•Mohammed and Tinubu
The Governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed, has urged President Bola Tinubu to backtrack on the tax policy reforms as it could lead to anarchy.
He made the call during the Christmas Day celebration organised in Bauchi yesterday, reports Channels TV.
According to him, the policy does not in any way favour the North, adding that the governors would not be able to pay salaries.
He said, “To the tax reforms – it is not a good policy for Northern Nigeria because we are not going to get money to pay you salaries.
“They must listen, otherwise, they are calling for anarchy and that is not good. We voted for the president in the state and other states.
“They must listen to us! They must not come up with a policy that favours only one state in the country.
“It is not about religion. It is not about tribe. It is about national unity. It is about national hegemony.
“We are all about good leadership, and we will continue to urge them for the time being, but if the situation persists, they will see our real colour. We are going to fight for it.”
He also called on Christians to pray for Nigeria.
According to him, religion should not be a tool to divide the people.
He said, “We join our Christian brothers to celebrate this day, the birthday of Jesus Christ. And we use this opportunity as the Government of Bauchi State, to thank the people, to thank the Christians for their support over the years, especially for my dear party, the PDP and my humble self.
“Even when I was in ANPP, the Christians helped me and voted for me, and they voted for me despite my limitations and my gaps.
“I appreciate your support all through, even when we came for the second term. You deserve our appreciation because you have earned it.
“You are my brothers and sisters because I am a special breed of person. Most of you are my tribesmen.
“We come from the same source, we only believe differently. You are free to practice your religion. I am free to practice my religion. There is no compulsion in religion.
“I call on you to pray for Nigeria. Pray for all the leaders of Nigeria, including my humble self because Nigeria needs prayers. We are facing a lot of difficulties. There is a lot of wahala. There is a lot of anger, and it is something that we have to pray for God to obliterate it. We have to say it but certainly, it is not to insult anybody,” he said.
Governor Mohammed’s plea comes following several economic policies by the Bola Tinubu’s administration which have forced hardship on the masses.
Tinubu, during the presidential media chat Monday night, said the tax reforms had come to stay.
He said there was no going back on the tax reforms his administration had embarked on.
“Tax reform is here to stay we cannot keep doing what we have done before and expect a change,” the president said.
“The essence of the tax bill is to eliminate the assumption of colonialism I was once a governor of Lagos State, it is a large state now and it is still expanding. The greatest real estate value is there you have to accommodate all of that you have to put all of that into the economic calculation.”
When asked about the criticisms surrounding the value-added Tax increase in the proposed reforms, the president said a situation without outcry is not possible.
“You cannot satisfy uniformly a larger community of tax invaders,” he said. All we are asking for is to widen the tax net, make the cake larger and let us share a larger meal. They will still ask for this consultation no matter how long I delay it.”
He said the hallmark of a good leader is the ability to do what you have to do at the time it ought to be done.
“That’s my philosophy you have given me the mandate to govern, let me govern within the limit of my capacity and I believe I have the capacity. I believe so that’s why I went into the race.
“I am focused. I know what Nigerians need, and I know what I must do for Nigerians. It is not going to be El Dorado for everybody, but the new dawn is here. I am convinced, and you should be convinced, too. You should help propagate that convention,” he said.
