Daniel Bwala, President Bola Tinubu‘s Special Adviser on Policy Communication, has rejected allegations that the proposed tax reform bill is designed to marginalize northern Nigeria.
In an interview with Arise News on Friday evening, Bwala described such claims as misleading and urged Nigerians to focus on the policy’s benefits rather than framing it as a regional issue.
“The problem we will always have is that sometimes we have failed to look at the difference between politics and policy,” Bwala said.
He emphasized that the tax reforms aim to alleviate poverty and address key issues such as hunger and food security, particularly in the North.
Bwala said, however, that he acknowledged concerns raised by some northern stakeholders, who feared that the bill could impose hardships on the region’s poor.
“If you say that the bill is going to afflict poor people, it is this proposed bill that addresses the problems poor people encounter,” Bwala explained.
“All of the issues that affect the very poor, this tax law addresses – not against the poor, but in favour of the poor.“
Bwala suggested that some northern politicians might oppose the bill as a negotiation tactic. “The North is very professional about its politics. I see it even more as playing politics for negotiation – they want to have a bargaining stand with the president or whatever issue; I don’t know,” he remarked.
To address misinformation, Bwala called for disseminating accurate details about the bill in northern languages to foster understanding among the populace.
“If it’s the strict application of this tax to deal with poor people, we make it clear while disseminating this information in the languages from the North for people to know,” he said.
Bwala urged stakeholders to shift focus from divisive narratives to constructive dialogue. “Let us discuss business and take away this issue of North versus South. It is one of those things that would not make for the progress of Nigeria,” he said.
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