The House of Representatives has released the four tax reform acts recently signed into law by President Bola Tinubu.
In a statement issued on Saturday night, Akin Rotimi, spokesperson of the house of representatives, said the move is aimed at ensuring transparency following the alleged alteration of the legislation.
Abdussamad Dasuki, member of the lower legislative chamber, had alleged that there were differences between the tax reform laws passed by parliament and the gazetted copy available to the public.
The alleged alteration sparked public outrage, with some Nigerians calling for a suspension of the implementation of the laws.
The tax laws are Nigeria Tax Act, 2025; the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025; the Joint Revenue Board of Nigeria (Establishment) Act, 2025; and the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Act, 2025.
“Speaker Abbas, in concert with the Senate President, H.E. Senator Godswill Akpabio, GCON, directed the immediate release of the Certified True Copies (CTCs) of the Acts, including the endorsement and assent pages signed by the President, following public concerns and allegations regarding purported alterations and the circulation of unauthorised and misleading versions of the laws,” the statement reads.
“This decisive intervention underscores Speaker Abbas’ long-standing commitment to transparency, legislative integrity, and public confidence in the law-making process.
“Indeed, 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.
“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.
“In directing the release of the certified Acts, Speaker Abbas reassured Nigerians that the National Assembly remains an institution of records, guided by clearly defined rules, precedents, archival systems, and verification processes that safeguard the authenticity of every law enacted.”
He asked the public to disregard and discountenance “any other documents or versions in circulation that are not certified by the national assembly, as such materials do not form part of the official legislative record”.
Rotimi said the clerk of the national assembly has concluded the process of “aligning the Acts duly passed, assented to, and certified” with the federal government printing press to ensure accuracy, conformity, and uniformity.
“Hard copies of the certified tax Acts have also been produced and are being circulated to all honourable members and distinguished senators, and made available to the public, to ensure institutional clarity, uniform reference, and legislative certainty,” he said.
Rotimi quoted Abbas as saying that 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. 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,” Abbas said.
Abbas said the house would remain vigilant and proactive in defending the integrity of its work, clarifying that the only authentic and authoritative versions of the four tax Acts are those certified and released by the national assembly.
