Ali Ndume, the Senator representing Borno South, has rejected the assumption by some Southerners who see the Northern region as a parasite milking the country.
He said the Northern region is not parasitic to any region as far as matters of economic survival are concerned.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Mr Ndume maintained that all states and zones need one another for socio-economic survival.
He added that the mineral resources or financial capability of any state or region do not insulate it from having a harmonious relationship with other states or regions for survival and development.
“The North was, is, and will never be a parasite or dependent on any region or even the country. We are assets, not liabilities, to Nigeria. Those who think that the current tax reform is only against Northern interests are naive. As it is, the law is against all the low- and middle-income Nigerians,” he said.
He insisted that the tax reform bills were coming at the wrong time, adding that current economic hardship may become worse.
“I’m still insisting that the tax reform bills be withdrawn for more consultations and by-in of critical stakeholders like state, local government, and private sectors,” Mr Ndume said.
He advised that the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, should expand its tax net just as he called for greater demonstration of accountability.
“The FIRS should concentrate on expanding the tax net and collecting more. Also, accountability and transparency should be increased,” he stated.
The outspoken lawmaker also called on the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, to beam its searchlight on commercial banks to ensure that banks which declare huge profits every year should pay more taxes.
While expressing his reservations about the bills, the lawmaker said,”Yes, reform. But even with reforms, you have to prioritise, time it correctly, and ensure the buy-in of Nigerians because this is a democracy. It is the government of the people, for the people, and by the people.
“First in Nigeria, what we need to do is reform the government. Our personnel and overhead expenditure for 2024 is about 50 to 60 percent of the budget itself.
“We are here in November, and 20 percent of the budget has not been implemented. But if you check the recurrent expenditure, it has already been exhausted.
“So, that means over 15 to 20 trillion naira is going into personnel, debt servicing, and recurrent expenditure. We should reform the government, not only the executive—we need to reform the government holistically,” he added.
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