Why I criticised Tinubu’s tax reform openly — Nasarawa gov

Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, openly criticized the initial Value Added Tax component of President Bola Tinubu's tax reform in January 2025, warning that the proposed increase at a time of high inflation would have harmed ordinary Nigerians. Sule made the remarks during a visit to the President's office at the Nasarawa State Government House in Lafia, as part of a nationwide inspection of federal and state infrastructure projects.

The governor stated that when the President was misled about the tax reforms, he publicly criticized the matter, urging the President to meet with Zacch Adedeji and the current Minister of Finance, Taiwo Oyedele. Sule acknowledged that the President had listened to his concerns and agreed to revise the changes to the Tax Bill. He explained that the adjustments were made due to the inflationary environment at the time, with VAT set to be 10% in January 2025 and an inflation rate of about 30% at that time.

Today, the inflation rate has dropped to single-digit numbers, making the increased VAT more feasible. Sule emphasized that the changes were positive and had resulted in increased funding for states, which has benefited both the federal and state governments.