Democracy at Risk: Nigeria’s Tax Laws “Rewritten in the Shadows”A Dangerous Precedent

What happens when laws passed by the National Assembly  the very heartbeat of Nigeria’s democracy  are quietly altered before reaching the public? That’s not just a clerical error. It’s a direct assault on the constitutional order.

The Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives has now confirmed what many feared Nigeria’s gazetted tax laws were illegally tampered with after being signed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. This isn’t a minor discrepancy. It’s a scandal that strikes at the core of legislative independence.

The committee’s findings are damning

Thresholds slashed: Reporting limits were cut in half, burdening individuals and companies with harsher compliance.

New hurdles for justice: Taxpayers must now deposit 20% of disputed taxes before appealing — a clause never approved by lawmakers.

Unchecked powers: Tax authorities can arrest and sell assets without court orders.

Petroleum tax gutted: VAT and petroleum income tax mysteriously vanished from the definition of federal taxes.

Dollar dominance: Petroleum operations must be computed in US dollars, not naira.

Oversight erased: Provisions allowing the National Assembly to demand accountability reports were deleted.

These aren’t “adjustments.” They are deliberate rewrites that tilt power away from the people’s representatives and toward unelected bureaucrats.

If laws can be altered after passage, then what is the point of the legislature? What is the point of democracy? This scandal isn’t about tax thresholds or technicalities . it’s about whether Nigerians live under laws made by their elected representatives or under laws forged in the shadows.

The Minority Caucus is right to demand a deeper probe. But Nigerians must also demand answers

– Who authorized these changes?

– Who benefits from them?

– And most importantly, will those responsible face consequences?

Because if this goes unchecked, it sets a precedent where any law can be rewritten behind closed doors. That’s not democracy. That’sdictatorship by stealth.