By Modupe Gbadeyanka

A member of the House of Representatives, Mr Abdussamad Dasuki, has alleged that the gazetted tax laws are different from the ones passed by the National Assembly.

Speaking on Wednesday during plenary at the green chamber, the opposition lawmaker the emphasised that content of the tax laws as gazetted was not what members of the parliament debated, voted on and passed.

In June 2025, President Bola Tinubu signed the four tax reform bills into law, becoming an act. The new laws are the Nigeria Tax Act (NTA), 2025, the Nigeria Tax Administration Act (NTAA), 2025, the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Act (NRSEA), 2025, and the Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Act (JRBEA), 2025.

In September, they were gazetted by the federal government.

On the floor of the House yesterday, presided over by the Speaker, Mr Tajudeed Abbas, Mr Dasuki, while raising a matter of privilege, after reviewing the gazetted law and what was passed, he found out some discrepancies, appealing to the Speaker to ensure that all relevant documents, including the harmonised versions, the votes and proceedings of both chambers, and the gazetted copies currently in circulation, are brought before the Committee of the Whole for scrutiny by all members.

He warned that allowing laws different from those duly passed by the National Assembly to be presented to Nigerians would undermine the integrity of the legislature and violate constitutional provisions.

“Mr. Speaker, I will be pleading that all the documents should be brought before the Committee of the Whole.

“The whole members should see what is in the gazetted copy and see what they passed on the floor so that we can make the relevant amendment. Mr Speaker, this is the breach of the Constitution.

“This is the breach of our laws, and this should not be taken by this House,” Mr Dasuki said when rising under Order Six, Rule Two of the House Rules on a Point of Privilege.

In his remarks, Mr Abbas promised that the parliament would look into the matter.

By Adedapo Adesanya

Over 90 illegal mining sites have been reclaimed and 300 offenders prosecuted since the deployment of the Mining Marshals, a specialised task force established to secure Nigeria’s mineral assets.

This information was disclosed by the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Mr Dele Alake, at the South West Leaders Conference held recently in Akure, the Ondo state capital.

He described the crackdown as a turning point in the battle against mineral theft and insecurity in mining communities.

“We created the Mining Marshals to tackle insecurity and illegal mining head-on. I’m proud to say that peace is returning to our mining fields,” he said.

According to Mr Alake, the initiative has strengthened investor confidence and improved government revenue.

“When you protect the minerals, you protect national wealth. That’s exactly what we’ve done with the Mining Marshals,” he stated.

He noted that beyond arrests and reclamations, the Marshals have restored safety in key mining corridors and curbed the activities of illegal foreign operators. “We are taking back control of our natural resources from criminal networks,” Mr Alake emphasised.

The minister reiterated the government’s commitment to maintaining the momentum through digital surveillance, stronger local intelligence, and inter-agency coordination.

“Our success proves that security is the bedrock of sustainable mining. We will keep refining this model until every site in Nigeria is safe, legal, and productive,” he added.

Launched last year, the marshals were given the mandate to stem theft and all nefarious activities around the nation’s minerals so that benefits are not extracted by the wrong people.

By Aduragbemi Omiyale

A petition has been filed against the chief executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Mr Ahmed Farouk.

The petition was written by the president of the Dangote Group, Mr Aliko Dangote, to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

Mr Dangote asked the agency to look into the finances of the head of the petroleum industry regulator, alleging the man is living far above his legitimate means as a public officer.

In the protest letter filed by his legal counsel, Mr Ogwu Onoja (SAN), the businessman claimed the NMDPRA chief spent over $7 million to educate his children, four in number, in Switzerland.

The petition, dated and submitted on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, and received by the office of the ICPC Chairman, also claimed that Mr Ahmed paid upfront for a six-month period, without any lawful source of income to justify such expenditure.

It also alleged that NMDPRA boss used his office to siphon and divert public funds for personal gain and private interests, actions which he claimed had fuelled public outrage and recent protests by various groups.

“That Engr Farouk Ahmed has grossly abused his office contrary to the extant provisions of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers and, in doing enmeshed himself in monumental corruption and unlawful spending of Public funds running into millions of dollars.

“That Engr Farouk Ahmed spent without evidence of lawful means of income humongous amount of money of over 7million dollars of Public funds, for the education of his four children in different schools in Switzerland for a period of six years upfront,” a part of the petition read.

“It is without doubt that the above facts in relation to abuse of office, breach of the Code of Conduct for public officers, corrupt enrichment and embezzlement are gross acts of corrupt practices for which your Commission is statutorily empowered under Section 19 of the ICPC Act to investigate and prosecute,” another part added.

“Any public officer who uses his office or position to gratify or confer any corrupt or unfair advantage upon himself or any relation or associate of the public officer or any other public officer shall be guilty of an offence and shall on conviction be liable to imprisonment for five (5) years without option of fine,” it reminded the ICPC, urging it to act decisively by investigating the allegations against Mr Ahmed and prosecuting him if found culpable, stressing that the matter is already in the public domain, as this would help uphold justice and protect the image of the administration of President Bola Tinubu.

Mr Dangote promised to provide evidence to substantiate his allegations of corrupt enrichment, abuse of office and impunity against the NMDPRA chief when required.