The Governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Sule, has dismissed suggestions that the northern region opposes President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
During a meeting with traditional rulers and other stakeholders on Monday, the Northern Governors’ Forum rejected the proposed Tax Reform Bill submitted to the National Assembly. Since then, there has been speculation that the North is against President Tinubu.
However, Governor Sule stated that, having supported President Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election, the North continues to back him despite these rumours.
“We cannot bring in President Tinubu as president—the North played a major role in ensuring he became president—and then turn around to oppose him,” he said on Tuesday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today.
The governor explained that the North’s opposition to the proposed bill stems from its perceived unfairness to the region.
“So, the states that currently have minimal VAT would end up with the short end of the stick,” the Nasarawa governor said. “As you know, the 19 northern states generate very little VAT at present.”
“What we have clearly said is that we want fairness in the distribution of VAT. We believe the current proposal is unfair, and I believe it would even be unfair to some southern states,” he added.
Governor Sule noted that Nigeria cannot drive economic growth through VAT but should focus on strengthening its manufacturing sector.
“How do you drive the economy through VAT? You drive a strong economy through manufacturing and production, not through VAT. You can’t overtax people and expect this to drive growth,” he said.