Abuja, Nigeria – December 17, 2025

Members of Nigeria’s House of Representatives have raised serious concerns over apparent discrepancies between the tax laws passed by the National Assembly and the versions subsequently gazetted and circulated to the public.

 

During plenary on Wednesday, Hon. Abdulsamad Dasuki (PDP, Sokoto) invoked a matter of privilege to draw lawmakers’ attention to what he described as a significant alteration of legislative content after passage. According to the lawmaker, the version of the tax legislation currently being published and referred to as “gazetted” contains clauses that do not match the text debated, voted upon, and harmonised by both chambers of the National Assembly.

 

“I took my time in the last three days to look at the gazetted copy, the Votes and Proceedings of the House of Representatives, and also the harmonised version adopted by both chambers,” Dasuki stated, adding: “What was passed on this floor is not what is gazetted.”

 

He told the House that he obtained copies of the gazetted documents from the Ministry of Information, and alleged that they do not reflect the final approved texts. The lawmaker described the situation as a breach of the Constitution and a violation of legislative procedure, warning that circulating altered laws could undermine both the integrity of the legislature and public confidence in the lawmaking process.

 

Dasuki urged the Speaker to direct that all relevant documents — including the harmonised bills, the Votes and Proceedings of both chambers, and the gazetted copies — be presented to the Committee of the Whole for comprehensive review and correction where necessary.

 

In response, Speaker Abbas Tajudeen acknowledged the concern and assured members that the matter would be investigated and addressed in the interest of Nigerians.

 

The issue has heightened scrutiny over Nigeria’s ongoing tax reform laws, which are scheduled for implementation from January 1, 2026, and represent a major overhaul of the country’s tax regime.