No confusion over tax laws, says Mohammed Idris

 

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has dismissed claims of multiple versions of Nigeria’s tax laws, insisting that only one authentic document exists.

Idris spoke in Abuja on Monday during a press conference highlighting the achievements of the Federal Government in 2025.

Responding to reports of alleged discrepancies between the tax laws passed by the National Assembly and those gazetted for public use, the minister said the Federal Government was unaware of any conflicting versions.

“As far as the government of Nigeria is concerned, there is only one version of that tax document,” Idris said.

“I have not seen two versions. What I know is that the executive presented a document to the National Assembly, it was duly processed, passed, and returned to the executive.”

He explained that concerns raised by lawmakers regarding possible alterations are now being addressed by the legislature itself.

“What I heard is that members of the National Assembly have noticed some discrepancies and have set up a committee to look into the matter,” he added.

According to the minister, the issue now falls within the jurisdiction of the National Assembly, stressing that the executive arm would await the outcome of the investigation.

“The National Assembly has constituted a small committee to examine the matter. Let us wait for the outcome of their findings,” Idris said.

The controversy followed a claim by Abdussamad Dasuki, a member of the House of Representatives from Sokoto State, who alleged on December 17 that the tax laws gazetted differed from those passed by the lawmakers.

In response, the House of Representatives constituted a seven-member committee to investigate the alleged discrepancies.

Also commenting on the issue, the Chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, Taiwo Oyedele, urged Nigerians to exercise patience, noting that lawmakers were best positioned to clarify the matter since they transmitted the bill to President Bola Tinubu for assent.