Akpabio Says Nigeria’s New Tax Laws Were Not Altered

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has dismissed rumours that Nigeria’s newly implemented tax laws were changed after being passed. He said clearly that the laws signed by the President are the correct and official versions.

Akpabio spoke during Senate plenary on Wednesday, where he addressed concerns that different versions of the tax laws were being circulated. He explained that any document that does not match what was approved by the National Assembly should be ignored.

“I understand that another version was circulating, which was not in line with what was contained in our votes and proceedings,” Akpabio said. “There is no adulteration. You can discard anything that is different from the official copies.”

According to him, four separate tax Acts have now been fully processed. He said the Acts have been signed by the President of Nigeria and properly certified by the Clerk of the National Assembly. He added that they have also been gazetted to make them legally valid and to avoid confusion.

Akpabio directed the Clerk of the Senate to give certified copies of the Acts directly to senators. He stressed that the documents must not be released to unauthorized persons. “Every senator is expected to go home with one today,” he said, adding that absent senators would also receive their copies officially.

He noted that the final versions of the Acts reflect what was agreed in the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the joint harmonisation committee. He said this process ensures that the laws truly represent what lawmakers approved before they were signed by the President.

In a separate development, the Senate postponed the consideration of a report from its Committee on Electoral Matters. Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele explained that the committee chairman, Senator Simon Lalong, was not immediately available, even though copies of the report had already been shared with lawmakers.

Bamidele said senators would take the report home to study it carefully before discussing it further. He added that the Senate would hold a short closed-door session to debate key parts of the bill before moving forward.

Akpabio supported the delay, saying there was no need to rush. He assured Nigerians that the Senate would take its time to do proper work and make fair decisions that serve the interests of the country.