Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, representing Ondo South Senatorial District, has strongly opposed the United Nations’ proposal for a global tax to fund the 17 Sustainable Development Goals calling it inappropriate and unworkable
Speaking at the opening session of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in New York on Thursday, Ibrahim, who chairs the Senate Committee on Inter-Parliamentary Affairs, argued that the international system lacks the enforcement authority necessary to ensure compliance with such a tax.
The All Progressives Congress lawmaker warned that implementing a global tax could widen the economic disparity between nations, pushing more vulnerable populations into poverty—an outcome that directly contradicts the UN’s goal of eradicating poverty by 2030.
Instead of taxation, Ibrahim advocated for climate reparations from major polluters to support Africa’s development and ease the continent’s debt burden.
“It is time for African legislators to act decisively and compel the rest of the world to pay compensation for climate impacts so that we can finance our SDGs,” he stated.
The senator also highlighted key obstacles hindering progress towards the SDGs, including the exclusion of critical stakeholders from decision-making processes.
He stressed that this lack of inclusivity had led to transparency issues, distrust, and failures in global cooperation.
Ibrahim further pointed out that the insufficient involvement of non-state actors had slowed the achievement of the 2030 agenda, urging world leaders to adopt a more collaborative approach in addressing global challenges.
