National Assembly moves to restore confidence after lawmakers allege discrepancies between passed tax bills and gazetted versions in public circulation.
The House of Representatives has released the Certified True Copies (CTCs) of the four tax reform Acts recently signed into law by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, following allegations that versions of the laws circulating publicly were altered after passage.
In a statement issued late Saturday, Akin Rotimi, spokesperson of the House, said the move was aimed at ensuring transparency and protecting the integrity of the legislative process after claims emerged that the gazetted copies of the laws differed from what was passed by the National Assembly.
The controversy was sparked by Abdussamad Dasuki, a member of the House, who alleged that discrepancies existed between the tax reform bills approved by parliament and the versions available to the public. The claims triggered public outrage and calls in some quarters for a suspension of the implementation of the new tax laws.
The four tax reform Acts
The Acts released by the House are:
Nigeria Tax Act, 2025
Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025
Joint Revenue Board of Nigeria (Establishment) Act, 2025
Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Act, 2025
Rotimi said the release of the certified laws was ordered by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, in coordination with Senate President Godswill Akpabio, following concerns over the circulation of “unauthorised and misleading versions” of the legislation.
“Speaker Abbas, in concert with the Senate President, directed the immediate release of the Certified True Copies of the Acts, including the endorsement and assent pages signed by the President,” the statement said.
According to Rotimi, the House was alerted to the issue after a lawmaker raised the matter on a point of privilege, prompting an internal verification process and the public release of the certified Acts “to eliminate doubt, restore clarity, and protect the sanctity of the legislative record”.
‘Institution of records’
Quoting Abbas, the statement described the National Assembly as “an institution built on records, procedure, and institutional memory”.
“Every bill, every amendment, and every Act follows a traceable constitutional and parliamentary pathway. Once a law is passed and assented to, its integrity is preserved through certification and custody by the legislature. There is no ambiguity about what constitutes the law,” Abbas said.
The Speaker urged Nigerians to disregard any versions of the tax laws not certified by the National Assembly, stressing that such documents do not form part of the official legislative record.
Rotimi added that the Clerk of the National Assembly has completed the process of aligning the certified Acts with the Federal Government Printing Press to ensure accuracy, conformity, and uniformity. Hard copies, he said, have been circulated to lawmakers and made available to the public to ensure legislative certainty.
