....Say its against Northern interest
....As Leaders Reject Tax Reform Bill
Kaduna--Yesterday, the 19 Northern governors said the #End Bad Governance protests in August were a wake-up call for all Northern leaders. Youth restiveness is a growing concern, driven by illiteracy, poverty, and a lack of economic opportunities.
Chairman Northern States Governors' Forum, NSGF and Governor Muhammadu Yahaya of Gombe State, who spoke in Kaduna, said "Our young people are calling out for change, and it is our responsibility to listen and act. We must scale up efforts to tackle the root causes of youth restiveness by investing in education, skills development, and job creation. Let us focus on creating pathways for the youth to channel their energy into productive ventures, thereby reducing their vulnerability to crime and social vices."
The Chairman spoke at the opening ceremony of a meeting of political leaders, traditional rulers from the North led by the Sultan of Sokoto and other critical stakeholders including the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa and other military officers to deliberate on issues affecting the region.
He said among others, "The economic hardship faced by many Nigerians today is undeniable, and considering the North-South disparity in economic inequality, it is even more pronounced in northern Nigeria. This calls for urgent intervention. It is essential that we, as leaders, adopt measures to alleviate the suffering, such as targeted social welfare programs, support for small and medium enterprises, and policies that attract investment to our states. At the same time, we must work with the Federal Government to ensure that fiscal policies are sensitive to the realities of the day."
Leaders reject Tax Reform Bill
Meanwhile, in the communiqué issued at the end of the meeting, the Northern leaders, among others, rejected the Tax Reform Bill that was forwarded to the National Assembly.
According to the communiqué read by Governor Yahaya, the leaders "Forum acknowledges the recent gains made against criminals, especially the elimination of bandits and terror leaders. However, we resolved to sustain these gains in order to ensure lasting peace and stability in the sub-region. Forum commends the Federal Government and security agencies for their commitment in ensuring that our communities are safe and secure. Particularly we commend the untiring commitment of the Chief of Defence Staff General C. J Musa whose professionalism and innovative approach has made difference in security architecture of the Country at large. Nevertheless more need to be done to address pockets of challenges that abound in the Northern Region."
"With the recent "End Bad Governance" protests that took place in August, the Forum resolved to scale up efforts to tackle the root causes of youth restiveness by investing in education, skills development, job creation and pathways for the youth to channel their energy into productive ventures, thereby reducing their vulnerability to crime and social vices."
"Forum resolves to call on the Federal Government and relevant Agencies to urgently address the current electricity power blackout affecting most of the Northern states due to vandalism of electricity transmission infrastructure. This matter not only underscores the vulnerability of critical infrastructure, but also the need to build national transmission lines and diversify our energy supply so as to better connect our region and improve our energy resilience."
"Forum agrees that Northern Nigeria holds immense agricultural potentials, which, if fully harnessed, can significantly alleviate hunger and boost economic growth. To achieve this, we resolved to provide adequate support to our farmers, including access to financing, modern farming techniques and infrastructure such as roads and irrigation systems. Agriculture should not only be seen as a means to feed our people but also as a catalyst for industrialization and job creation across the region. That can be achieved through re-industrialisation of the North especially by reviving the textile value chain and development of other agro-allied industries."
"Forum commends His Excellency, the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for the reform initiative in the livestock sub-sector and agreed to provide the necessary political will and commitment to ensure the success of the Federal Government livestock development initiatives. The Forum also agreed to sustain engagement and cross-fertilization of ideas with the Presidential Livestock Reforms Implementation Committee to achieve greater results."
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"Forum acknowledges the fact that climate change has greatly affected our environment resulting in the recent flood incidents in many parts of the North and therefore resolved to partner with the Federal Government and other stakeholders to build irrigation infrastructure like canals and waterways to divert excess water and channel them towards irrigation activities, thus enhancing rural livelihoods and safeguarding food security."
"Forum agrees to support and key-in to any initiative aimed at addressing the challenges of out-of-school-children and improving educational outcomes in the sub-region. Forum notes with dismay the content of the recent Tax Reform Bill that was forwarded to the National Assembly.
"The contents of the Bill are against the interests of the north and other sub-nationals especially the proposed amendment to the distribution of Value Added Tax, VAT, to Derivation-based Model. This is because companies remit VAT using location of their headquarters and tax office and not where the services and goods are consumed. In view of the foregoing, the Forum unanimously rejects the proposed Tax Amendments and calls on members of National Assembly to oppose any bill that can jeopardise the well-being of our people."
