Senator Ali Ndume (APC, Borno South) has criticised recent proceedings at the National Assembly, describing them as a disservice to the Senate’s integrity.
Speaking in an interview with Arise News, Ndume expressed dissatisfaction with the handling of the tax reform bill and the conduct of Senate leadership, while also calling for comprehensive reforms to address governance inefficiencies and Nigeria’s economic challenges.
Ndume shared his perspective on the contentious events at the National Assembly surrounding the tax reform deal and the broader state of governance in Nigeria.
Responding to questions about the altercation that occurred in the Senate, Ndume said, “I speak from my mind, not from my mouth. I promised myself I was not going to say anything, but suddenly they brought people from the presidency that I charged with these reforms. So I had to say something, and in the process, this unfortunate incident happened.”
Expressing his disappointment, he stated, “I felt bad not for myself as a person but for the institution that we call the Senate. We can’t do a senator like that. It can mean Ndume today but not be Ndume permanently, but the Senate would be there as long as the constitution.”
Recounting his frustrations, Ndume added, “I was very angry, especially when Jibrin Barau used some abusive words. When I complained and demanded an apology, he felt arrogant because he was holding a governor. He ruled me out of order because he is sitting there as a Senate President, he is supposed to be presiding.
“He is just one among equals, and if you look among equals, he is ranking, and he is being respected in the Senate. But I’m by far senior to him; I’m older than him, and I’m more educated and exposed than him.
“He shouldn’t—he knows that. He has to use that statement even though he said it’s not personal. And he further worsened it by saying it’s general.”
The senator expressed disappointment at Barau’s refusal to apologise publicly. “He refused to apologise in public but apologised in private,” he revealed.
Ndume also criticised procedural issues in the Senate, particularly in handling reforms. He emphasised the need for broad national reforms, saying, “That is the major problem. You know my grounds with the reforms. Nigeria needs to be reformed, not only the tax.
“The government, the whole country needs to be reformed—not only in terms of governors. In terms of our people, our people’s attitude to governance needs to be changed through national reorientation. So I support reforms, but the timing is important. Where it would start is more important because, to me, the easiest and fastest thing to do is to reform the government.”
He highlighted the excessive government spending, stating, “Government is spending too much money. I once came on this program to complain about personal and overhead costs of government—it is too much. We are not increasing stupendously.
“If you look at that and try to save it, even by half…so far, the spending in personal and recurrent expenditure of 2024, which has already been extended for a capital project—the capital side, we did not achieve up to 20%.
“In November, 28 or at best 30%. That’s a big mis-governance. I have been paid all my salaries and allowances up to November, and so have the officials in government, and we constitute less than 5% of the population.”
He expressed concerns over the 2024 budget execution, saying, “The time is out; they are going to bring another budget, and I understand it’s going to run into about 40-50 trillion. Yet we have not achieved up to 30% execution of the 2024 budget. The 2023 budget is still running.”
On the method of passing bills, he said, “You don’t lump full bills, pass it at one time in two hours. That was very controversial.”
Ndume explained his dissatisfaction with the proposed tax reforms, outlining four key issues. First, he criticised the timing: “The timing is wrong. The time that Nigeria is going through does not warrant talking about any kind of reform that would touch on tax, except if we are going to abolish it.”
Second, he raised constitutional concerns, saying, “The issue of derivation whereby a certain percent of the collection of VAT, especially other taxes, would go 60% according to them and then a certain ratio. That is a big problem because it’s controversial, and it has to do with the constitution because it is contradictory to what they are talking about.
“Even the classification is something that I read, and they were arguing that maybe they need to come and educate me.”
Third, he criticised the proposed VAT rate increase: “The rate of VAT that they intend to increase gradually.”
Finally, he questioned the government’s approach to economic policy: “What I’m saying is this: the executive should concentrate on raising more revenues, blocking leakages, and not be in a hurry in borrowing.”
He also expressed skepticism about the involvement of international institutions, adding, “What makes me feel bad is the involvement of or dependence on IMF and World Bank on our economic policies. That further enslaves us—it doesn’t work. A treatment that you give an Oyinbo man may not necessarily work for we the black man.”
In conclusion, Senator Ndume noted the need for more thoughtful and deliberate approaches to governance and reform to address Nigeria’s pressing challenges.
Boluwatife Enome
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