The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has called on President Bola Tinubu to order the public release of certified true copies of tax bills transmitted by the National Assembly, as well as the tax laws eventually signed and gazetted by the Federal Government.
The organisation said the demand was prompted by allegations that differences exist between the versions of the tax bills approved by lawmakers and the laws later published by the government.
In a Freedom of Information request dated December 20, 2025, SERAP urged the President to direct the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), to make the documents publicly available to allow for scrutiny.
The tax laws listed in the request include the National Revenue Service (Establishment) Act, the Joint Revenue Board of Nigeria (Establishment) Act, the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, and the Nigeria Tax Act.
According to a statement signed on Sunday by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the group also asked the Federal Government to clarify whether the bills received from the National Assembly were exactly the same as those signed into law and subsequently gazetted.
“Widely publishing certified true copies of the tax bills received from the National Assembly and the tax laws signed into law would enable Nigerians to examine the documents and compare them with the versions ultimately gazetted,” SERAP said.
The organisation further called for the setting up of an independent panel of inquiry to investigate claims that material changes were made to the laws after their passage by the legislature.
“The proposed panel should be headed by a retired Justice of the Supreme Court or the Court of Appeal, and its findings should be made public,” the group said, adding that “anyone found responsible for unlawful alterations must be prosecuted, as appropriate.”
SERAP warned that any post-legislative changes to the tax laws would undermine constitutional provisions and violate the principles of the rule of law and separation of powers.
“The alleged alterations would offend the Nigerian Constitution, international human rights standards, and fundamental democratic principles,” the statement added.
The group gave the Presidency a seven-day ultimatum to act on its request, noting that failure to comply would trigger legal action.
“If we do not hear from you within seven days of the receipt or publication of this letter, SERAP will take all appropriate legal steps in the public interest to compel compliance,” it said.
The call follows a motion raised on December 17, 2025, by a member of the House of Representatives, Abdussamad Dasuki (PDP, Sokoto), who drew attention to alleged discrepancies between the harmonised tax bills passed by the National Assembly and the versions later gazetted by the Federal Government.
