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From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has charged the Federal Government to make a full disclosure on its recent agreement with France on tax administration.
ADC, in a statement by its interim National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said while it supports efforts to modernise tax administration, the deal with France raises questions about transparency, the country’s sovereignty, and the protection of citizens’ data.
Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Zacch Adedeji, last Wednesday, reportedly signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the French revenue agency, Direction Générale des Finances Publiques (DGFP) on efficient tax administration.
However, the opposition party stated that after a review of expert opinions on the MoU, it believes the government should make a full public disclosure on the details of the agreement or terminate it immediately.
The ADC noted that “quite significantly, we note the overwhelming concern that the agreement potentially endangers Nigeria’s data security and exposes strategic national economic information to foreign exploitation.
“Attempts by the FIRS to explain these concerns away have failed to convince anyone that the agreement was done in the nation’s best interest, especially given the manner in which it was hurriedly and secretly packaged. “Tax matters are about business, not charity. In entering into this business agreement, the FIRS has told us what Nigeria stands to benefit. However, it has failed to tell us what France stands to benefit from this deal.
“Why did the Federal Government of Nigeria enter into a serious agreement such as this, which potentially infringes on national security and sovereignty, without public disclosure of its full terms, without open engagement with the National Assembly, and without any meaningful effort to carry Nigerians along?”
It added that “more fundamentally, we cannot ignore the broader political context of this agreement. Across West Africa, France’s role and influence are being openly questioned. Former French colonies are loosening or severing their neo-colonial ties with the country. Yet, under the Bola Tinubu administration, Nigeria appears to have become more Francophone than the French.
“Nigeria’s local content policy was designed to encourage the development of national human capital and to reduce capital flight by promoting domestic industries, especially in the provision of services. With the plethora of competent and globally acclaimed national service providers in this sector, why does President Tinubu prefer to promote his French connection rather than local capacities?
“These tax reforms should provide opportunities to strengthen national institutions and build local capacity, not to create new dependencies or hand over strategic control of our economic intelligence to external actors.”
The party stated that besides “proper briefing of the National Assembly, and an independent assessment of its implications for data security, cybersecurity, and national sovereignty. The details of this closed-door arrangement must be published for all to see, or be terminated.”
