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By Tracy Moses
The Nigeria’s House of Representatives has published the certified copies of the four tax reform Acts recently signed into law by President Bola Tinubu, in a move aimed at addressing public controversy over alleged alterations to the nation’s tax laws.
The decision followed concerns raised on the floor of the House of Representatives over discrepancies between versions of the tax laws circulating in the public domain and the Acts as passed by the National Assembly.
Acting in concurrence with the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dr Tajudeen Abbas, on Saturday directed the immediate release of the Certified True Copies of the laws, including the endorsement and assent pages signed by the President, to enable public verification and reference.
The legislations released are the Nigeria Tax Act, 2025; Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025; National Revenue Service (Establishment) Act, 2025; and the Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Act, 2025.
The controversy erupted during plenary when a lawmaker from Sokoto State, Abdussamad Dasuki, raised a point of privilege, drawing the House’s attention to what he described as inconsistencies between some versions of the newly enacted tax laws in circulation and the texts debated and passed by the National Assembly.
Dasuki warned that the circulation of such unauthorised versions, if left unaddressed, could undermine public confidence in the legislative process and erode the integrity of the laws.
Following the intervention, the House resolved to investigate the matter, prompting the Speaker to order an internal verification of the Acts and the public release of the certified versions to clarify the situation and dispel doubts over their authenticity.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the House spokesperson, Mr Akin Rotimi, said the release of the Acts signed by President Tinubu “underscores the Speaker’s long-standing commitment to transparency, legislative integrity, and public confidence in the law-making process.”
“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 on a point of privilege,” the statement 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 noted that from the initiation of the tax reform process through extensive stakeholder consultations, committee scrutiny, clause-by-clause consideration, and plenary debates, Speaker Abbas provided firm leadership to ensure the reforms were evidence-based, inclusive, and aligned with Nigeria’s fiscal and development priorities.
According to the statement, the Speaker consistently emphasised that tax reform must be anchored on clarity, fairness, and strict adherence to constitutional and parliamentary procedures.
“These landmark legislations constitute the backbone of Nigeria’s contemporary tax reform architecture, designed to modernise revenue administration, improve compliance, reduce inefficiencies, eliminate duplication, and strengthen fiscal coordination across the federation,” Rotimi said.
He added that in directing the release of the certified Acts, the Speaker reassured Nigerians that the National Assembly remains an institution guided by due process and proper record-keeping.
Quoting Abbas, the statement said: “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.”
The Speaker further assured Nigerians that the only authentic and authoritative versions of the four tax Acts are those certified and released by the National Assembly, urging the public to disregard any other documents in circulation.
Consequently, the Clerk to 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 circulated to all Honourable Members and Distinguished Senators, and made available to the public to ensure institutional clarity, uniform reference, and legislative certainty,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, the House said the work of the Ad-Hoc Committee earlier set up to investigate the alleged alterations would continue.
The committee, chaired by Rt Hon Muktar Betara, is mandated to determine the circumstances surrounding the circulation of unauthorised versions of the tax Acts and recommend measures to prevent a recurrence.
“The House of Representatives, under the leadership of Rt Hon Tajudeen Abbas, reaffirms its unwavering commitment to constitutionalism, the rule of law, transparency, and accountable governance,” the statement said, adding that the House would continue to strengthen internal controls and protect the integrity of Nigeria’s legislative process.