Senate to pass Tinubu’s tax reform bills Today

The 10th Senate has deferred the passage of President Bola Tinubu’s proposed tax reform bills to Wednesday, allowing more time for thorough examination and debate.

The four critical bills, the Nigerian Tax Bill, Tax Administration Bill, Revenue Tax Board Bill, and Nigerian Revenue Service Establishment Bill, were submitted by the President six months ago as part of his administration’s broader fiscal reforms aimed at strengthening revenue generation mechanisms.

Their prolonged delay in the Senate has raised eyebrows, especially after the House of Representatives passed the bills two weeks earlier, increasing pressure on the upper legislative chamber.

In a related development, the Senate has resolved to convene a two-day national security summit to address the escalating crisis of violence and insecurity across the country.

This decision follows a motion tabled by Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, who represents Ondo South. At Tuesday’s plenary, he drew attention to the surge in killings by armed groups in Plateau, Benue, and Zamfara states, coinciding with President Tinubu’s working visit to France. These attacks have intensified public calls for the President to return and directly oversee the country’s security response.

Senator Ibrahim, while leading the motion, linked the current insecurity to wider global instability, citing the conflicts in Ukraine and tensions between the global north and south as contributing factors. He noted that these developments have deepened food insecurity and hindered progress on sustainable development goals.

He further observed that global power dynamics are shifting, with trade tensions in the U.S. and strategic rivalries signaling the emergence of a new world order.

“This new order reflects in immigration policies, visa cancellations by new regimes, and countries raising funds by selling citizenship, all of which fuel economic conflict and undermine globalisation pursued over the last sixty years,” he said.

Continuing, Ibrahim said Nigeria must clarify its strategic engagement in international affairs, noting that the Senate has a role in advising the executive to maximise national interest

“The next world war may not even require the fanfare of militarism. The incredible growing economic war is gaining ground with destructive innovation in security globally

“There is a need for alternative language in military engagement as well as enhanced funding to advance the professional practices and respected tradition of the future military,” he stated.

He therefore called for an “empirical fact-finding national security summit” to help develop far-reaching solutions.

The senator representing Katsina South, Mohammed Dandutse, seconded the motion, saying the lack of intelligence sharing among security agencies was a major setback.

He said, “Nigeria is blessed, we have no other country except Nigeria. We have to face these criminals squarely. No country succeeds except with peace and security.

“The security agencies are given funding. So there is a need for the judicious spending of these resources.”

The senator representing Abia South, Enyinnaya Abaribe and the senator representing Kebbi Central, Adamu Aliero, however, disagreed with the move.

Both lawmakers argued that a security summit may not be the solution.

The senator representing Benue North-West, Titus Zam and the senate minority leader, Abba Moro,, countered their view by backing the motion.

At the end, Senate President Godswill Akpabio put the motion to a voice vote, and the majority of senators voted in favour of the summit.

Akpabio, however, proposed that the summit should last for two days instead of the three days proposed by Ibrahim.

The senate subsequently resolved to set up an ad-hoc committee to organise the two-day national security summit in Abuja

The event will include delegates from all levels of government, as well as traditional institutions.

The red chamber also urged the federal government to review and rejig the country’s security policies based on outcomes from the summit.