Dogara defends Tinubu’s tax reforms bills, questions intelligence of critics
A former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara has chided the lawmaker representing Borno South Senatorial district, Senator Ali Ndume over the latter’s consistent criticism of the President Bola Tinubu’s government.
Dogara spoke on Monday at Channels TV’s Town Hall meeting on the controversial Tax Reform Bills introduced by the executive.
Ndume and other northern stakeholders, including governors have been vocal against the tax bills.
Senator Ndume had in an interview on Channels TV launched an attack on some of his detractors who call him ignorant, saying he schooled in Nigeria and America.
Wondering why some critics call him ignorant, Ndume said, “I’m 65 years old. I schooled in Nigeria and in America. Because I’m wearing Agbada and because I’m from Borno State, some people call me ignorant.
“I taught in polytechnics for 20 years before I joined politics. I married two of my daughters to Yoruba men.”
Reacting, Dogara said intelligence is not about granting interviews on national television stations, stressing that Ndume is a mere content creator if his intelligence fails to proffer solutions to national matters.
“Intelligence is not about going to TV Stations to be telling us the schools you went and grades you had, intelligence is about providing solutions, otherwise, you’re just a mere content creator,” he said.
Addressing the position of the northern leaders regarding the tax bills, Dogara said, “No northern leader will ever do what Tinubu has done by creating a livestock ministry for the north.
“If we get it right, the north won’t need to share VAT from another state”.