Tax Reform Bills: Presidency Asks Bauchi Gov. To Withdraw Threat Against Tinubu

The presidency has asked Bauchi State governor, Bala Mohammed, to take back his “threatening” comments toward Presi­dent Bola Tinubu over the new Tax Reform Bills. This comes after Gover­nor Mohammed warned that President Tinubu was “calling for anarchy” if he went forward with chang­ing tax rules. The governor said this while speaking to Chris­tians on Boxing Day in Bauchi.

He warned that if these new policies continued, Northern Nigeria would “show its true colours.” He also said these changes could hurt the economy and only seemed to help one state. The president’s media advisor, Sunday Dare, re­sponded on Monday with a statement on X (formerly Twitter), calling Moham­med’s words “inflammato­ry.



” He asked the governor to take back what he said and instead have produc­tive talks with the Federal Government about his con­cerns with the Tax Reform Bills. Dare explained that Mo­hammed doesn’t speak for everyone in Northern Ni­geria. According to him, “This unfortunate statement does not represent the collective voice of Northern Nigeria.

The North, like other re­gions, seeks collaborative governance and constructive engagement with the Feder­al Government to address our nation’s challenges. “Rather than issuing threats, his energy might be better directed toward implementing effective poverty alleviation pro­grammes and ensuring transparent utilisation of these federal resources [N144bn received from FG]. The Tax Reform Bills and increased federal alloca­tions significantly benefit the states.

“His statement ‘We will show President Tinubu our true colour’ is particularly concerning and does not reflect the constructive dialogue needed between the state and the Federal Government. “It bears noting that Bauchi State has received N144bn (State and LGA) in federal allocations un­der the current admin­istration – a significant increase from previous disbursements. Yet his state continues to grapple with serious developmen­tal challenges and high poverty rates.

As a state governor, he is called to exemplify statesmanship and work toward national cohesion.” The presidency pointed out that Bauchi State got N144 billion, which is one of the biggest increases in money given to states. This included N2 billion to help with food security.

The government also men­tioned that removing fuel subsidies has given states more money, and special considerations were made to protect northern states’ interests. The government ex­plained that the new tax changes would actually help small businesses in Bauchi by making tax col­lection simpler and protect­ing informal workers and farmers. “These changes are part of President Tinubu’s big­ger plan introduced in Oc­tober 2024, which includes four new bills to update Ni­geria’s tax system.

One ma­jor change would increase the Value Added Tax from 7.5% to 10% by 2025, and add a 5% tax on telecom­munications services.” Dare suggested that instead of fighting these changes, Governor Mo­hammed should focus on using the money wisely, creating tax incentives to attract businesses, and in­vesting in farming.

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