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Headlines

2023: It is not yet your time, Orji Kalu tells Igbos

by Folarin Kehinde September 20, 2022

written by Folarin Kehinde

The Chief Whip of the Senate, Orji Uzor Kalu, says it will be difficult for any Igbo to win the presidency without zoning the seat to the South East.

Kalu disclosed this while briefing reporters at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja on Tuesday.

He said the presidency is not a regional issue and could only be won with the support of other geo-political zones.

He, therefore, urged his fellow politicians from the South East eyeing the highest office to wait for another time when major political parties would agree to zone the ticket to the region.

“Presidency is not a regional issue. I asked the political parties to zone the presidency to the South East. When they didn’t do that, and since the presidency is not a regional issue, I had to withdraw.

I have no problem with the Igbo man being president. But we have to do it with other Nigerians. If we don’t do it with other Nigerians, it is not going to work, no matter how popular you are. It’s the president of Nigeria, not the president of Igboland.

“I’m an Igbo man to the core. I’m also a Nigerian to the core. If anyone from the Southeast had been nominated for the presidency, I would have been the one. So, it’s a party business. I have no grudges against anybody who is running”, he said.

September 20, 2022 0 comments

Headlines

ASUU strike: Female Students now Pregnant, while Males now Mechanics – NANS

by Folarin Kehinde September 20, 2022

written by Folarin Kehinde

The National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, has criticised the Federal Government for the ongoing seven-month-long strike embarked on by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU.

NANS said the strike has endangered the fundamental human right of Nigerian students, with regard to access to education.

Comrade Olusesi Tolulope Samson, Lagos NANS chairman, disclosed this on Arise TV morning show on Tuesday while fielding questions on the students’ protest at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on Monday.

He said that the strike has affected the future of their members, noting that some male students have become mechanics; some learning printing works; while some female students have got pregnant.

“The Federal Government has jeopardised and bastardised the fundamental human right of the Nigerian students. Some came to the protest yesterday with their ID cards, learning mechanics now. Some are learning printing works, while some female students are pregnant,” he said.

He noted that the protest staged at the airport was to alert the international community that something has been going wrong in Nigeria concerning education.

The student leader said their demand was for the universities to be reopened, adding that the students have been keeping their fingers crossed on what would be the outcome of a proposed meeting between the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, and the leadership of ASUU.

September 20, 2022 0 comments

Headlines

Tinubu Will Win 2023 Elections – FCT State Minister

by Folarin Kehinde September 20, 2022

written by Folarin Kehinde

Ramatu Aliyu, the FCT minister of State has stated that the Nigerian youths have accepted the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as their preferred candidate.

She asserted her believes that the candidate of the APC, Tinubu, would win the upcoming 2023 general elections.

She made the comments in Abuja on Monday when she received the ex-National Youth Leader of the Action Democratic Party (ADP), Paul Ogudu, into the APC.

According to her, the defection confirms the strength of the ruling party ahead of the 2023 elections.

She said that the position of APC has been strengthened as more youths continue to join the party.

In her statements, she said that: ““I thank you for making the right decision at the right time. I urge you to use your privileged position to show others the road to victory.

“We believe in continuity and by the special grace of God, our presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu will be President of Nigeria in 2023″, she added.

September 20, 2022 0 comments

Business Headlines

Udom Establishes Automobile Assembly Plant In Akwa Ibom

by Folarin Kehinde September 20, 2022

written by Folarin Kehinde

Governor Udom Emmanuel of Awka Ibom State, has facilitated the establishment of the first automobile assembling plant in Awka Ibom State.

The project is carried out by a partnership between MIMSHAC company, Israel and Awka Ibom State government.

MIMSHAC company intends to build a fully automated and filtering manufacturing company in Africa in addition to the car assembling plant in the state.

According to Mr Valentino Nnaemeka Okorie, the plant would employ over three thousand Abkwa Ibom Indigenes.

MIMSHAC’s Israeli partner, Mr Ronen Golan, appreciated Governor Udom Emmanuel for affording them the opportunity to invest in Akwa Ibom which he is particularly proud of and assured the press that the assembling of automobiles will begin in earnest at the plant in November 2022.

Mr Okorie said that MIMSHAC constructed the plant in partnership with the Isreali to ensure they transfer their technology to the qualified engineers who will work at the plant.

He assured the engineers that MIMSHAC intends to source for consumables and furniture locally from small and medium-scale businesses.

Automobile engineers who hail from Akwa Ibom, expressed satisfaction at the professionalism of the practical interview process and thanked Governor Emmanuel for establishing the car assembling plant which will provide employment opportunities for them.

September 20, 2022 0 comments

Headlines

NDLEA Busts Drug Warhouse In Lagos State, Recovers 278 Million Dollars Worth of Cocaine

by Folarin Kehinde September 20, 2022

written by Folarin Kehinde

Officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have carried out the biggest cocaine bust in the history of Nigeria.

Cocaine worth Two hundred and Seventy-Eight Million, Two Hundred and Fifty Million ($278,250,000) US dollars or more than 198 billion naira, was seized in a cocaine warehouse at Ikorodu, Lagos State.

Four individuals and a Jamaican national were part of the drug kingpins arrested during the raid.

Their names are: Messrs Soji Jibril, 69, from Ibadan, Oyo State; Emmanuel Chukwu, 65, from Ekwulobia, Anambra State; Wasiu Akinade, 53, from Ibadan, Oyo State; Sunday Oguntelure, 53, from Okitipupa Ondo State and Kelvin Smith, 42, a native of Kingston Jamica.

The arrested culprits are part of a notorious drug syndicate which the NDLEA has been tracking since 2018.

According to spokesperson of the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, “The intelligence conducted operation started on Sunday, 18th of September and lasted two days across various parts of Lagos State”.

“The cocaine was busted at No 6 Olukola Crescent, Solobo Estate, Ikorodu Lagos, while the drug kingpins were arrested at various hotels they used as hideouts”.

The operation had the support and cooperation from the American Drug Enforcement Adminstration (US-DEA).

Chief Executive/Chairman of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen Mohammed Buba Marwa (Retd) commended his officers for the successful operation.

He said the operation was a historical blow to drug cartels and issued a strong warning that all drug syndicates would go down because the game has changed.

September 20, 2022 0 comments

Headlines

Police Who Assaults Civilian Can Be Jailed For 25 Years: Falana, SAN

by Folarin Kehinde September 19, 2022

written by Folarin Kehinde

Femi Falana, a foremost SAN and the chairman of Alliance on Surviving Covid19 and Beyond (ASCAB) has stated that the penalty for a police officer who assaults a citizen is 25 years imprisonment.

The lawyer made this remark on Sunday while reacting to a statement credited to the spokesperson of the Nigeria Police Force, Mr. Olumuyiwa Adejobi, that if a policeman slaps a ‘civilian’, the person has no right to retaliate.

Adejobi, in his statement “Even if a policeman on uniform slaps a civilian, the civilian has no right to retaliate. More so, if he’s on uniform, it’s an act of disrespect to Nigeria to beat an officer on uniform. The disrespect is not to the policeman but to our nation and it’s a crime as enshrined in our criminal laws.”

Reacting to Adejobi’s view Falana, SAN, in a statement gotten by LEADINGREPORTERS said by virtue of section 34 of the Nigerian Constitution, every citizen is entitled to the fundamental right to the dignity of their person.

“Accordingly, no citizen shall be subjected to any mental, physical or psychological torture.

“Both the Administrators of Criminal Justice Act, 2015 and Police Establishment Act 2020 have prohibited police officers and other law enforcement personnel from subjecting Nigerian people including criminal suspects to degrading, humiliating or inhumane treatment.

“Civilians are required to respect police officers who are discharging their lawful duties.

“The penalty for assaulting or slapping a police officer is 3 years’ imprisonment under the Criminal Code.

“In the same vein, police officers are equally mandated to respect civilians. Indeed, section (2)(b) of the Anti Torture Act, 2017 states that torture is deemed committed when an act by which pain and suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person to punish him for an act he or a third person has committed or suspected of having committed.

“The penalty for assaulting a civilian is 25 years under the Anti Torture Act of 2017.

“In addition, the victim may sue for monetary compensation under the Anti Torture Act and the Constitution.”

“In view of the foregoing, Mr. Olumiyiwa Ameobi should withdraw his highly inciting and provocative statement which has given the misleading impression that the Nigeria Police Force has authorised its officers to slap citizens and subject them to other forms of torture without any challenge whatsoever.

“If the statement is not withdrawn within the next 24 hours the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Usman Alkali Baba should not hesitate to replace Mr. Adejobi with another police officer who has unqualified respect for the fundamental rights of the Nigerian people.”

September 19, 2022 0 comments

Headlines

NILEST Lament High Consumption of ponmo, Propose Ban

by Folarin Kehinde September 19, 2022

written by Folarin Kehinde

The Nigerian Institute of Leather and Science Technology (NILEST) says it is proposing a legislation to ban the consumption of animal skin, locally known as ponmo, in the country.

The NILEST Zaria’s Director-General, Professor Muhammad Yakubu, stated on Sunday in Abuja that the legislation was required to resurrect the nation’s deadlocked leather sector.

He believed that animal skin consumption, which has no nutritional value, ought to end in order to save the industry and advance the economy of the country.

“To the best of my knowledge, Nigerians are the only people in the world that overvalue skin as food, after all ponmo has no nutritional value,” he said.

The DG stated that the institute would work with industry stakeholders to approach the National Assembly and state legislatures to introduce legislation outlawing the consumption of Pomo.

“At one point, there was a motion before the two chambers of the National Assembly, it was debated, but I don’t know how the matter was thrown away,” he said.

According to him, the consumption of animal skin is partly responsible for the present comatose state of tanneries in Nigeria.

“If we get our tanneries, our footwear and leather production working well in Nigeria, people will hardly get ponmo to buy and eat,’’ Mr Yakubu said.

The DG also said that the current National Leather Policy had addressed some fundamental problems of the sector.

“When implemented fully, it would turn around most of the comatose tanneries and ginger greater output in production,’’ he said.

He appealed to stakeholders to support the legislation and the national leather policy to revive the sector.

NILEST was set up to promote leather production as provided in the Agricultural Research Institute Act of 1975.

It conducts research into all aspects of production and products of leather and utilization of local tanning materials in the country.

September 19, 2022 0 comments

Headlines

Queen Elizabeth finally buried at Windsor castle

by Folarin Kehinde September 19, 2022

written by Folarin Kehinde

Queen Elizabeth has been buried at Windsor Castle after her funeral procession went through the streets of London with huge crowds lining the route.

Windsor, where the Queen broadcast to the nation in wartime and spent so much of her time throughout her life, is her final resting place.

The Queen’s coffin was followed by King Charles, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Sussex, the Duke of York, and Princess Royal during its procession to Wellington Arch.

The route is a three-mile (4.82km), tree-lined avenue leading from Snow Hill – where Henry VIII is said to have awaited news of the execution of his second wife, Anne Boleyn – through Windsor Great Park towards the castle itself.

The route was lined by the armed forces from Westminster Abbey to the top of Constitution Hill at the Commonwealth memorial gates.

Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire.

It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British Royal Family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history, NAN reports.

September 19, 2022 0 comments

Business Headlines

Buhari Grants 16 Trillion Naira Tax Waiver To Dangote, Others

by Folarin Kehinde September 19, 2022

written by Folarin Kehinde

President Muhammadu Buhari administration has reportedly approved a waiver of N16.76tn in revenue to tax reliefs and concessions given to large companies between 2019 and 2021.

The beneficiaries of the tax reliefs and concessions included Dangote, Lafarge, Honeywell and 43 other major beneficiaries.

At least 46 companies had benefitted from various tax incentives and duty waiver schemes as of the end of 2021, while the requests of 186 companies were still pending, Pointblanknews.com learnt.

This is according to the tax expenditure statement (TES) reports in the Medium-Term Expenditure and Fiscal Strategy documents posted on the website of the Budget Office of the Federation.

The TES deals with revenue forgone on Company Income Tax, Value Added Tax, Petroleum Production Tax, and Customs Duty.

In the TES report, Federal Government had forgone revenue of N4.2tn in 2019 from two main sources, CIT and VAT.

The estimated amount of revenue forgone for CIT was N1.1tn while N3.1tn was for VAT.

“The most significant conclusion is the large size of Nigeria’s revenue forgone from just two of the main taxes, i.e., CIT and VAT. Nigeria’s non-oil revenue potential is at least twice its current collections.

“The preliminary estimate of revenue forgone from CIT incentives and concessions in 2019 is N1.1tn; for contrast, 2019 CIT collections was N1.6tn. The preliminary estimate of revenue forgone from VAT policy choices and compliance gaps is estimated to be NGN 3.1tn and could possibly be more. It is worth reiterating that revenue forgone from Customs Duty, Excises, Petroleum Production Tax, Personal Income Tax and concessions under the Oil and Gas Zones legislation is still to be computed,” The TES report read.

According to the TES report, the figure for revenue foregone would likely exceed N4.2tn if there were sufficient data, especially from Customs Duty, Excises, PPT, Personal Income Tax and concessions under the Oil and Gas Zones legislation.

The report also said by 2020, the figure rose to N5.8tn, with the majority of it coming from revenue forgone under VAT. A breakdown showed that N4.3tn was forgone under VAT; N457bn under CIT; N307bn under PPT, and N780bn under customs duty.

It was discovered that five countries accounted for about 86 per cent of total customs relief, with China accounting for nearly two-thirds of total relief granted. Netherlands, Togo, Benin and India were the other top sources of supplies benefitting from the reliefs.

In 2021, the total figure continued to rise, hitting N6.79tn, with revenue foregone on VAT accounting for most of it. A breakdown showed that N3.87tn was forgone under VAT, N548.40bn under CIT; N337.70bn under PPT; N1.84tn under customs duty; and N111.15bn under imports VAT.

The Nigerian government had to forgo a total of N16.79tn in tax reliefs for the three-year period, Customs duty waivers and concessions, according to an analysis by The PUNCH.

Under this figure, tax exemptions covered imported goods covered by diplomatic privileges, military hardware, fuels and lubricants, hospital and surgical equipment, aircraft (their parts and ancillary equipment), plant and machinery imported for use by companies in export processing zones, health and medical supplies to abate the spread of COVID.

Other exemptions were said to be included reliefs on the presidential initiative on COVID-19 supplies, Import Duty and VAT on commercial airlines.

It was also noted that five countries accounted for about 92 per cent of total Customs relief with China accounting for nearly half of the total relief granted. Singapore, Netherlands, Togo, Benin Republic and India were the other top sources of supplies benefitting from the reliefs.

They were beneficiaries of the pioneer status tax relief under the Industrial Development Income Tax Act with tax reliefs for a three-year period.

This was contained in the Q4 2021 PSI report released by the Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission.

The pioneer status is an incentive offered by the Federal Government, which exempts companies from paying income tax for a certain period. This tax exemption can be full or partial.

The incentive is generally regarded as an industrial measure aimed at stimulating investments in the economy.

The products or companies eligible for this pioneer status were said to be those that do not already exist in the country.

These companies are Dangote Sinotrucks West Africa Limited, Lafarge Africa Plc, Honeywell Flour Mills Nigeria Plc, Jigawa Rice Limited, and Stallion Motors Limited.

Others are African Foundries Limited, Royal Pacific Group Limited, Kunoch Hotels Limited, Princess Medi Clinics Nigeria Limited, Medlog Logistics Limited, and Masters Liquefied Gas Limited.

Whereas, Nigeria’s budgetary situation is dire, as seen by low tax receipts. According to the Federal Inland Revenue Service, the country generated N6.4tn in taxes in 2021. This amounts to approximately $15.433 billion.

September 19, 2022 0 comments

Headlines

ASUU Strike: Students Protest, Block Murtala Mohammed Airport

by Folarin Kehinde September 19, 2022

written by Folarin Kehinde

Aggrieved students under the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) have blocked major roads leading to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Ikeja, Lagos in protest of the prolonged ASUU strike affecting students nationwide.

LEADINGREPORTERS have learnt that the mass action is in continuation of their protest against the ongoing industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities.

Students defied the heavy downpour, caused gridlock on the road leading to the airport leaving many travellers stranded.

The situation caused gridlock along the axis as the vehicular movement in and out of the airport was stalled.

Security operatives from the Lagos State Police Command, RRS operatives, Lagos Airport Police Command, and other security agencies are on ground. No one has however been harassed till this moment.

The protesting students carried placards chanting Aluta songs to register their displeasure over the actions of the Federal Government.

The ongoing strike has lasted for over 7 months, grounding the educational pursuit all undergraduates in federal and state universities across the country.

The spokesman for the Lagos State Police Command, Benjamin Hundeyin, has confirmed that police officers have been deployed to the scene.

The National Public Relations Officer of the National Association of Nigerian Students, Giwa Temitope, also confirmed that policemen are at the protest scene.

“They are here to protect us. Nobody has been harassed but we are not relenting. No retreat, no surrender,” he said.

September 19, 2022 0 comments

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