… Cautions against ethnic, regional slurs
The minister of information and national orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, has said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is committed to accountability in the tax reforms bills before the national assembly.
In a statement he personally signed and made available to journalists on Tuesday in Abuja, the minister said President Tinubu will always act in the interest of the Nigerian people.
The minister while acknowledging the rights of citizens to robust debate on national issues, said there is a lot of debate and misinformation in the ongoing debate on the bill in the media and other public spaces.
Idris also cautioned against name-calling and injection of unnecessary ethnic and regional slurs in the debate.
He said: “The robust nationwide debate on the new tax reform bills currently before the National Assembly is welcomed, and commendable. It is very inspiring to see Nigerians from all walks of life coming out to express their views and opinions of these matters of critical national importance. This is the very essence and meaning of democracy.
“I call on all commentators and groups to keep up the spirit of informed engagement, and to strive to be respectful and understanding at all times despite the diversity of opinions. In the spirit of democratic engagement, there should be no room for name-calling, or for the injection of unnecessary ethnic and regional slurs into this important national conversation.
“Similarly, it is important to be aware that there is a lot of misinformation and fake news circulating around the tax bills and the overall reform agenda of the Tinubu Administration. ”
Idris said the tax reform bills and other fiscal reforms of President Tinubu will not impoverish any state or region of the country, neither will they lead to the scrapping or weakening of any federal agencies.
He however said the reforms ara geared towards bringing relief to tens of millions of hardworking Nigerians across the country.
He noted that they will empower and position states and the 774 Local Governments for sustainable growth and development.
The minister further said the government has nothing sinister to warrant the suggestion that the process is being rushed.
He said the federal government welcomes meaningful inputs that can address whatever grey areas there may be in the bill.
“In this vein, President Tinubu has already directed the Federal Ministry of Justice and relevant officials who worked on the drafts to work closely with the National Assembly to ensure that all genuine concerns have been addressed before the bills are passed.
“We are indeed witnessing, at this moment in the history of Nigeria, the most far-reaching, impactful and beneficial set of fiscal reforms that Nigeria has seen in decades, ” he said.
He added that the Tinubu administration will continue to champion policies that close the loopholes and gaps through which Nigeria’s valuable public resources have been frittered away for decades.
“On top of this necessary foundation, the resources being conserved and realized from these reforms will be invested in critical infrastructure (healthcare, education, transportation, digital technology, etc) and in social investments that will benefit all Nigerians and ensure that no one is left behind.
“This is the promise and the reality of the Renewed Hope agenda,” he said.
