Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the senator representing Kogi Central at the National Assembly, has said a lack of preparedness was the root cause of northern Nigeria's fear of President Bola Tinubu's proposed tax reform bills.

In a statement by his spokesperson, Israel Arogbonlo, on Thursday, January 16, the federal lawmaker made the comment during his address at the Sardauna Memorial Day in Kaduna.

The Sun reported that Natasha then urged the northern region to embrace Ahmadu Bello's vision, the Sardauna of Sokoto, adding that he led the region into prosperity in the 1950s.

Speaking on the region's former economic strength, the Kogi lawmaker said in 1959 that Nigeria's groundnut exports to the United Kingdom were valued at £27 million—equivalent to ₦3.6 trillion today. By contrast, current groundnut exports stand at a mere $3 million.

She noted "The residue from the groundnut's oil extraction was also exported to the UK as livestock feeds. Today, Nigeria's groundnut exports are a distant $3m."

She also lamented the decline of the Northern cotton industry, which once dominated the UK market and created numerous jobs through thriving textile mills.

She added: "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 industry generates $21 billion annually. That's the thriving economy Sardauna helped create and left for us to improve upon."

The lawmaker stressed the importance of adopting a developmental mindset among leaders to revive the economy and enhance the region's entrepreneurial ecosystems.

She added, "The only reason why the North is jittering about the Tax Reform Bills is because we are ill-prepared. If we were generating 3.6 trillion from one agricultural product, would we be bothered about the reforms?

"Hence, We must task 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 called for collaboration between northern leaders and civil society to achieve these goals.