Northern youth groups and students, under the Nigeria First Project Initiative, Muryar Talaka Awareness Initiative and the Coalition of Northern Nigerian Students Forum, on Thursday urged northerners to participate in the upcoming public hearing on the Tax Reform Bills in the National Assembly.
The groups made the call in a communique issued yesterday at the end of a symposium themed ‘Tax Reform Bills: Between the Facts and Politics’.
They advised the public to disregard divisive rhetoric by “agents of discord seeking to exploit this issue for political gain.”
“Citizens should present their views constructively and engage lawmakers through established democratic channels, as advised by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
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“Northern states should diversify their revenue sources to reduce dependence on federal allocations. State governors and leaders should prioritize agricultural development, leveraging the region’s potential in value chains such as cotton and groundnuts to boost productivity,” the communique read in part.
The groups also asked northern states to capitalize on federal government policies on solid minerals and livestock development to generate income, employment, and revenue.
They commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for creating the Ministry of Livestock Development, appointing a northerner to head the ministry, creating the North West Development Commission, championing local government autonomy and introducing a student loan scheme.
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