Professor Kabiru Isah Dandago, an economic expert at Bayero University, Kano, has stated that the Federal Government can proceed with implementing the recently signed tax reform laws despite objections from some members of the House of Representatives.

In an exclusive interview, Professor Dandago emphasized that the tax laws remain valid, noting that protests by lawmakers after the bills were passed and signed do not invalidate them.

“Despite their protest after the fact, the tax laws still stand,” he said.

His remarks come amid ongoing controversy over the new tax laws, which began after lawmaker Abdussamad Dasuki raised concerns about discrepancies between the versions passed by the National Assembly and those later gazetted and released to the public. Dasuki argued that the gazetted laws did not reflect what lawmakers had debated and approved.

Dandago explained that concerns should only arise if any provision of the laws is shown to negatively affect the livelihoods of Nigerians.

“It remains unclear what these discrepancies are. The issue would be if some clause in the law adversely impacts the masses, but so far, nothing has been presented to that effect,” he said.

The professor added that if members of the House of Representatives are genuinely concerned about the laws, they should present clear evidence to support a review.

“If the Representatives are serious, they should provide their facts so a review can be conducted,” he stated.

Meanwhile, the Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives has also urged the Federal Government to suspend the implementation, citing alleged changes to the versions of the bills passed by the National Assembly.

The call followed remarks from the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, who insisted that the January 1, 2026, implementation date for the Nigerian Tax Act and the Nigerian Tax Administration Act remains unchanged.