Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, has revealed that the National Assembly approved the tax reform by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to expand national revenue, strengthen the economy and improve funding for critical sectors.
Senator Jibrin revealed this while fielding questions from students during a distinguished personality lecture organised by the Department of Political Science at the University of Ilorin.
He replied to a student who had asked how the tax policy would benefit young Nigerians and what lawmakers were doing to reduce inequality, that the new tax policy was designed to make the country look inward rather than relying on petroleum alone.
Senator Jibrin, who joined virtually because of technical issues with his flight, said several unexploited sectors would now contribute more effectively to national earnings.
He said the reform would create additional revenue to fund education, healthcare, road construction and industrial development, adding that the economic activities expected from these investments would generate more jobs for young Nigerians.
DSP Jibrin said “the reform will translate into significant economic growth and enhance national prosperity once fully implemented”.
“The new tax policy is crafted in a way to allow the country to have more revenue and ensure the country looks inward rather than depending on petroleum alone.
“We have a lot of potential and things that will come into the tax that will improve the revenue for our country. Once the tax laws begin to get implemented, there will be more money to fund education, healthcare, build more roads and build more companies that will allow jobs to be created.
“This will create more activities for the economy and by the time you leave school, you will have jobs”, he said.
According to him, the claim of Christian genocide in Nigeria is a result of criminality and not targeted persecution, adding that more Muslims have been killed by Boko Haram and other criminal groups.
He said the government was not acting due to Trump’s comments, adding that all arms of government have been working together on security long before the statement.
The insecurity, he said, is global and is not unique to Nigeria, citing developments in Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Benin Republic and even the United States.
Senator Jibrin said the NASS will keep strengthening democracy through effective oversight, checks and balances and purposeful representation, adding that the legislature must remain strong, independent and accountable in order to sustain public trust and ensure good governance.
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Professor Wahab Egbewole (SAN), urged students to apply the lessons from the lecture to contribute to national development, just as he reaffirmed the university’s readiness to support efforts that promote nation building.
