Oyo State governor, ‘Seyi Makinde, has clarified his position on the Tax Reforms Bill before the National Assembly, declaring that he was not against it.
He however insisted that the Federal Government needed to engage with a wider range of stakeholders to achieve a meaningful reform.
The governor stated this on Saturday, during a media chat on the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS), which was also broadcast by several radio stations across the state.
The governor was part of those who briefed the media on the position of the National Economic Council (NEC) on the Bill, following which he was criticised by a section of the public for opposing the Tax Reforms Bill.
He said Nigerians should learn to focus on the message rather than the messenger in respect of his position on the Tax Reforms Bill.
“At the level of the National Economic Council (NEC), we asked the Chairman of the Presidential Task Force a question on the whereabouts of the Bill and he said that it was already at the National Assembly.
“I said if that was the case, why are you just coming here for us to debate and give you the approval as prayed? It amounted to putting the cart before the horse.
“It was an agreement reached unanimously at the NEC meeting; withdraw this Bill from the National Assembly, let us have a wider consultation.
“If people have reservations here and there, it is something that is national and you can seek alignment. And when you align, it may be in the original form, or you may have to tweak it to accommodate whatever the stakeholders are going to say.
“I was asked to be part of the people that would brief the press, and my bit was to explain our decision on why the Bill should be withdrawn so that consultation could happen with stakeholders.
“But some people just focused on the messenger as opposed to focusing on the message,” Governor Makinde further said.
Governor Makinde also seized the opportunity of the media chat to clear himself of an allegation of being a land grabber, declaring that he was never one.
The governor said it was those who are calling him a land grabbers that are the land grabbers, declaring that his government would continue to do things in the best interest of the residents of the state.
He, however, urged the residents to also realise that the government would have to strike whenever it has an opportunity to break the cycle of poverty, even when that decision seemed harsh to the people at the point in time.
Makinde added that the government has taken several steps to break the limitations faced by past administrations in the area of economic expansion.
He pointed out that the creation of housing estates and the planned corridor on the Senator Rasidi Ladoja Circular Road, among others, were parts of the steps being taken by the government, which will benefit the economy of the state and its people in the near future.
“Now, we have too many mouths to feed. How do we break out of the cycle of poverty? I want the people to know that this is their government, and we will continue to do things in the best interest of the people. But people should know that when you have the opportunity to make a lasting impact, you must strike.
“The vision of our founding fathers is not that of poverty. And those who have tried to develop the state had limitations, which we are trying to move out of.
“We need to produce more and expand our economy and provide opportunities for a whole lot of people irrespective of their political leanings and religions.
“Look at the issue of the Circular Road and some of the places we are opening up for development and some people describing me as a land grabber.
“I am not a land grabber. I am a firm believer in the saying that it is only an idiot that will continue to do something the same way and expect a different result. I believe that our leaders in the past tried their best.
“It is even the land grabbers that are calling me a land grabber. Some people are being investigated right now.
“The concept of the Circular Road, people may not understand it. They thought it would be like Iwo Road to Beere. No. It will be the very first motorway in Nigeria.
“The 32km stretch from Tech-U to Badeku only has two exit points. How we want to develop the place requires that there must be a corridor,” he said.
