The Nigerian Senate has halted progress on the controversial tax reform bills and formed an ad-hoc committee that will engage with the government to address the contentious aspects of the bills before any further legislative steps are taken.
Barau Jibrin, the deputy Senate president overseeing the plenary session on Wednesday, declared that Abba Morro, the minority leader, would lead the committee.
Jibrin said that the committee will organise a forum with stakeholders, including the Attorney General of the Federation, to tackle all points of contention and ensure the interests of all parties are considered before proceeding with any further action.
“It has been mutually agreed upon by both the executive and ourselves that a forum should be arranged where we can meet with the Attorney General of the Federation, so we can examine all the areas of disagreement and resolve them for the benefit of this nation. It is therefore proposed that there will be a meeting with the committee we will establish here tomorrow.”
“On this note, the Committee on Finance that the bills have been sent to will pause action on public hearings and other matters until we settle these issues,” he said.
