Why we met with only Lagos governor – Tax reform committee

• He disclosed that four scheduled meetings with governors’ forums were cancelled, while other engagements with state officials and various sectors were conducted

The Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms has expressed its displeasure at the attitude of some governors towards the proposed tax reforms.

This is even as the committee underscored the need for nationwide consultations on the tax reforms, which has been vehemently opposed by northern governors who claimed the reforms are against the region’s interest.

The Chairman of the committee, Taiwo Oyedele, while speaking during an interview on Arise TV on Sunday, debunked claims that the committee had not met with stakeholders, particularly governors.

He disclosed that four scheduled meetings with governors’ forums were cancelled, while other engagements with state officials and various sectors were conducted.

“We have more than 20 government institutions represented. We have the private sector, whether it’s manufacturers, whether it’s women in business. We have 45 students from 22 universities across Nigeria.

“In addition to that, we had extensive engagement with the governors. I went to the governors’ forum. We wrote and wanted to meet with six governors, one from each of the six geopolitical zones. Up until this moment, it’s only the governor of Lagos state we were able to see,” Oyedele stated.

He also highlighted the committee’s efforts to engage with diverse groups, including Muslim clerics and the League of Northern Democrats, to address concerns and explain the implications of the reforms.

“We had an interesting meeting with the Ulamas. They are the clerics mostly from the north. There were over 120. We had to explain everything to them. And many of them, when we were done, were praying for the work we had done because there was a lot of misinformation previously,” Oyedele said.