The Centre for Human Rights and Social Advancement (CEFSAN) vehemently rejects the new tax law imposed by the Federal Government of Nigeria, describing it as anti-poor and a deliberate assault on the livelihoods of ordinary Nigerians.
Yusha’u Sani Yankuzo, Esq., the Executive Director of CEFSAN, in a statement on Friday, said the law, coming on the heels of successive fuel subsidy removals, is nothing short of an economic attack against the people.
According to him, Nigerians are already paying exorbitant prices for fuel, transportation, food, and basic services, yet the government insists on extracting more from the working class and vulnerable communities.
“This is state-sanctioned oppression, designed to protect the rich while punishing the poor.
“The new tax policy, combined with subsidy removals, demonstrates a government blind to suffering and deaf to reason.
“It disregards the constitutional and human rights of citizens, particularly their right to an adequate standard of living, and further entrenches inequality and social despair,” he added.
CEFSAN calls on the Federal Government to:
- Immediately suspend the new tax law and review fuel subsidy policies to protect ordinary Nigerians.
- Engage in genuine consultations with civil society, labor unions, and citizens before enacting policies that affect the people’s survival.
- Shift the tax burden to the wealthy and corporations, not the poor, while tackling corruption and fiscal mismanagement.
- Implement social protection measures to cushion vulnerable communities against economic shocks.
CEFSAN warns that any attempt to enforce this law without addressing the real causes of Nigeria’s economic hardship will deepen poverty, hunger, and social unrest, adding that it remains committed to defending the socio-economic rights of Nigerians, mobilizing citizens, and pursuing all legal and civic avenues to resist policies that exploit the poor.
Nigerians should not be burdened with the consequences of government failures.
CEFSAN therefore urges all citizens to unite in resisting this injustice and to demand policies that place the welfare of the majority above the interests of a privileged few.
