Official position of the Initiative for Freedom Conflict Prevention and Social Integration (FREECON) with respect to the alleged alteration of the gazetted copy of the Nigerian Tax law
I stand before you today with a deep sense of responsibility and concern for the integrity of our democracy and the rule of law.
The issue before us is not merely about tax policy. It is about trust in our institutions, trust in due process, and trust in the sanctity of the law itself.
The gazette is not an ordinary document. It is the final, authoritative record of the law as passed by the legislature and assented to by the appropriate authority. It represents the voice of the people, expressed through constitutional procedures.
Any alteration to a gazetted law, outside the legally prescribed process, is not a minor administrative error-it is a serious breach of democratic norms.
The reported alteration in the gazetted copy of the Nigeria tax law raises troubling questions. Who authorized the changes? Why were they made after the law had completed the legislative process? And most importantly, what precedent does this set for our legal system?
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If laws can be quietly altered after they are passed, then the authority of the legislature is undermined. If the gazette cannot be trusted, then legal certainty collapses. Investors lose confidence, citizens become suspicious, and governance is reduced to discretion rather than law.
This is dangerous.ww
Nigeria’s Constitution is clear: laws must be made, amended, and repealed only through transparent and lawful procedures. Anything short of this is an affront to constitutionalism and an insult to the Nigerian people.
Let me be clear-this condemnation is not driven by politics, but by principle. Regardless of whether one supports or opposes the substance of the tax law, the process must be protected. Today it is a tax law. Tomorrow it could be an election law, a human rights statute, or a budgetary provision.
Silence in the face of such irregularities would amount to complicity.
Therefore, we call for:
- An immediate and transparent investigation into the alteration of the gazetted tax law.
- Public clarification and accountability from all officials involved in the gazetting process.
- Institutional safeguards to ensure that no law is ever altered outside constitutional procedures again.
Nigeria deserves laws that are not only just, but lawfully made and faithfully preserved.
The strength of a nation is not measured by the power of its leaders, but by the integrity of its laws. Let us defend that integrity today, so that future generations may inherit a country governed by rules, not manipulation.
Thank you.
Signed
Callys C. Evans Esq.
(Country Director)
For: FREECON
