The House of Representatives has released the certified true copies (CTCs) of four tax reform Acts recently signed into law by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, following public concerns over alleged alterations and the circulation of unauthorised versions of the laws.
The release, ordered by the Speaker of the House and Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, is aimed at promoting transparency and restoring public confidence in the legislative process.
House spokesman Akin Rotimi, who disclosed this in a statement on Saturday, said the decision followed reports that multiple and conflicting versions of the tax laws were in circulation.
A member of the House of Representatives, Abdulsamad Dasuki, had, during a plenary session, alleged discrepancies between tax laws passed by the National Assembly and the versions subsequently gazetted and made available to the public.
He said his legislative rights had been breached because the content of the gazetted tax laws did not reflect what lawmakers debated and approved on the floor of the House.
The tax bills were passed by the House in February after months of debates, public hearings, and clause-by-clause consideration and were later harmonised with the version passed by the Senate.
On 26 June, President Bola Tinubu signed the four bills into law.
Since then, opposition parties and Civil Society Organisations have been calling for an investigation into the matter.
According to Rotimi, the issue came to light after a member of the House raised a point of privilege over discrepancies noticed in some versions of the Acts.
He said the Speaker subsequently directed an internal verification and the immediate public release of the certified documents.
The four Acts released are the Nigeria Tax Act, 2025; Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025; National Revenue Service (Establishment) Act, 2025; and Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Act, 2025.
The House described the legislations as central to Nigeria’s tax reform framework, noting that they are intended to modernise revenue administration, improve compliance, eliminate duplication, and enhance fiscal coordination across the federation.
Abbas was quoted as saying that the National Assembly operates as an institution of records, with clearly defined procedures that preserve the integrity of every law passed.
“The National Assembly is an institution built on records, procedure, and institutional memory. Every Bill, every amendment, and every Act follows a traceable constitutional and parliamentary pathway. Once a law is passed and assented to, its integrity is preserved through certification and custody by the legislature. There is no ambiguity about what constitutes the law,” the Speaker said.
Abbas further emphasised that the House would remain vigilant and proactive in defending the integrity of its work, clarifying that the only authentic and authoritative versions of the four tax Acts are those certified and released by the National Assembly.
The statement added that the Clerk to the National Assembly has aligned the certified Acts with the Federal Government Printing Press to ensure accuracy and uniformity, while hard copies have been produced for lawmakers and public reference.
“The House affirms that the work of the Ad-Hoc Committee, chaired by Muktar Aliyu Betara, continues, in line with its mandate, to determine the circumstances surrounding the circulation of unauthorised versions of the tax Acts and to recommend measures that will prevent a recurrence and preserve the authenticity and reliability of parliamentary records.
“The House of Representatives, under the leadership of Abbas Tajudeen, reaffirms its unwavering commitment to constitutionalism, the rule of law, transparency, and accountable governance.
“The House will continue to strengthen internal controls, uphold institutional discipline, and protect the integrity of Nigeria’s legislative process in the collective interest of the Nigerian people,” Rotimi added.
