The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Sanwo-Olu urged to intervene in LASU crisis

    A Group, the Workbond International Network (WIN), has urged Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to intervene in the crisis at the Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo.

    It said the governor should set up a visitation panel to resolve the crisis.

    The group’s Executive Director, Omotaje Olawale, said a panel recognised by the statute of the university would tackle the crisis, adding that it should comprise credible individuals, whose pedigree would be devoid of politics and compromise.

    He spoke yesterday in Ogba, Lagos, during a news conference organised by WIN, in collaboration with the United Action for Democracy (UAD).

    Read Also: Sanwo-Olu’s wife urges Lagosians to be united

    Olawale said the demand is the only panacea for a lasting peace in the institution.

    He enjoined the governor not to allow the university wallow in crisis, regardless of the façade of peace and orderliness presented by the management.

    UAD General Secretary Kunle Ajayi said the panel to be set up by the governor should be democratic because the institution is meant to be run democratically.

    He added that the panel should consist of students, workers, union members and others.

  • VAT, Withholding Tax must be remitted every 21st-FIRS

    COMPANIES got a fresh directive yesterday from Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS). They must remit Value-Added Tax (VAT) and Withholding Tax by the 21st day of every month.

    FIRS Chairman Babatunde Fowler said that some companies have been found not to be deducting these taxes at source.

    VAT is a consumption tax placed on a product whenever value is added at each stage of the supply chain – from production to the point of sale.

    Withholding tax, however, is deducted at source by organisations or bodies making payments to suppliers of goods and services.

    They are required to remit the deducted sum to the tax authority as payments are being made to suppliers/vendors.

    Read Also: Senate calls for timely remittance of funds by revenue agencies

    Fowler said in statement: “It has come to the notice of the service that some companies do not deduct WHT/VAT from the compensation paid to their distributors contrary to provisions of the ‘Companies Income Tax (Rates, Etc.

    “Deduction at Source (Withholding Tax) Regulations and Paragraph 3.8 of Federal Inland Revenue Service Information Circular No. 2006/02 of February 2006, which states that commission earned by distributors/dealers will be subjected to WHT and VAT.

    “Following this discovery, the Service hereby puts all companies, particularly those in the fast-moving consumer goods sector on notice that compensation due to their distributors and customers in the form of commission, rebates etc and by whatever means of payments, whether by cash, credit note or even goods-in-trade must be subjected to WHT/VAT at the appropriate rates as applicable and remit same to the FIRS accordingly on or before the 21st of every month.”

  • Insecurity: Lawmaker hails Ugwuanyi

    Deputy Minority Leader of the House of Representatives Toby Okechukwu has hailed Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi on his decisive steps to address insecurity in the state.

    Okechukwu, who represents Aninri/Awgu/Oji River Federal Constituency, described Ugwuanyi’s decision to personally lead security agencies to comb and identify suspected criminal hideouts as bold and exemplary.

    In a statement yesterday, the lawmaker said: “I must praise the governor, on behalf of our constituency, for taking the battle of sustaining Enugu’s position as one of the most secured states to Umuogba Ihe tunnel; Agbogugu and Isu-Awa- Agbudu caves; Ihe-Agbogugu-Ogbaku-Isu Awaa and Amuri forests, among others.

    Read Also: I’ll fight insecurity to standstill, Buhari vows

    “For decades, criminal elements have exploited the topography of the area, especially the hills, caves, tunnels, and thick forests as launch pads, escape routes, and hideouts for robberies, kidnappings, and other nefarious operations. But by taking the battle to their dens and making these hideouts inaccessible to criminals, one can boldly say that security challenges in this part of Enugu State will soon become a thing of the past.

    “Additionally, the creation of more checkpoints in that axis, ongoing recruitment of Forest Guards as well as the manpower boosting and monthly stipends for the neighbourhood watch groups will further enhance security in the state.”

  • Ghana’s Agyemang-Badu hospitalised over medical condition

    Ghana international Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu has been admitted to a hospital in Italy, club side Hellas Verona announced on Wednesday evening.

    The 28-year-old was rushed to the health centre after suffering the circulatory condition, pulmonary micro-embolism.

    “Hellas Verona FC announced that midfielder Emmanuel Badu has been hospitalised at the Sacred Heart Hospital of Negrar to perform investigations and therapies following an episode of pulmonary microembolism,” Verona confirmed on their official website.

    “The condition of the player is good and he will remain under observation for a few days.”

    Badu joined Verona on a season-long loan from Udinese, who signed him in 2010.

    Read Also: Brazil 2019: Eaglets begin camping in Abuja

    “The whole HCL family wishes Emmanuel Badu a prompt and immediate recovery from the episode of pulmonary microembolism that struck him,” the Black Stars’ parent club wrote on their official website.

    “We are sure that the strength and determination of the lion you have always shown will allow you to return to the field as soon as possible.

    Badu’s only prior stint away from Udinese before 2019 was in 2017 when he transferred to Turkish side Bursaspor on a season-long loan which was ended abruptly by injury.

    He only returned to the pitch in March to end last season with four appearances for Udinese.

    The Fifa U20 World Cup winner featured for Ghanaian sides Berekum Arsenal and Asante Kotoko, as well as Spanish outfit Recreativo Huelva before joining The Black and Whites.

  • Ihedioha: biometric capture will end pensioner’s agony

    Imo State Governor Emeka Ihedioha has said the ongoing biometric capture of pensioners will end the agony of pensioners.

    He added that the move would also check the practice of ghost workers in the civil service.

    The governor, who was represented by his Chief Technical Adviser, Pascal Madu, promised to begin the payment of pension arrears three days after the biometric exercise.

    According to him, he was pained by the stress pensioners go throw in accessing their pensioners after years of retirement, saying of the 30,000 pensioners in the state, about 14,000 had been captured. The governor hoped that the consulting firm would finish in time.

    He said: “The importance of this is to eradicate ghost workers from our civil service and the agony our pensioners go through in accessing their pensioners after years of retirement.

    Read Also: Battle for Imo’s soul as Ihedioha opens defence

    “We will start paying three days after the conclusion of this exercise. His Excellency, whose mother is also a retiree, is worried about the pains our pensioners go through. He wants to end it once and for all.”

    Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) Josiah Ugochukwu said his colleagues were not ready to wait for weeks anymore before they start getting their pensions.

    He said: “We can’t continue to wait for another couple of weeks; we are running out of patience already, our members are dying while waiting for the payment to start. And whatever the government is doing should not go beyond the end of this month.”

  • Tiv/Jukun clashes: activists, Tiv youths plead with Buhari to end crises

    The Tiv Youth Council and a civil society organisation, Guardians of Democracy and Development have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to help  end  the communal clashes between the  Tiv and Jukun tribes in Taraba State.

    The groups said the recent upsurge in violence and communal wars between the two tribes called for a deep concern and investigation of the financiers, promoters and perpetrators alike.

    President, Tiv Youth Council, Mike Msuaan and Convener, Guardians of Democracy and Development, Solomon Adodo, stated these in a joint statement in Abujayesterday.

    Adodo, who addressed reporters in Abuja, described the recent killings allegedly carried out by Jukun militia at the Federal University, Wukari as “one too many that demands decisive action.”

    He said: “The recent upsurge in violence and communal wars in Taraba State calls for deep concern and investigation of the financiers, promoters and perpetrators alike. The case of the cold hearted killings carried out by Jukuns militia at the Federal University Wukari is one too many and that demands decisive action.

    “The masses of the Jukun and Tiv communities in Taraba State are very willing to embrace peace and live in harmony for growth and development to thrive.”

    Read Also: Tiv/Jukun crisis: Ishaku urges warring factions to sheathe their swords

    He accused politicians of fueling insecurity across the nation in a bid to distabilise government.

    Adodo added that no sacred cows should be spared in the quest to uphold the peace, territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country.

    “The Federal Government should not fold its arms and watch while these prominent politicians cripple, propagate hate and violence. We have confidence in the fact that the government under your (President Buhari) watch will not spare any sacred cows in the quest to uphold the peace, territorial integrity and sovereignty of our very dear nation – Nigeria.

    “We therefore use this medium to call on your good office to direct all the relevant security agencies to thoroughly investigate these politicians for their ignoble roles in the Taraba state communal clashes. The government should also investigate other such politician sponsors of violence across the nation and prosecute them appropriately to serve as warning knell.

    “We have strong confidence that the Jukuns and Tivs can live harmoniously together and chart mutually beneficial causes of economic growth and development if these prominent political masterminds of violence/wars are isolated and dealt with.

    “While expressing full confidence in the assurance that you will expedite action on this matter of urgent national security, we extend assurances of our unwavering support for the government under your adroit watch,” he added.

  • 13 rescued, two missing in boat accident

    Thirteen persons have been rescued and two are still missing in a boat accident that occurred at Irewe in Ojo on Tuesday night, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) said yesterday.

    The accident, which occurred around 6:30pm after a collision between two speedboats, left three passengers dead.

    According to reports, one of the boats conveying 10 passengers was coming from the jetty, while the other one with eight passengers was from Irewe community inward the jetty.

    Read Also: 3 die in Lagos boat mishap, 2 missing

    A statement by LASEMA  said search and rescue were  ongoing, while those rescued were receiving medical attention.

    “Information was gathered from  the Chairman, Ojo Local Council Development Area, the Baale, Jagun of Ijanikin and Mr Nurudeen Oyefolu (an official of the local council living at Irewe) that the boat accident was caused by overspeeding and recklessness on the part of the operators

    “The Director General of LASEMA, Dr. Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, said further investigations will be thoroughly carried out by stakeholders, adding that those found wanting will be sanctioned.”

  • Imo APC to PDP: stop spreading falsehood about tribunal proceedings

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Imo State has warned the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against spreading falsehood about proceedings at the election tribunal and using propaganda and blackmail to incite the public

    According to the party, the PDP has been sponsoring advertorials and writers to churn out falsehood in the media wherein they facts are misrepresented and twisted to deceive the public and blackmail the tribunal.

    A statement in Owerri yesterday by chairman of the APC Caretaker Committee, Prince Marcelenus Nlemigbo, accused the PDP of sponsoring a publication, alleging that the Deputy Commissioner of Police, who testified at the tribunal on the omitted results from 388 polling units, did not get clearance from the police authorities before doing so.

    Nlemigbo regretted that the PDP has thrown caution to the winds by making such wild allegations, even when it knows that the DCP got due permission and tendered an authority letter from the Inspector General (IG) of Polic to that effect.

    The statement wondered why the PDP should resort to such cheap lies to dent the tribunal before the public though it knows the truth.

    Read Also: More witnesses testify in Rivers Gov election tribunal

    The statement reads: “We have all the facts about their meetings and plans to use the media to spread falsehood to incite the public and blackmail the tribunal. Even the newspapers published everything that they are now playing out. The PDP in Imo State has been attacking not only the tribunal members, but the witnesses and litigants before them to intimidate them.

    “It is obvious from the utterances of the hired writers that PDP may be planning evil against APC’s leadership and our witnesses by inciting the public against the tribunal. It is easy to know that PDP wants to unleash violence on APC members.”

    He, therefore, called on the security agencies to take more than a passing interest in happenings in the state to forestall a breakdown of law and order.

  • Court remands woman for ‘hitting daughter with hammer’

    An Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court yesterday ordered that a 32-year-old woman, who allegedly hit her 11-year-old daughter with a hammer on the forehead, should be remanded in prison custody pending legal advice.

    Chinonso Michael, a resident of Iwaya, Yaba, Lagos, pleaded guilty to beating her daughter with a wooden turning stick.

    Chief Magistrate Olufunke Sule- Amzat, who did not take the defendant’s plea, ordered that she should be remanded in Kirikiri Prisons.

    She ordered the police to send the case file to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for advice.

    The case was adjourned till September 30.

    Read Also: Alleged $140,000, $2m laundering: Court remands Atiku’s son-in-law, lawyer

    The defendant is facing a two-count charge of assault and assault occasioning harm.

    Prosecuting Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Benson Emeurhi said the defendant committed the offences on July 28 at their home.

    He alleged that the defendant beat her daughter with a wooden turning stick and also hit her with a hammer on the head out of frustration.

    The prosecution alleged that the daughter was rescued by neighbours, who were on the scene.

    Emeurhi said the matter was reported to the police and the defendant was arrested.

  • Suspects arrested for ‘one-chance robbery’

    A four-man robbery gang operating from Ojuelegba in Surulere to Ketu in Lagos Mainland has been busted by the operatives of Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

    Two suspects were arrested. They are the commercial bus driver, Ndidi Melenu, 30, from Kwale in Delta State and his conductor, Emmanuel Shoko, 31. The other two are at large.

    A source said the hoodlums operated in a commercial bus from Ojuelegba to Ketu almost on a daily bases, snatching people’s money, phones, laptops and other valuables.

    The source said some of their victims alerted the Department of State Services (DSS), who informed SARS operatives. The operatives, after days of surveillance, reportedly nabbed Ndidi and Shoko, the driver and the conductor.

    Read Also: Five robbery suspects arrested in Jigawa

    The Nation learnt that the third member of the gang, simply identified as Sodiq, aka Elere and the fourth, Idowu, alias Owo Master, whose role was to buy stolen goods, were at large.

    Confessing, Ndidi said: “I dropped out of secondary school at SS1 due financial problem and became a commercial driver. My father had eight children from two wives, but I married one wife. Unfortunately, I could not take care of her.

    “In my state of hopelessness and financial frustration, I met a bad friend called Eche, who introduced me to this one-chance work. Although he is now late.

    I used to deliver N5,000 to the bus owner every day, and I shared N10,000 with my conductor daily.

    “When Eche introduced me to the job, I started making big money until I was arrested.”

    The second suspect, Shoko, said: “I was managing the small money I made as a bus conductor until Idowu introduced this one-chance work to me.

    “He told us that it was not one- chance robbery, but pickpocketing, as they only collected victims’ phones and money without using force or gun.

    “It was when I was arrested that the police told me that it was one-chance robbery.”