The House of Representatives has published the official versions of four tax reform Acts recently signed into law by President Bola Tinubu, following concerns about discrepancies between the laws passed by the National Assembly and versions circulating in public.
The decision was announced after plenary debates in which lawmakers warned that inconsistent texts could erode public trust in the legislative process.
Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, acting in concurrence with Senate President Godswill Akpabio, directed the release of the Certified True Copies (CTCs) of the Acts, including the endorsement and assent pages signed by the President.
“The National Assembly is an institution built on records, procedure, and institutional memory. Every bill, every amendment, and every Act follows a traceable constitutional and parliamentary pathway,” Abbas said.
“Once a law is passed and assented to, its integrity is preserved through certification and custody by the legislature. There is no ambiguity about what constitutes the law.”
The Acts released are:
- Nigeria Tax Act, 2025
- Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025
- National Revenue Service (Establishment) Act, 2025
- Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Act, 2025
Lawmaker Raises Alarm
The controversy began when Abdussamad Dasuki, a lawmaker from Sokoto State, raised a point of privilege.
He told colleagues: “There are inconsistencies between some versions of the tax laws in circulation and the texts debated and passed by this Assembly. Allowing such versions to persist unchallenged will undermine confidence in both the laws and the legislature.”
In response, the House resolved to probe the matter and ordered an internal verification of the Acts.
House spokesperson Akin Rotimi issued a statement on Saturday, stressing that the release of the Acts underscored the leadership’s commitment to transparency.
“The attention of the House was drawn to the existence of inconsistent versions of the tax laws in circulation after a vigilant Honourable member identified discrepancies, raised the alarm, and formally reported the matter to the House on a point of privilege,” Rotimi said.
“Acting promptly, the Speaker ordered an internal verification and the immediate public release of the certified Acts to eliminate doubt, restore clarity, and protect the sanctity of the legislative record.”
Rotimi added that the Speaker provided firm leadership throughout the tax reform process, which involved stakeholder consultations, committee scrutiny, clause-by-clause consideration, and plenary debates.
“Throughout the process, the Speaker consistently emphasised that tax reform must be anchored on clarity, fairness, and strict adherence to constitutional and parliamentary procedure,” he said.
Authenticity and Next Steps
The House stressed that the certified versions released remain the only authoritative texts of the four tax Acts.
“Members of the public, institutions, professionals, and stakeholders are therefore advised to disregard any other documents or versions in circulation that are not certified by the National Assembly,” the statement added.
It disclosed that the Clerk to the National Assembly has completed the process of aligning the Acts with the Federal Government Printing Press to ensure accuracy and uniformity. Hard copies have been circulated to lawmakers and made available to the public.
Meanwhile, the Ad-Hoc Committee chaired by Rt. Hon. Muktar Betara will continue investigating the alleged alterations.
“The committee will determine the circumstances surrounding the circulation of unauthorised versions of the tax Acts and recommend measures to prevent a recurrence,” the House said.
This release, according to the leadership, is intended to restore clarity, protect the sanctity of legislative records, and reaffirm the National Assembly’s commitment to constitutionalism and transparency.
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