The chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Contents, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan on Thursday explained why some critical stakeholders in the northern part of the country are nervous over the Tax Reform Bills being considered by the National Assembly.

Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central Senatorial District in the red chamber, said the region was ill-prepared for such fiscal legislation.

She, therefore, called for the revitalisation of Northern Nigeria’s socio-economic and cultural heritage to boost the economic fortunes of the region.

The Senator, according to a statement by her media aide, Arogbonlo Israel, in Abuja yesterday, asserted while speaking at the Sardauna Memorial Day in Kaduna.

She urged the north to embrace the vision of the late Sardauna of Sokoto, Ahmadu Bello, who led the region to prosperity in the 1950s.

She stressed the importance of education and cultural preservation to achieve the envisaged economic transformation.

Akpoti-Uduaghan noted that in 1959, Nigeria’s groundnut export to the UK was valued at £27 million, equivalent to ?3.6 trillion today, while current groundnut exports are only $3 million.

“The only reason why the North is jittery about the Tax Reform Bills is because we are ill-prepared.

“If we were generating N3.6 trillion from one agricultural product, would we be bothered about the reforms?

“Hence, we must ask our leaders with developmental mindsets to stir up the entrepreneurial ecosystems so our lands and factories can be productive once again.

“Let’s act from a position of economic abundance for our region and country at large,” Akpoti-Uduaghan said.

She called for collaboration among leaders in the north and civil society to achieve the goals.

“In the year 1959, Nigeria’s groundnut export to the United Kingdom alone stood at £27million which has an equivalent purchasing power of ?3.6 trillion today.

“The residue from the groundnut’s oil extraction was also exported to the UK as livestock feeds. Today, Nigeria’s groundnut exports sit at distant $3m,” she said.

She noted that the cotton industry in the North, which was once very important to the UK market, has also diminished, as it had previously generated significant revenue and employment.

Akpoti-Uduaghan said: “Northern Nigeria’s cotton industry shaped the Liverpool cloth market in London, UK between the 50s and 70s while the Kaduna Textile Mill flourished creating thousands of jobs.

“Today, the cotton industry in Nigeria is pretty much non-existent while this same industry generates $21 billion annually.

“That’s the thriving economy Sardauna helped create and left for us to improve upon.”

She stressed the need for a developmental mindset among leaders to revive the economy and strengthen entrepreneurial ecosystems.

The event was attended by dignitaries including the Governor of Kaduna State, Senator Uba Sani, who was represented by his Special Assistant on Internal Party Affairs, Abdulazeez Ishak.

Also in attendance were the Chairman of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Prof. Ango Abdullahi, and Major Hamza Al-Mustapha. (The Nation)