FG should consult widely on Tax Reform Bills – Speaker, Oyo State House of Assembly, Ogundoyin

In this interview, the Speaker, of Oyo State House of Assembly and Chairman, the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures, Adebo Ogundoyin, tells TOPE OMOGBOLAGUN about Constitution Amendment Bills, Tax Reform Bills, and the Peoples Democratic Party, amongst others.

You had a couple of resolutions at the last Speakers of State Houses of Assembly conference. How far have you gone with the implementation of those resolutions?

At this particular moment, different aspects were within our communiqué. However, the most critical aspect is the financial autonomy of the state legislatures. The Conference of Speakers has met with certain governors, and I can assure you that they have all given positive feedback concerning the legislature’s autonomy. But what they are waiting for as a collective vote is a nudge from their leadership to ensure that all State Houses of Assembly do receive their finances as stipulated in the Constitution as amended. With the current Conference of Speakers and our relationship with the Governors forum, we are optimistic that we will be able to push it over the line. Although this is the end of the year, we believe that, by all means, by next year, all State Houses of Assembly will have financial autonomy.

You’re convinced about the States’ Houses of Assembly autonomy. However, the President of the Ninth Senate, Ahmad Lawan, said that, as of the last National Assembly, when the issue of state autonomy arose, he was surprised that even the State Houses of Assembly didn’t vote for it. Looking at the battles that have ensued since the court gave autonomy to local government, how sure are you that the state governors would grant autonomy to the legislature?

We should not compare local government to the legislature. One reason is that tiers of government are different from arms of government. Some might argue that there are only two tiers of government in the federation, the state and the national, that is a germane argument. But you cannot argue that we have three arms of government: the executive, legislature, and judiciary, which should ordinarily be fully autonomous in their operations. I believe that there are two different situations: the local government, state government, and federal government, and then the arms of government situation. On the other hand, I’m certain that the governors are constitutional, they like to follow the Rule of Law. Since this is a constitutional matter as it was assented to by the immediate past President, His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari, we believe that for them not to flout the constitution, their body language is already pointing towards the provision of this financial autonomy. What Senator Lawan meant by saying that the influence of the governors on the state legislature happened more in the past than in recent history is that in the past, probably between 2015 and 2019, during the constitutional review to make state judiciary and legislature autonomous, we needed to find the adequate number of states to vote for it. However, in the 2019–2023 constitutional review, we got the desired number irrespective of the governors’ feelings at the time, which also shows that the legislature is becoming increasingly independent. Moving forward, other sensitive situations can also be addressed like this. An example of this situation is local government autonomy. For example, many states, despite the feelings of the Nigerian Governors Forum and the governors, concerning the autonomy of local governments, know, that we approved it at the state level. I believe that we are just two states or a state less from getting the desired number of states for local government autonomy. For one, the Oyo State House of Assembly approved the financial autonomy of the local government but declined assent on the administrative aspects because we believe that Nigeria, as a federal government, should remain and operate, with two tiers of government.

And then the local government, we believe, should be an organ of the state as it is because there’s no square meter or meter square of local government that doesn’t belong to the state, and there’s no portion of the state that doesn’t belong to the local government. So they are the same if you ask me.

State Police has been one of the significant issues in the current Constitution Amendment Bills. The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and some other stakeholders have argued that Nigeria needs more time to be ready for State Police. What is your position on this?

In our last meeting, one of the resolutions of our communiqué had to do with the approval of the State Police by the National Assembly as part of the Constitutional Review. We support state policing because we are the ones at the grassroots who are most exposed to insecurity. Abuja is relatively safe compared to other parts of Nigeria. Their major concern is that governors might use State Police against political opponents. If you genuinely look at this, you will see that it is purely for political reasons that they are against it. Even if political reasons exist, what about the other aspects of life that are even bigger than political interests? However, my question to them is: What measures will determine whether we will be ready for it? Economic development cannot occur without good security. We propose that the State Police assist the Nigerian Police Force in maintaining law and order. The Nigerian Police Force would remain, while the State Police would serve as another layer of security to complement federal policing.

For example, the southwest region has seen the effectiveness of the Amotekun Corps in ensuring safety. Establishing the State Police would not eradicate the Nigerian Police Force but would work alongside it. During election periods, the State Police should not be involved to avoid political interference. State Police officers will better understand their local environments, which is crucial for effective security. We are resolute in our appeal to the federal government to consider state police irrespective of political concerns.

What is your take on the tax reform bills?

Any positive reform is a good reform. Any reform that brings about competition, any reform that increases productivity, and any reform that brings about justice, equity, and fairness is good. I haven’t seen the total consequence of the tax reform bill, but I often hear that tax-sharing formulas benefit more productive states. So, for us in Oyo state, for example, from our standpoint, we support the tax reform, especially regarding the VAT section. But what about the remaining states? What about the northern states? What about the eastern states? What about the south-south states? Because the federal government is not just one state, it is a composition of 36 different states, including the Federal Capital Territory. At the end of the day, I advise that the federal government conduct more extensive consultation, discuss it with the Nigerian governor’s forum, discuss it with the traditional rulers, and discuss it with the stakeholders to see what their feelings are based on this new reform. I believe that what happened in recent weeks was the fact that they were not ready for it. The various stakeholders needed to prepare. They needed to be better informed, either ill-informed or inadequately informed about this tax reform bill. So, what most people are agitating for now, apart from the outright cancellation of the tax reform bill, is wider consultation. But we do not support cancelling the tax reform bill. We support anything that will bring progress, positive reforms, fairness, justice, and equity for all involved. Therefore, I think that the federal government is doing the right thing in the consultation, and they should continue until we can reach a consensus on the way forward on the tax reform bill.

Considering the crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party, and the back-and-forth with reconciliation, do you think there will still be a PDP in 2027, especially at the National level?

Going by your last statement and your last question, I will start by that. There will be PDP. I also want to use this opportunity to advise that the concept of a one-party system be abolished, especially by the components and leaders of the opposition party. And not just because of their interests for today, but because of the country’s future—because of our children, our grandchildren, and our great-grandchildren. Even if we, the youth, are children to some of these leaders, we do not advocate for a one-party system. We advocate for a system of balance, where different policies are scrutinized by an opposition to ensure that the people of the country, of the nation, get the best dividend of democracy they can ever get. Our general idea is that yes, there will be a PDP in 2027. The only question is how strong it will be. You alluded to some of the internal issues that are bothering us within PDP. There is no political party without internal matters. Secondly, not to start, since PDP is the subject of conversation, I would say that the PDP has different machinery and mechanisms put in place for conflict resolution. PDP has a Board of Trustees which serves an advisory role in mediating between the concerned parties or within the aggrieved parties. It’s one of their jobs to talk to all concerned parties and all aggrieved parties and bring them together in a reconciliatory manner. Aside from that, we also have the NEC; we have various leaders across various states. The onus is on all the leaders across the nation to reconcile the differences that there are. It is not a secret that the internal issues within the PDP are truly affecting the party’s positioning now against 2027. Even in politics, it’s a very long time. And that’s saying that we still have at least another two or three years to 2027. So there’s an adequate time, at least in two years, for us to get our acts right, find a balance between all parties, and push forward. Currently, there’s no point in crying over spilled milk or past events. The best thing we can do now is to look forward and move forward in unity as one party so that we can contest and give a good show in 2027. You mentioned the creation of a one-party system. To the best of my knowledge, we have more than one party at the moment in Nigeria. We have the PDP, LP, SDP, APGA, and YPP, amongst others. We see the Labour Party as an offshoot of the PDP. Peter Obi was the Vice-presidential candidate of the PDP in 2019. He saw that he didn’t stand a chance to secure the ticket in 2023, so he moved along with other party faithful to the Labour Party. So, if you look at the Labour Party, it’s just like the PDP with another jacket. But notwithstanding, we are not saying that we are in a one-party system at the moment; we are guarding against the situation where the lines become blurred. We have PDP faithful securing appointments in the APC government. So, when I talk about the one-party system, I’m also trying to caution the ruling party against imposing its will on the people. Our general idea is that, since we have the party at the centre, the federal government should also respect the people’s wishes across state lines and comply with them. The same way the people voted for them to be in office is the same way they also voted for the people at the sub-nationals.

So, are you saying the President should have limited his appointments to just the APC and left out people he believes can do the work, even if they are in other political parties?

No, that’s not what I’m trying to say. The presidency has the prerogative to select the best minds and brains. The FCT Minister has proven himself to be one of the best brains in the nation. His work as a governor already demonstrates that he is one of Nigeria’s most valuable resources. By all means, the work he has done recently in the FCT has been brilliant. That’s not the case here. As I speak to you, even I am within the opposition party, PDP. Yet, I emerged as the Chairman of the Conference of Speakers of Legislators in Nigeria because the speakers believed in my capacity and abilities. It’s always beautiful when people work across party lines to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people—that’s the most important thing. However, we must be careful not to position ourselves as though Nigeria is moving toward a one-party system. This is more of a cautionary note, not just for the opposition but also for PDP members. It’s essential for everyone not to feel like second-class citizens. When people feel discriminated against, they start looking for ways to join the main party, before long, this could lead to a one-party system. Both the ruling party and opposition parties, like PDP and Labour, must ensure that this situation does not arise, in which everyone gravitates toward one party.

What is your biggest win as a young politician leading the state House of Assembly in Oyo state, especially as the poster child for the NotTooYoungToRun campaign?

My major win so far is that God has given me the ability and opportunity to serve without blemish. Some people might view other things as their primary win, but for me, it is about being a beacon or poster child for the Not-So-Young to Run initiative. When I emerged, my actions carried the potential to influence the idea of allowing more young people to serve in sensitive positions. What has always been, and remains, very important to me is to ensure that I am a good ambassador for the youth. I aim to be someone that young people and others can look to and say, ‘Yes, these are youth in government doing well.’ If I can do it, then more young people can also step forward and be given opportunities to serve. I am happy to have encouraged other young people to join the government. My emergence as a member in 2018 sparked a wave of young members entering the House of Assembly in 2019. Again, my emergence in 2019, alongside other young people, sparked even greater interest nationally, encouraging others to contest elections. Seeing us succeed gave young people the confidence and capacity to do the job. My major win is leading by example, which has been successful by God’s grace. Other wins include the passage of bills and motions sponsored under my leadership. Statistically, during my tenure, the Oyo State House of Assembly has been recognized as the best-performing Assembly regarding bills passed, motions moved, and resolutions adopted. In my constituency, I have facilitated numerous empowerment initiatives. We have built hospitals, places of worship, youth centres, and a secondary school. Additionally, we facilitated the development of a farm settlement, bringing over $15 million in investment to the constituency. These accomplishments, along with many others, represent significant progress. By God’s grace, we aim to achieve everything outlined in our legislative agenda for the United Assembly. We are pleased with what we have accomplished so far and pray that we will meet and surpass our goals by God’s grace.
(punch)