By Yemi Oyeyemi, Abuja.
An Abuja-based Senior Advocate of Nigeria SAN, Malam Ahmed Adeniyi Raji, has called on the Nigerian government to immediately introduce a Wealth Tax Policy that will make super rich Nigerians to pay deserved tax that would be used to cater for the downtrodden in the country.
The senior lawyer said that the tax policy, if introduced and implemented, would make the super-rich Nigerians to contribute meaningfully to government’s purse to bridge the gap between the affluent and poor in the nation.
Raji who spoke at a public lecture entitled “Taxing Powers in a Federal System” held in Abuja to mark his 60th birthday remarked that time has come for government to do real balancing between the rich and the poor in Nigeria.
He argued that in the face of harsh economic situation staring poor Nigerians in the face, the poor need to be subsidised and not to be taxed under any guise so as to balance their anger against the rich.
Raji noted that there is sufficient evidence that some super rich persons own personal jets worth $50M each at a time when some families could not afford to eat twice a day adding that the country cannot witness genuine peace under such situation.
“It is a fact that the downturn in Nigeria’s economy is having harsh and devastating effects on the poor majority Nigerians. The wide disparity between the rich and the poor should be of grave concern to patriotic Nigerians and the way out must be found.
“The gap between the rich and the poor is so much and so offensive that It can lead to breakdown of law and order at any moment.
“It is in the interest of justice that the super rich should shed part of their stupendous wealth to cater for the downtrodden masses before it is too late.
“Majority of Nigerians are in absolute poverty. Over 90 percentage of the Nigerian population is in abject poverty and time has come for us, including myself to address the ugly situattion.
“Any attempt to pretend that all is well may spell doom for the nation. We will be sitting on a keg of powder if we refuse to address the challenges of the poor masses now” he warned.
He appealed to the government that the instrumentality of Wealth Tax must be adopted and used to develop the Nigerian nation as done in the United States of America, United Kingdom and France.
The senior lawyer said he opted to use the public lecture to mark his birthday so as to use it to draw attention to some burning issues and challenges that deserve public attention rather than mere merry making.