SEDC: British MP commends Tinubu
…says commission, great catalyst towards integration in the S/E
By Tom Okpe
Member, British Parliament, Kate Osamore has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for establishing the South East Development Commission, SEDC, in the region.
Osamore, a British Labour and Cooperative politician has been a member of parliament for Edmonton and Winchmore Hill.
She made this commendation during a visit by the Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Rep Benjamin Okezie Kalu during a meeting on UK -Nigeria Strategic Dialogue with the Deputy Leader, House of Lords and United Kingdom Minister of African Affairs, Lord Collins of Highbury on Wednesday in London.
The British MP said: “I commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for establishment of the South East Development Commission, my familiarity with the post-civil war challenges of Nigeria gives me the confidence that the Commission was a great catalyst towards fostering greater integration in the South East region.”
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The British MP informed the Deputy Speaker of the CPA’s intension to visit Nigeria in March, 2025 for continued dialogue with various stakeholders on significant parliamentary issues.
According to Livinus Nwabughiougu, Chief Press Secretary to the Deputy Speaker in Abuja on Thursday, the Deputy Speaker, while meeting with the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, CPA, led by Kate Osamor at Westminster on the sidelines.of the UK-Nigeria Strategic Dialogue, urged UK Parliament to continue supporting the advancement of democracy in Nigeria.
Welcoming Kalu and his team of lawmakers from Nigeria to Westminster, Osamor who traced her roots to Nigeria assured that the United Kingdom remains a strategic partner to Nigeria on a number of fronts.
Kalu informed his host that the National Assembly is currently, considering a couple of bills, aimed at reforming the fiscal climate for which the Federal Government is engaging the stakeholders to get their input.
The bills, he said included the Nigeria Revenue Service, Establishment, Bill, the Nigeria Tax Bill, the Nigeria Tax Administration Bill, and the Joint Revenue Board, Establishment, Bill.
Kalu who said that Nigeria is the right destination for investments called on the UK business and the international community as a whole to increase their investment ratio in the country.
He said: “Our tax laws have been
obsolete. So, what we are trying to do now is to streamline them in line with global best practices.
“The aim is to drive revenue and also support some of the investors who have irregular tax laws affecting their revenue, streamlining them to know what they are paying for. Not multiple taxation on the same issues.”
Highlighting the legislative agenda of the 10th House of Representatives, the Deputy Speaker said the Parliament has prioritized national security, law reforms, economic growth and development, social sector reforms and development, inclusion and open parliament, foreign policy, climate change and environmental sustainability for improvement.
Kalu who is also the Chairman of the House Committee on Constitution Review added that certain key areas of reform has also been outlined in the Constitution review process.
