The National Assembly has moved to allay public concerns over alleged inconsistencies in recently gazetted tax laws, assuring Nigerians that certified copies of the bills signed by President Bola Tinubu will be made available for verification.
In a statement issued yesterday, the Director of Information, Mr Bullah Bi-Allah, said the Assembly had directed the Clerk of the National Assembly to release the transmitted tax bills, including their certificate pages, to enable the public confirm their authenticity.
Bi-Allah said the management had noted allegations of discrepancies between the votes and proceedings of the National Assembly and the versions of the tax acts published in the gazette. He explained that the decision to release the documents followed widespread calls for transparency and would allow citizens to independently review the bills.
He added that although public interest in the matter had been high, only a limited number of individuals had formally requested Certified True Copies (CTCs) of the harmonised bills, noting that all such requests had been duly processed.
According to him, the Clerk is also collaborating with the Federal Government Printing Press to publish the properly certified and assented acts in line with legal requirements, with the gazettes expected to be ready yesterday.
Bi-Allah clarified that while the Clerk is responsible for initiating the gazetting process, the statutory duty of printing and publication rests with the Federal Government Printing Press.
To prevent similar issues in the future, he said the National Assembly would review its procedures for transmitting and gazetting bills. He disclosed that going forward, all bills forwarded for presidential assent would pass through presidential liaison officers.
He added that the Printing Press would no longer entertain any request to gazette an act of the National Assembly unless it was initiated by the Clerk of the National Assembly or an authorised representative.
