By Rhoda Godwin
Abuja — The House of Representatives has released the Certified True Copies (CTCs) of four major tax reform Acts recently signed into law by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, following public concerns over alleged alterations and the circulation of unauthorised versions of the legislations.
The move, directed by the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, Ph.D., GCON, in collaboration with Senate President Godswill Akpabio, GCON, is aimed at promoting transparency, restoring public confidence, and safeguarding the integrity of the legislative process.
The four Acts released for public record, verification, and reference are the Nigeria Tax Act, 2025; Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025; National Revenue Service (Establishment) Act, 2025; and the Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Act, 2025. The documents include endorsement and assent pages signed by the President, confirming their authenticity.
The House explained that the decision followed the discovery of conflicting versions of the tax laws in circulation. The issue was formally brought to the attention of the House when a vigilant lawmaker raised a point of privilege after identifying discrepancies between different copies of the Acts. In response, Speaker Abbas ordered an internal verification process and the immediate public release of the certified documents.
According to the Speaker, the National Assembly operates as an institution of records with clearly defined procedures that ensure the authenticity of every law enacted. He stressed that once a Bill is passed and signed into law, its integrity is preserved through certification and proper legislative custody.
“There is no ambiguity about what constitutes the law,” Abbas said, emphasising that only the versions certified and released by the National Assembly should be regarded as valid and authoritative.
The tax reform laws form the backbone of Nigeria’s current fiscal reform agenda, designed to modernise revenue administration, improve compliance, reduce inefficiencies, eliminate duplication of functions, and strengthen coordination among revenue agencies across the federation. The Speaker noted that the reforms were the product of extensive consultations, committee scrutiny, clause-by-clause consideration, and robust debates on the floor of the House.
To ensure uniformity and accuracy, the Clerk to the National Assembly has aligned the certified Acts with the Federal Government Printing Press. Hard copies have also been produced and distributed to lawmakers in both chambers, while being made available to the public for reference.
The House further warned Nigerians, institutions, and professionals to disregard any versions of the tax laws not certified by the National Assembly, describing such documents as unauthorised and misleading.
Meanwhile, the Ad-Hoc Committee chaired by Rt. Hon. Muktar Aliyu Betara, OON, has been mandated to investigate the circumstances surrounding the circulation of the unauthorised versions. The committee is expected to recommend measures to prevent a recurrence and strengthen the protection of parliamentary records.
In a statement signed by the House Spokesman, Rep. Akintunde Rotimi, mnipr, the House reaffirmed its commitment to constitutionalism, the rule of law, transparency, and accountable governance, pledging to continue strengthening internal controls to protect the credibility of Nigeria’s legislative process.
