Warns of Flawed Legislative Process
By Ajewole Joshua|ABNews| December 24, 2025
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has expressed deep concern over controversies surrounding the recently enacted Tax Reform Acts, warning that the issues cast serious doubt on the credibility and transparency of Nigeria’s lawmaking process.
In a strongly worded statement signed by its President, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, the NBA said the circumstances trailing the passage of the tax laws raise fundamental constitutional questions and threaten public trust in democratic governance.
According to the association, the integrity of the legislative process must never be in doubt, especially when laws with wide-ranging economic and social consequences are involved. The NBA stressed that the emerging controversies strike at the core of constitutional order and demand urgent clarification.
The association called for a full, open, and transparent investigation into how the Tax Reform Acts were enacted, insisting that such a probe is necessary to restore confidence in the National Assembly and the broader lawmaking framework. Pending the outcome of such an inquiry, the NBA urged that implementation of the tax laws be suspended.
Osigwe warned that the current uncertainty surrounding the laws poses serious risks to the economy. He noted that unclear or disputed legislation unsettles businesses, discourages investment, and creates confusion for individuals and institutions expected to comply with the law.
“Legal and policy uncertainty of this nature is harmful to economic stability and incompatible with the rule of law,” the NBA said, adding that Nigeria cannot afford a situation where critical fiscal policies are clouded by procedural doubts.
The association emphasized that constitutional democracy thrives only when laws are made through processes that are transparent, accountable, and beyond reproach. Any deviation, it warned, weakens governance and erodes public confidence in state institutions.
The NBA therefore called on all relevant authorities to act promptly and responsibly to resolve the controversy, in the interest of constitutional governance, economic stability, and the protection of the rule of law.
