An advocacy group, Southern Borno Concerned Citizens (SBCC), has struck on the so-called Northern Redemption Coalition, (NRC), led by its President, Adamu Bashir, calling on the people of Southern Borno, through a sponsored publication in some national dailies to recall Senator Mohammed Ndume (APC Borno South) following his position on the Tax Reform Bills currently before the National Assembly.
Recall that President Bola Tinubu had sent four Bills to the National Assembly: the ‘Nigeria Tax Bill 2024, the ‘Tax Administration Bill, the ‘Nigeria Revenue Service Establishment Bill aimed to repeal the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) Act and create the Nigeria Revenue (NRS) and, the ‘Joint Revenue Board Establishment Bill, even as the Northern Governors Forum (NGF), youth groups and stakeholders, including Senator Ndume kicked against the VAT Bill, saying it will pose serious economic hardship and impoverish the people in the North.
According to the SBCCs National Chairman and Spokesperson, Comrade Bulama Ali Sawa, in a press statement issued to Journalists in Maiduguri yesterday, said, “It is unfortunate that acclaimed President of NRC who identified himself as Adamu Bashir would descend so low, and issued a statement calling on the peace-loving people of Southern Borno to recall their committed and dedicated Senator (Mohammed Ndume) who has been always on his feet in defending the plights of the masses not only from his constituency, but across Nigeria as a whole”.
Ordinarily, Sawa said, he couldnt have joined issue(s) with a faceless group such as NRC, but for a clarity purpose, and to discountenance the minds of the general public, Ndume stood by his word on condemning the Tax Reforms, and will not hesitate to offer suggestions, advise or criticise any policies that will not augur well to meaningful electorates and the Nigerian masses.
It is unfortunate that the NRC President, who identified himself as Adamu Bashir, would descend so low and issue a statement calling on the peace-loving people of Southern-Borno to recall our committed and dedicated Senator (Mohammed Ndume), who has been always on his feet in defending the plights of the masses, not only from his constituency, but across Nigeria as a whole.
We could easily dismiss the baseless accusations from the so-called ‘No. 1 Redemption Coalition and its unverified convener, Adamu Bashir, regarding the position of our Senator.
To begin, we unequivocally stand with the Northern Governors, respected Northern Elders, the National Economic Council, and Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume in rejecting these harmful tax reforms.
Its worth noting that Adamu Bashir – if he exists – is unknown in Southern-Borno. We challenge him to reveal his true identity and clarify when the people of Southern-Borno supposedly diverged from their senator on this issue.
Senator Ndumes comments on a TV programme genuinely reflects the views of his constituents. He has rightly highlighted the risks these tax Bills pose to Nigerian citizens, particularly those in the North, where hardship is already widespread.
Rather than addressing Senator Ndumes valid concerns, Bashir rushed to publicise a poorly-constructed argument on behalf of his unknown sponsors, even suggesting an absurd recall of our senator.
In reality, Senator Ndumes stance has only bolstered our support for his commitment to our welfare. This is a time when our Government should be considering tax relief, as seen in neighbouring countries. Recently, Ghana responded to public needs by reducing VAT from 17% to around 3%, while Kenya saw national protests against proposed tax reforms.
Senator Ndumes criticism reflects these sentiments – some fiscal reforms appear out of touch with the everyday struggles of Nigerians. We strongly affirm that the people of Southern-Borno are satisfied with Senator Ndumes representation, and stand firmly behind him.
We urge individuals like Adamu Bashir, whose motivations seem politically-driven, to embrace this new era, where true leaders stand in defense of their people rather than championing questionable policies. Comrade Sawa stated.
On the allegation that Senator Ndume appears disconnected from his constituents, SBCCs Spokesman said, is a laughable allegation, as Ndume is one of the senators who has an open-door policy throughout his political carrier, which could be attested to the fact that the Senator always mingled with his people devoid of any class, ethnic, religious or political consideration, which has earned him the confidence bestowed on him by his people to represent them at the National Assembly for many consecutive times.
It also on record that Senator Ndume was behind the sponsorship of the Bills which saw to the establishment of the Nigerian Army University, Biu (NAU), Federal College of Education Gwoza, in addition to people-oriented projects such as: construction of classroom blocks, drilling of boreholes, provision of agricultural inputs, capacity-building of youths and women groups, distribution empowerment materials, scholarship awards, as well as too-numerous-to-mention positive interventions within and across the senatorial district, he added.
Sawa, therefore, called on media practitioners to always verify any information, especially the likes from Bashir, before going to press, in order to avoid misinterpretation by the general public.
