Transparency, objectivity essential for promotion of good governance, says Atiku

By Folorunso Alagbede, Abuja

Former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has declared that transparency and objectivity are essential for promoting accountability, good governance and public trust in policy-making.
Atiku made the declaration in a tweet on Sunday in his response to an ongoing public hearing by the House of Representatives in Abuja.
The former Vice President and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the 2023 general election, pointed out that the
fiscal system that is being sought by the lower arm of the National Assembly must not exacerbate the uneven development of the federating units by enhancing the status of a few states while unduly penalising others.
The public hearing process, according to him, must facilitate open and inclusive participation by all stakeholders, including Civil Society Organizations, traditional institutions, politicians, public officials, and subject matter experts.
Atiku thus called on the National Assembly (NASS) to revisit and make public the resolutions of the National Economic Council, a key stakeholder and an important organ of the state with the constitutional power to advise the President concerning the economic affairs of the Federation.
The NASS, he added, must be appropriately guided and ensure that in the final analysis, the contents of the Bills align with the interests of the vast majority of Nigerians.
The statement conveying the tweet of the former Vice President reads, “I have followed the intense public discourse on the Tax Reform Bills with keen interest.
Nigerians are united in their call for a fiscal system that promotes justice, fairness, and equity.
“They are loud and clear that the fiscal system we seek to promote must not exacerbate the uneven development of the federating units by enhancing the status of a few states while unduly penalising others.
“I call for objectivity and transparency in the conduct of the public hearing being organised by our representatives in the National Assembly.
“As a concerned stakeholder, I firmly believe that transparency and objectivity are essential for promoting accountability, good governance, and public trust in policy-making.
“The public hearing process must facilitate open and inclusive participation by all stakeholders, including Civil Society Organizations, traditional institutions, politicians, public officials, and subject matter experts.
“In this wise, I call on the NASS to revisit and make public the resolutions of the National Economic Council, a key stakeholder and an important organ of the state with the constitutional power to advise the President concerning the economic affairs of the Federation.
“The NASS must be appropriately guided and ensure that in the final analysis, the contents of the Bills align with the interests of the vast majority of Nigerians”, it concluded.

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