*Photo: President Bola Tinubu *
The Ummah Movement, with headquarters at the National Islamic Centre at Dogarawa,Zaria, has observed that as the year 2025 comes to an end, a sense of unease envelops theNigerian nation due to a number of related issues that are of serious concern and consequences for all Nigerians.
The first issue has to do with taxation: the media reported that the government hasessentially outsourced the management of Nigeria’s tax system to French Tax Consultants,thus handing over the entire economic database of economic indicators and engines of growthto a foreign power.
France has arguably been a parasitic colonial power that not only kept sucking the bloodof its francophone colonies, but had in the past openly supported the break up of Nigeria withsupport of arms, intelligence, logistics and troops; as well as subverted Nigeria’s foreignpolicy and fought ECOWAS since its formation. We need to ask: why and who isblackmailing us to submit to French subjugation? The greater danger with the “corruption” ofthe tax laws is the award of sweeping punitive and extortionist powers into the hands of the”tax authorities”, which ultimately is the French Tax Consultants.
At the onset of this administration, precisely immediately after being sworn in, thePresident took a bold step in abolishing the fuel subsidy, promising the nation that moniesaccruing thereof will be judiciously channelled towards uplifting the well being of thecommon man. Over two years thereafter, the common man is yet to benefit from the fuelsubsidy removal, as promised by the President. Even though the government is of the viewthat the economy has improved and the President is quoted to have said that the worst is over,the masses are still grappling with economic hardships and wallowing in abject poverty.Small businesses are collapsing due to increasing electricity tariffs while supply remainserratic in most cases.
In the middle of these economic difficulties, the government came up with contentioustax reforms, which were rejected across all sections of the country. However, after rigorouspublic hearings and debates, the National Assembly eventually passed the tax reform billsand duly assented to by the President. But behold, with less than one month to the take off ofthe new tax laws, huge discrepancies were uncovered between the bills passed by theNational Assembly and the gazetted law. This action has created a huge moral burden on thegovernment as well as distrust in the minds of the masses.
A truly Honourable Member of the National Assembly has drawn attention to a seriousbreach of the Constitution, asserting that the gazetted Tax reform laws did not reflect theexact drafts passed by the National Assembly. The media has reported that “unnamedofficials” were said to have inserted “toxic and illegal” clauses in the draft tax reform lawsgazetted by the Federal Government. This clearly subverts the will of the Nigerian peopleexpressed through their elected representatives, driven solely by their interests and patrioticzeal.
Another issue reported by the media is the health Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)between Nigeria and the United States of America. Against the background of cancellation ofall health aid ordered by President Trump on his inauguration, this new MoU is signed underthe threat of bombing and indiscriminate visa ban on Nigerians over false claims of”genocide” of Christians. The MoU commits to allocate $200million to “expandingfaith-based healthcare” targeted at Christian faith-based providers as strategic deliverypartners. Given the Trump administration’s declared “war” on Muslims under false pretences,the MoU is seriously questionable, illegal, lacks public input and assent, and is a clear breachof Constitutional provisions (sections 10, 12 and 42) as it discriminates against a largecomponent of the Nigerian faith-communities.
Trust between the people and the government has been under extreme strain since thehike in pump price of PMS and the astronomical rise in cost of living and suffering by middleand lower classes of Nigerians. Things are not helped by sabre rattling by the extreme-rightwing followers and President Donald Trump himself, threatening Nigeria unless it “doesaway with” Shariah and Hisbah, which have been enacted into law through due process inaccordance with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The sinister motives ofthe Americans become glaringly clear with the one-sided, pre-determined ‘fact- finding’ (orfault-finding) mission embarked upon by its Legislators, whose visit to only Benue State and their interaction with Christian leaders alone uncovered what to them, was the whole truthabout ‘Christian Genocide’ falsely claimed to have been perpetrated by Muslims in Nigeria.
The Ummah Movement therefore, makes public its stand as follows;
The National Assembly should immediately order a probe into the subversion ofits powers and identify the perpetrators, while the Federal Government shouldapologise, withdraw the illegal Gazette, punish the imposters and re-gazette thecorrect version of the laws.
The government should suspend the implementation of the ‘Gazetted’ tax lawsuntil the padded issues are thoroughly investigated and fully addressed.
The National Assembly, the Media, Faith-based Community Fora and CSOs mustraise their voice and demand outright rejection of this obnoxious contract to French Consultants.
The Federal Ministry of Health should come clean on the MoU and must not playalong with Trump in his deceptive moves to please his extreme-right wing Christianconstituency. Therefore all provisions inimical to the collective interests of Nigeriansand or which discriminate against a religious group ( Muslims) must be expunged anddisregarded. The National Assembly must not provide matching funds in the budgetfor such an MoU unless it is adjusted accordingly.
The Federal Government must discharge its constitutional duty of protecting theright of Muslims in Nigeria to live by their faith and way of life as dictated by theShari’ah, free from meddling by outsiders.
Muslims in Nigeria would continue to uphold the Shari’ah as their fundamentalreligious right and recognise the Hisbah as a veritable vehicle of its implementationand would not therefore, succumb to foreign or local intimidation or pressures.
For sustainable peace and development, the government should uphold democratic consultation and national interest as guidelines for all its partnership agreements with foreign friends and partners.
*Prof. Muhammad Babangida
National Amir, NIC.