Tax reform: Promote President’s achievements, if any, don’t attack me — Bauchi Gov replies Presidency
By Rauf Oyewole, Bauchi
Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has called on the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Mr. Sunday Dare, to focus on promoting the policies and achievements of President Tinubu, if there are any to highlight, rather than making disparaging remarks.
The call comes after Dare’s statement last Friday, in which he said, “Governor Bala should face governance and stop using President Tinubu to burnish his vanishing image. Governor Bala is playing irresponsible politics. Rather, he should occupy himself with dealing with the many problems of his state. Ambition is made of sterner stuff.”
Dare’s remarks were a response to Governor Mohammed’s criticism of President Tinubu’s economic reform policies, which the Governor had claimed were placing unnecessary strain on the North and Nigeria as a whole.
In a five-page response, signed by his media adviser, Mukhtar Gidado, Governor Mohammed described Dare’s comments as “unprofessional, divisive, and ill-timed.”
“Mr. Dare displayed poor judgment unbecoming of his office. This calculated move is a disservice to the President, who deserves better representation,” Mohammed stated.
He went on to clarify that this was not the first time Mr. Dare had launched an “unprovoked attack” on the Governor. He stressed that Dare’s role as a media adviser should demand professionalism, diplomacy, and a commitment to uniting Nigerians behind the President’s vision. Instead, Mohammed said Dare had chosen to sow division and distract from important national issues.
“We reiterate that Governor Bala Mohammed respects the Office of the President and the responsibilities it entails. However, respect does not preclude critique in a democracy. Moving forward, we urge Mr. Dare to channel his efforts toward promoting the President’s policies and achievements, if any, rather than disparaging those offering constructive feedback.”
The Governor emphasised that democracy thrives on dialogue, not intimidation, and stated that it was time for the President’s media team to embrace this principle. He added that dissent should not be seen as a threat but as an opportunity to build a better, stronger Nigeria.
Governor Mohammed further addressed the core of Mr. Dare’s criticisms, which centred on his critique of the Tax Reform Bills currently before the National Assembly. He reiterated that his comments were not an attack on the President, but a legitimate call for greater consultation and inclusivity.
“The claims by the Fiscal Policy and Tax Reform Committee, chaired by Mr. Taiwo Oyedele, that consultations were conducted are, at best, misleading. A thorough review of their engagements reveals that these were mere briefings rather than genuine consultations. The two terms are fundamentally different: while briefings are top-down, unilateral information-sharing sessions, consultations require multidirectional, inclusive dialogue with stakeholders,” he explained.
