The House of Representatives, led by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, Ph.D., GCON, has released four tax reform Acts signed into law by His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria, to the Nigerian public for record, verification, and reference.
The release follows growing public concerns and allegations that altered and unauthorised versions of the tax laws were being circulated. In response, Speaker Abbas, working together with the Senate President, H.E. Senator Godswill Akpabio, GCON, directed the immediate release of the Certified True Copies of the Acts, including the endorsement and assent pages personally signed by the President.
The House explained that the decision was taken to address misinformation, clear doubts, and reinforce public confidence in the law-making process. According to the House, the intervention reflects Speaker Abbas’ long-standing commitment to transparency, legislative integrity, and accountability.
The issue came to light after a vigilant Honourable Member noticed inconsistencies in versions of the tax laws already in circulation. The Member raised the issue on a point of privilege during plenary and formally reported the matter to the House. Acting swiftly, the Speaker ordered an internal verification process and approved the public release of the certified Acts to restore clarity and protect the integrity of the legislative record.
From the early stages of the tax reform process, the House noted that Speaker Abbas provided consistent leadership through stakeholder engagements, committee reviews, clause-by-clause consideration, and detailed plenary debates before the bills were passed. The House said these steps ensured that the reforms were evidence-based, inclusive, and aligned with Nigeria’s fiscal realities and development priorities.
Throughout the process, the Speaker stressed that tax reform must be based on clarity, fairness, and strict compliance with constitutional and parliamentary procedures. The House said this approach guided every stage of the reforms until presidential assent was secured.
The four Acts released to the public are the Nigeria Tax Act, 2025; the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025; the National Revenue Service (Establishment) Act, 2025; and the Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Act, 2025.
According to the House, these legislations form the core of Nigeria’s current tax reform framework. They are designed to modernise revenue administration, improve tax compliance, reduce inefficiencies, eliminate duplication of functions, and strengthen fiscal coordination across federal and state levels.
In directing the release of the certified Acts, Speaker Abbas reassured Nigerians that the National Assembly operates as an institution of records with clear rules, archival systems, and verification processes that protect the authenticity of every law enacted.
He 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 stated that the House would remain vigilant in defending the integrity of its legislative work. He clarified that the only authentic and authoritative versions of the four tax Acts are those certified and officially released by the National Assembly.
Members of the public, institutions, professionals, and other stakeholders were advised to disregard any documents or versions of the tax laws that are not certified by the National Assembly, noting that such materials do not form part of the official legislative record.
The House also disclosed that the Clerk to the National Assembly has completed the process of aligning the Acts, as passed, assented to, and certified, with the Federal Government Printing Press to ensure accuracy, conformity, and uniformity. Hard copies of the certified Acts have been produced and circulated to Honourable Members and Distinguished Senators, while also being made available to the public for reference.
In addition, the House confirmed that the Ad-Hoc Committee chaired by Rt. Hon. Muktar Aliyu Betara, OON, is continuing its assignment. The committee is mandated to determine how the unauthorised versions of the tax Acts entered circulation and to recommend measures to prevent future occurrences and protect the reliability of parliamentary records.
The House of Representatives reaffirmed its commitment to constitutionalism, the rule of law, transparency, and accountable governance, stating that it will continue to strengthen internal controls and institutional discipline to safeguard Nigeria’s legislative process.
The gazetted copies of the tax Acts have been made publicly accessible and can be viewed Here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Zeh1m33wgwcuZyzBJf-U6ExB7WqhaSHa
