stated.

He offered similar justifications for the proposed changes to the South East Development Commission Act.

Following the second reading, Akpabio emphasised that the amendments were critical for the smooth functioning of the commissions.

The Senate also passed the bill for the establishment of the South-South Development Commission for second reading, just months after initially opposing it.

Senators Asuquo Ekpenyong (APC, Cross River South) and Seriake Dickson (PDP, Bayelsa West) argued in favour of the bill, convincing their colleagues across party lines to back the proposal.

With overwhelming support from the Senate, Akpabio referred the bill to the Senate Committee on Special Duties, tasking the committee to report back within one week.

DESCRIBING the exclusion of women as a slap on their faces, the coalition noted that the appointments went against the grain of the National Gender Policy, reminding the President of his promise of Affirmative Action for women in his appointments.

A statement signed by Asma’uJoda, Saudatu Mahdi, Maryam Uwais, Aisha Oyebode, Amina Salihu, Mairo Mandara, Qadriyya Ahmed, Fatima Akilu, Rabi Jimeta and Habiba Mohammed described the appointment as a blatant disregard of the female voice and spoke volumes about the mindset of those in charge of the nomination process

They added, “If we are to effectively confront the myriad socio-economic challenges in the North, it is essential to harness the expertise and insights of all members of our society, and for peace-building, particularly women who command respect within the communities, who possess innate negotiating skills, compassion and grassroots experience to achieve scale, impact and sustainability.”