The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, has said governors critical of the tax reform bills should engage lawmakers from their states to express their concerns, rather than scapegoating and blackmailing his principal.
OsunDailyNG recalls that the Governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed, had accused President Tinubu of ignoring public concerns over the tax bills.
Mohammed warned that the bills, if passed, could affect the financial stability of states and further deepen the hardship faced by Nigerians.
However, in an interview with Channels Television on Wednesday, Bwala defended Tinubu’s position, noting that the bills are under the purview of the national assembly.
Bwala disagreed with Mohammed’s claims, arguing that the president’s actions demonstrate responsiveness to Nigerians.
He pointed out that Tinubu has not bypassed democratic processes to push through the reforms.
He said, “The part I disagreed with him (Bauchi governor) is that he created the insinuation that the president does not listen.
“If a group of governors does not get the president to do their bidding, it does not mean he is not responding to Nigerians because the governors are 37 — including the FCT ministers — but Nigerians are over 200 million.
“I think that rather than scapegoating and blackmailing the president, the governors should talk to their lawmakers.
“It is a democracy. He has presented the bills to the national assembly. It is the national assembly that will deliberate and do what they need to do in the process of the passage.
“If a governor has a concern after having a conversation with the federal government, he should dialogue with national assembly members in his state to articulate his concerns in the national assembly. At the end of the day, it will come down to voting.
“I think a lot of people are blackmailing the president and I’m not particularly mentioning anybody. The president is not in the legislative branch of government.”
