According to Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State, claims that Northern governors are fighting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu are based on the tax reforms he is proposing have been discredited.
Governor Sule made this known on Tuesday during a thank-you visit to the Government House to welcome a coalition of different faiths under the umbrella of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).
The Governor refuted claims that the president’s tax reforms are being fought by governors in the north.
According to him, only in countries like Nigeria do people who fought for President Tinubu now claim to love him more than those who supported him and fought for his election.
He outlined their collective position on the need for more consultations regarding the passage of the tax bills currently being debated by the National Assembly, particularly regarding the value-added tax (VAT) provisions, which some vested interests are misinterpreting as the governors in the North are opposing the President.
Governor Sule claimed that, contrary to this, governors have no right to criticize President Tinubu for making their governments simpler and more advantageous.
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Because you demanded more sensibilization, I’m pleased that you are following up on the tax reforms. All we ask for is that. You frequently hear that kind of grammar. No governor has anything in common with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, according to the statement.  , We love our President.
” It is because of the President that today, all the projects we are executing, I am not borrowing one naira. I didn’t borrow one naira for all the work that you see happening. Therefore, he said, “I can’t turn around and fight the President who has made me look good.”
Governor Sule, however, insisted that there are hidden issues about the tax bills which needed to be explained for better understanding.
” Just like I have never been a teacher, I have never been a legislature. We therefore requested that the bills be withdrawn so that we could examine it once more. They said it’s a wrong language. Without having to necessarily withdraw the bill, you can actually change it. That is what I’m looking for, I said. I am not looking for any trouble, “he stated.
Given his background in the organized private sector, the governor expressed confidence that he has a lot more knowledge than the majority of those who support the tax reforms.
I am more knowledgeable than the majority of them about the VAT aspect. I didn’t even know how VAT was being utilized. I only knew how VAT was generated. As CEO of some of the businesses, we collected the money from the customers and sent it to the Federal Internal Revenue Service when the VAT rate was 5%. That was my work. Who was using it, how it was distributed, I didn’t even know until I became a governor. When I first learned that we could collect VAT, which would encourage the state to fund capital projects,
“I communicate with authority because I understand what it means when I talk about VAT.” I know how it is generated.  , I know how much it is. Today, it’s VAT that is making every state shine. Every state is comfortable because the VAT rate is set at 7%.
” Nasarawa State, since they started this, we have not received less than N4bn from VAT alone monthly. I had to raise my hand because I swore by the Quran to defend the people when they said they would remove VAT from FAAC. We are right to be concerned about this. I can’t keep quiet, “he stated.
He described as regrettable attempts by some vested interests to “turn the tables” by claiming that Northern governors are battling President Tinubu.
Nobody is fighting the president, according to some who are making noise and saying the governors of the Northern District are fighting him. How could you challenge the presidency that has given you a good look? This is the truth. We only need to look into certain aspects of it, as we all claim.
“But you know, in this country, there are a lot of people looking for jobs. So, they want to show the President, they love him more than us. And we were the ones who fought some of those candidates to win the president’s election. We fought them, and they fought us back until he is elected. Today, they are on the other side. They assert that they love him more than we do.  , It’s only in Nigeria that you will see this kind of thing”, he added.
Governor Sule resolutely said they were not fighting the president, but that they only wanted him to refrain from making decisions that might negatively affect their chances of winning a second term.
They now assert that they are in charge of his protection. We that are saying, Mr. President, don’t do this because it may affect us in the next election, if you do something that is not going to be conducive to certain parts of the country or certain states.  , It may be injurious to us. We are the ones who genuinely care about the President’s words.
Not anyone because they are seeking employment to come and inform you that the governors of the Northern District want to challenge the president.  , Fight him how? We face trouble if Nasarawa State is elected as the APC instead of the APC.  , No matter what happens, we prefer APC to win as long as we are also APC, “he stated.
He applauded the delegation’s leader, Very Reverend Dr. Sunday Emma, the head of CAN in Nasarawa State, for making a call to the federal and state governments to get more information about the tax reforms.
I appreciate your suggestion to keep the bills sensitized. For me, they do the sensitization, they remove that language about VAT, I will be the advocate of the tax reforms. However, people who don’t have jobs will find the VAT aspect challenging, especially in our own region of the country. What is the Nasarawa State IGR?  , Have you ever thought about it. Those are the difficult things we are talking about, “he said.
The state’s very reverend Dr. Sunday Emma, the head of Nasarawa State CAN, stated earlier in his opening remarks that the state’s Christian community is urging both the federal and state governments to raise awareness of the fundamentals of the bills.
Many Nigerians have not yet accepted the reforms’ terms. He said that only intense sensitization should be practiced to carry everyone by themselves.
The CAN Chairman claimed that Governor Sule and his team were present at the government house to express their gratitude for their inclusive leadership.
