The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Sylva seeks single digit crude oil production cost

    John Ofikhenua, Abuja

    The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva Tuesday sought the reduction of the cost of crude oil from over $30 per barrel to less than $10 per barrel.

    He made the call in Abuja as the Special Guest of Honour at the conference of the Quantity Surveyors Registration Board of Nigeria (QSRBN) in collaboration with the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) with theme: Effective Cost Management in the Oil and Gas Sector.

    Represented by his Chief of Staff Engr. Moses Olamide said: “It is my hope that we shall use the outcome of this conference to give our oil sector the propulsion they require to bring down the cost of crude oil production to a single digit as obtainable in other economies. This is an urgency of yesterday!”

    In a cost comparative analysis, the minister noted that Nigeria is one of the countries with the highest cost of crude oil production in the world.

    He said that countries like Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates (UAE) are producing crude oil between $5 and $6 per barrel while it is presently over $35 per barrel in Nigeria.

    Insisting that the stakeholders must prune the cost, he said that “in the regime of $50-$60 per barrel price of crude oil, a cost of over $30 per barrel is unsustainable and that is why we need to come up in this Programme with what we need to do to reverse the trend. In other words, the need to achieve cost management in the oil and gas sector is an urgency of Tuesday.”

    According to him, Nigeria is the largest economy in Africa. He added that with a GDP of about $400 billion, a population of over 180 million- 70 percent of which is below the age of 35 years, an aggressive drive for industrialization and diversification of economy, the potentials for growth supersedes most economies in the world.

    He lamented that despite Nigeria’s quest for growing the economy and the potentials for great investment opportunities particularly in the oil and gas sector, the cost of crude oil production in the country is still one of the highest in the globe.

    Sylva recalled shortly after his inauguration as the minister by President Muhammadu Buhari, he mandated him to ensure transparency and accountability, restore public and investor confidence, and set a framework that will change the pace of managing and administering the industry hinged on global best practices,

    This, he said, reinforced the need for innovative policy interventions that can quickly be introduced and implemented with potential for high positive impact.

    The minister said that he had already held a 3-day oil and gas retreat in Lagos with Heads of the agencies in the ministry including the permanent secretary and all the Directors with the main objective to come up with collaborative approach to deliver Mr. President’s directives.

    Read Also: Four held for selling adulterated petroleum products in Imo

    This, according to him, “gave birth to a robust industry policy document where we target great reduction in the cost of crude oil extraction by at least 30 percent.”

    Sylva pointed out to the participants in the conference that besides the bid to reduce the cost of crude oil production, the ministry recognized the importance of reducing the contract approval cycle, enhancing transparency, reducing barriers to entry and regulatory transactions costs as necessary ingredients for optimizing conducive mess of business environment, government take enhancement and maximizing value creation to all stakeholders.

    He noted that currently, there is an industry committee headed by the Permanent Secretary on “Reduction of the Crude Oil Production and Crashing of the Contracting Cycle in the Oil Sector” in the ministry.

    He tasked the participants on considering the following cost drivers: insecurity in the oil producing regions, long contracting circle, the governance structure, fiscal policies and local content issues.

  • Obaseki launches Edo PHC Insurance scheme Oct 31

    Agency Reporter

    The Edo State Government has concluded plans for the launch of the state’s Compulsory Health Insurance Scheme on Thursday, October 31, which will ensure that affordable healthcare is accessible to residents in the state.

    In a statement, Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr. Crusoe Osagie, said the governor, at the event, will be launching the Social Health Insurance Scheme/Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF) and the 20 revamped Primary Healthcare Centers under the Edo State Health Improvement Programme (Edo-HIP) at the Ofunmwengbe Primary Healthcare Center in Okada, Ovia South-West Local Government Area.

    According to him, “The State Government has recorded a number of achievements in the health sector, which includes rehabilitation of the 20 primary healthcare centers in the 18 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state; enactment of the compulsory Health Insurance Law to reduce out-of-pocket expenses on healthcare and the repair and opening of the Edo Specialist Hospital.

    Read Also: Why I didn’t sack teachers – Obaseki

    Others include training of over 500 midwives, nurses and community health extension workers on best practice for care delivery and establishment of the Public Health Emergency Operations Center (PHEOC) and Infectious Disease Isolation Center.”

    He added that the focus of Edo-HIP is to strengthen the primary healthcare system; provision of access to specialist care for most common ailments and healthcare financing to ensure the system is sustainably run.

    The governor’s aide said the source of the funding for the healthcare coverage are the basic healthcare provision fund and equity fund, noting that some of the benefits for those registered on the plan include, “Antenatal care; referred antenatal care to secondary healthcare facility; ultrasound in pregnancy; induction of labour; normal delivery and post-natal care; caesarean section in secondary healthcare facility and management of eclampsia, maternal sepsis and newborn sepsis.”

    “Others are child OPD treatment (children under 5 years); referred child treatment to secondary health facility, treatment of severe acute malnutrition; immunization; malaria treatment in adults; chronic disease screening; family planning; emergency stabilization and emergency ground transportation,” he added.

  • Police nab robbers terrorising Yola-Gombe highway

    Onimisi Alao, Yola

    The Adamawa State Police Command on Tuesday arrested five armed robbers who have allegedly been terrorizing the Numan-Savannah-Lafia portion of the Yola-Gombe Highway.

    The five comprise four men and one woman.

    The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the state, Sulaiman Nguroje, who disclosed the arrest to our correspondent, said 22 handsets and N52, 280 cash were recovered from the suspects.

    The PPRO explained, “Through intelligence report received, the police were able to lay hands on these people who have been constantly robbing travellers, especially at night along Numan-Savannah-Lafia road.

    “They confessed to have robbed these handsets and money from travellers in the course of their operations on the road.”

    Numan is a gateway town some 70 kilometres from the Adamawa State capital, Yola, whike Savannah lies within the Numan LGA, and is so called because of the Savannah Sugar Company located on the swampy terrain between the Numan town and Lafia, a smaller Adamawa township near the border with Gombe State.

    The Numan-Savannah-Lafia road is a short stretch of the Yola-Gombe Highway hated by travellers because of its dilapidated nature, especially the Savannah portion.

    Read Also: Delta Police confirm lynching of armed robbery suspects by mob

    The PPRO, who said the five suspects were apprehended in the early hours of October 26, gave their names as Shuaibu Suleiman, Adamu Abdul, Buba Umar, Ali Ibrahim, and Adama Umar.

    He said the 22 phones and N52, 280 cash were recovered from the suspects in the course of investigation, and asked travellers who lost their phones to armed robbers on the identified road to visit the police headquarters in Yola to identify and claim them.

    He said the police also recovered six cutlasses, three knives and some black wears and masks from the suspects, and appealed for yet more information from the public to help the police with necessary leads for further arrests.

    “The Commissioner of Police, Audu Madaki, has deployed additional men and officers to beef up the anti-robbery squad to apprehend more of the robbers on the run and recover their weapons,” he said.

  • ‘Flying Doctors’ bags IAG Accreditation

    Agency Report

    Flying Doctors Nigeria, West Africa’s first Air Ambulance service, recently scored another first when it won the International Assistance Group, IAG, accreditation.

    Founded in 1992, the Paris, France based International Assistance Group, IAG is the world’s largest alliance of independent assistance companies and accredited providers.

    Its network specializes in worldwide roadside, medical, travel, corporate and home assistance for business and leisure travelers, expatriate workers and corporate clients.

    IAG’s operational network key strength lies with its stringent quality criteria in their respective markets.

    In a release signed by one of the medical directors of Flying Doctors and its second largest shareholder, Dr. Jibayo Oyedele, “the accreditation was approved after a thorough physical audit by an international team and strict vetting by the IAG board.

    “The aircrafts used by Flying Doctors are regulated by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, and the team of doctors from the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, MDCN. But the team felt that in addition to local regulation, they were ready to take the exciting step to pursue international accreditation,” he said.

    The IAG alliance offers affiliates the opportunity to cover more of the assistance market through close collaboration with other partners and providers in the network. As a result, a reliable, international network is established in which each company can enhance its competitiveness without sacrificing independence, while affiliates play the role of correspondents, exchanging assistance to position members for better business prospects.

    Read Also Aviation: Bridging gender imbalance

     

    With a network of partners and accredited service providers currently supporting over 118 million end users worldwide, IAG has recorded 5.6million cases, 623, 640 medical cases, 20, 649 medical repatriations, among many other strides.

    Flying Doctors Nigeria is strategically positioned to deliver custom made emergency healthcare to government, corporate clients and high end individuals and families. It operates from its head office in Lagos and another office in Port Harcourt.

    The core professional side of Flying Doctors comprises of high flying physicians led by Dr. Jibayo Oyedele, a senior acute medicine physician with over 30 years of medical practice. Before coming on board the Flying Doctors team, Dr Oyedele ran a family/acute medical facility for over 20 years.

    Dr. Ola Brown continues to work on the corporate side of the business, in the area of strategy, marketing, investment and growth. Working alongside the medical directors and the medical team that continue to pursue excellence with the overall goal of ensuring that no one in Africa dies because they are in the wrong place at the wrong time, Dr Brown’s managerial skill has ensured that the company has consistently remained on the path of growth.

    With the IAG accreditation, Flying Doctors Nigeria is poised to deploy efficient and qualitative innovations as it continues to blaze its pace setter trail in the air ambulance services sector.

  • Court of Appeal affirms senator Ekweremadu’s election

    Agency Reporter

    The Court of Appeal, Enugu Division on Tuesday affirmed the election of Sen. Ike Ekweremadu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Feb. 23 Senatorial election for Enugu West zone.

    In a unanimous judgment delivered by the panel chaired by Justice I.M. Salawu, the court dismissed the appeal filed by Mrs Juliet Ibekaku-Nwagwu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for lacking in merit.

    The court held that the appellants failed to prove allegations of non-compliance to the Electoral Act and as such were not entitled to the reliefs sought.

    News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the National and State Assembly Elections Petitions Tribunal that sat in Enugu had on Sept. 9, upheld the election of Ekweremadu.

    Dissatisfied with the judgment of the trial court, Ibekaku-Nwagwu approached the appellate court with sundry allegations that bother on non-compliance to the Electoral Act.

    The appellant alleged incidences of over voting as well as announcement of result by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) while collation was still ongoing.

    However, the appellate court, while upholding the decision of the trial court held that the appeal anchored on the refusal of the tribunal to nullify the elections in the 824 polling units of the zone failed woefully.

    The court said that the winner of the election cannot have his election nullified on the allegations that the result sheet of the election was not dated.

    The court awarded N50, 000 costs against the appellants in favour of each of the respondents which include the PDP, INEC and Ekweremadu.

    Meanwhile, Ibekaku-Nwagwu has thanked her supporters for their loyalty and faith while her attempt to represent them at the Red Chambers lasted.

    Read Also: EFCC may quiz Ekweremadu’s wife

    Reacting to the judgment, the presidential aide, said that she had accepted the verdict of the court in good fate.

    “In every situation we give thanks to the Almighty God and as law abiding citizens and good sportsmen, we have accepted the verdict of the Appeal Court.

    “We will all go back to the trenches because the senatorial seat of Enugu West will come to the APC in 2023,” she said.

    Ibekaku-Nwagwu said that she would, henceforth, dedicate her time to assisting the Attorney General of the Federation in his ongoing judicial reforms to ensure that President Muhammadu Buhari succeeded.

    “With my recent appointment as the Special Assistant to the President on Justice Reform and International Relation, my preoccupation now is to help President Muhammadu Buhari to succeed.

    “What Mr President needs now is not distraction but necessary support that would make him succeed,” Ibekaku-Nwagwu said. (NAN)

  • Philosophy behind Buratai’s stellar  performance 

     Yakubu Mohamed
    “Soldiers would marry the prettiest women, live in the best homes, eat the best food, wear the best cloth and drive the best cars because when war comes, they die first” —Muhamadu Ribadu
     I stumbled on this quote of Nigeria’s first Defence Minister after independence and a reputable Northern politician of his time, Alhaji Muhammadu Ribadu. He lived an eventful life between 1909 and 1965.
    He was not a soldier, but knew exactly the pains of a soldier. So, I was fascinated at this catchy wisdom.  In Ribadu’s time, Nigeria knew no war, but peace. However, it was clear to his mind that peace could only, but be ephemeral, as there would come a time to war, when only soldiers are the dutiful rescuers.
    It has struck me strongly that Ribadu must have been gifted with a stunning clairvoyance. He correctly envisaged that an Army in Nigeria would one day face war. He had the power of prediction; he had prophetic wisdom. Ribadu never lived to see the fulfilment of his prophesy, as he answered the divine call on May 1st, 1965, the eve of the 1966 coup, which disrupted the politics of the first republic and the eventual three-year Nigerian civil war.
    Like Ribadu predicted, scores of soldiers laid down their lives to break the cord of secessionists in Nigeria. These soldiers died so that we could live and for the nation to thrive in unity, peace and progress.  The need to give  soldiers  absolute comfort in peace times was the strong message conveyed by the ditty of the cerebral Ribadu.
    He was lucid that a soldier must be entitled to all the niceties and luxuries of life, hence in times of war, the soldier is the first to sacrifice his life for others to live.
    Is there any justification for anyone to claim, a soldier does not value his life or entitled to the epicurean lifestyles of the rest of us? There is absolutely no reason.
    So, as the then serving Minister of Defence, Ribadu ensured rapid expansion of the Nigerian Army and other arms of the military. In tandem with his mindset of welfare for the soldier, Ribadu established the Defence Industries Corporation and many other such initiatives designed for the comfort of soldiers.
    It is the same philosophy, the current Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and ombudsman of the counter-insurgency war, Gen. Tukur Yusufu Buratai has imbibed in his leadership of the Nigerian Army. The Army Chief believes soldiers have signed a pact to die for us. They keep vigil for us to sleep in peace; they accept the bullets of the enemy for us to have life. The Army is a call only for the strong-hearted and soldiers deserve maximum comfort.
    Naval war veteran and former US President, John F. Kennedy, fondly exhumes this pride in military service when he said; “Any man who may be asked in this century what he did to make his life worthwhile, I think can respond with a good deal of pride and satisfaction: ‘I served in the United States Navy.”
    Gen. Buratai is a combatant soldier who is fired by the innate passion of service to humanity. He is an epitome of an ideal soldier anywhere in the world. My perception of him is that of an officer who embodies selflessness, patriotism, excellence and loyalty in leadership. Like Ribadu, he prioritizes the welfare of soldiers. Sun Tzu admonished military commanders to give every comfort to their soldiers and they can follow “you to the deepest valley.” Gen. Buratai is today fondly referred to as Sun Tzu of Africa by his  patriots and mentees within the military for religiously upholding soldiers’ welfare and comfort like a commandment.
    Gen. Buratai’s adoption of this philosophy is responsible for the Army’s winning streaks in the anti-insurgency battles. What has propelled our Army officers and soldiers to fight unflinchingly and win the war on terrorism is rooted in the policy of Gen. Buratai’s fixation on the absolute comfort and niceties his administration is building for soldiers nationwide.
    Famously, the Army Chief instituted the culture of prompt and timely payment of salaries and allowances of soldiers. He considers it an inviolable and sacrosanct obligation especially for soldiers in the frontlines. The era of soldiers grumbling for non-payment of legitimate entitlements is long gone with Gen. Buratai on board.
    Furthermore, Gen. Buratai knows a soldier deserves a decent and habitable shelter for himself and family. In 2016, barely months after he assumed office, Gen. Buratai’s heart was drenched in sorrow as bemoaned the years of neglect of accommodation for the Army thus; “The soldiers are staying in a very bad accommodation, it is unfortunate!” Therefore, his administration embarked on massive renovation of Army Barracks and offices to provide both residential and office accommodation for soldiers.
    Such imprints of Barracks renovations or constructions signposted very early in his administration as noticeable in Maxwell Khobe Cantonment, Jos; Obienu Barracks in Bauchi and  Nigerian Army Barracks in Bama among others. Gen. Buratai has also made provision of portable water in Army Barracks a fundamental objective, where it is also extended to host communities.
    A few examples like the Army Division in Enugu and its host community, Abakpa feels this impact; the Rukuba and Miango communities are also serviced by the Multi-Purpose Dam at Maxwell Khobe Cantonment, Jos. And it is replicated fairly in all Army Barracks across the nation.
    The Army Chief has also initiated the building of new schools and refurbishment of old ones. He aggressively embarked on renovation and construction of new Army schools across Nigeria for children of Army officers and soldiers, starting from Abuja to elsewhere in the federation.
    Access roads in Army Barracks are also rehabilitated, much like Army hospitals. Under Buratai’s leadership, soldiers enjoy a large dosage of comfort. He is aware that happy troops are the backbone to the success of any military expedition.
    Its apparent that Gen. Buratai’s passion for the Army and service to his fatherland is innate. It can be gleaned from the background that in his time as a teenager, many of his peers naturally dreaded the Army. The military was perceived as a fearsome and hazardous vocation.  Existing and working to die for others to live is a hard decision to adopt. But the young Buratai opted for it.
    Himself the son of the World War II veteran, Mallam Yusuf Buratai  who served under the Royal West African Frontier Force (RWAFF) from Nigeria, Gen. Buratai is a descendant of the lineage of  chauvinists. So, he dreads no war and aims to conquer enemies of the state at all times.
    Shortly before his demise two years back at the age of 106, the elder Buratai revealed that he never prodded his son to enlist in the Army, and that Gen. Buratai voluntarily opted for a military career.    Pa Buratai said,“I did not ask him to join the army. He joined willingly. When he finished school here in Maiduguri, there was an advertisement urging young men to join the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA). He applied and was successful, so he voluntarily joined the army.”
    Mallam Buratai believed that mankind must be freed from the excesses of demonically possessed souls and the only way to contribute his quota in enthroning global peace was the romance with the boots. He had a conviction that a soldier lives and dies for his country. He was infinitely sad with tales of soldiers these days, retreating from the battlefield in the face of enemy forces. That was his notion of the Army.
    Therefore, Gen. Buratai has stood on these principles and perception of his father throughout his military career. It accounts for his superfluous performance as a soldier, crack combatant and leader for what his admirers have described as a rewarding military career to his nation.
    As a leader of the Nigerian Army, Gen. Buratai finds the wisdom of Gen.  Colin Powell worthwhile. Powell proclaimed that  “The most important thing I learned is that soldiers watch what their leaders do. You can give them classes and lecture them forever, but it is your personal example they will follow.”
    Thus, under Gen. Buratai’s leadership, the Nigerian Army has been on a steady progressive match in excellence and performance in all ramifications because he is an ardent exemplar in official duties. Nigerians have seen a reformed and re-professionalized Army, which is loyal and patriotic. Soldiers are recording remarkable and uninterruptedsuccesses in the battles against Boko Haram and bile insurrections in the country.
    Soldiers under Gen. Buratai’s guidance have stamped their dominion in all special assignments in Nigeria. Soldiers engaged on Internal Security (IS) observe the highest professional standards, maintain maximum respect for human rights of Nigerians as well as humbly sticking to the Rules of Engagement (ROE).
    The Nigerian Army under Gen. Burataiis not only excelling in war, but expanding its base. From five Divisions of the NigerianArmy, which Gen. Buratai inherited in 2015, he has increased it to eight Army Divisions for ease of military operations. There are thousand Army Forward Bases stationed in crisis prone areas. Gen. Buratai has been able to establish an Army Aviation School and the Nigerian Army University, the first Army varsity in Africa within theshort time of his leadership.
    In Gen. Buratai’s prosecution of the counter-terrorism war in Nigeria, he is resolute and resilient. Like the British Field Marshal Sir Herold Alexander said, Gen. Buratai knows, “The knowledge of not only the enemy’s strength and disposition, but also how, when and where he intends to carry out his operations; brought a new dimension to the prosecution of the war”
    When Gen. Burtai hops into the trenches against insurgents, in the words of the British Air Marshall ‘Bomber’ Harris, he steps out vengefully because “They sowed the seed, and now they are going to reap the whirlwind.”
    In all the military engagements by Gen. Buratai and soldiers, they are exposed to grave dangers for no fault linked to them. Some have even paid the supreme price fighting to enthrone peace in a conflict they are oblivious of its causes. But they have remained loyal and patriotic to the entrenchment of peace. It now struck the wisdom of Ribadu in me, justifying why a soldier needs the best in peace times.
    No doubt, Gen. Buratai has been inspired and guided by the advice his father offered him the first day he enlisted into the Army.  Pa Buratai counselled the young officer Buratai  to , “… be loyal to his superiors and constituted authority. I warned him to avoid any form of vice and I am grateful to God, he obeyed what I told him.”
    It is the religious observance of this self-discipline or ethical code that has guided Gen. Buratai’s service elevation in the Army. This philosophy has always compelled Gen. Buratai to go the proverbial mile to seek comfort for soldiers. It explains why his leadership and administration of his office as COAS and leader of the counter-insurgency operations in Nigeria is a success story.
    Mohammed, a public affairs commentator wrote this piece from Minna, Niger State.

  • 228 inmates escape as Kogi custodial centre collapses

    Agency Reporter

    The Koton Karfe custodial centre in Kogi has collapsed under heavy flooding, loading to escape of 228 inmates.
    The Comptroller General of the Nigeria Correctional Service, Mr Jafar Ahmed, who confirmed this while speaking with newsmen in Koton Kafe on Monday, said that the flood came at about 3a.m., submeging the perimetre fence and the walls of two cells.

    He said that there were 228 inmates at the centre as at the time of the incident.

    Ahmed said that the prison was not habitable at present, saying that the re-arrested inmates were being transferred to other prison facilities in the state.

    He said that details of the incident will be made public later.

    Also speaking, the Security Adviser to the state governor, retired Commodore Jerry Omadara confirmed that over 100 of the inmates had been re-arrested.

    According to him, some of the inmates returned on their own, some reported themselves at nearby police stations while a combined team of policemen, army, navy and civil defence corps arrested others.

    Read Also: NCS Lagos receives new recruits

    Omodara said that the state government was informed of the incident at about 4a.m., adding that Gov. Yahaya Bello immediately directed head of security agencies in the state to deploy their personnel to the scene.

    He said that 228 inmates escaped, saying that many of them escaped for the safety of their lives.

    He said that security agents were still combing the bush to re-arrest some of the fleeing inmates, saying that the flood was not making it easy for them to escape.

    He commended the security agencies for their prompt intervention, saying that nobody died in the incident. (NAN)

  • Trump considering releasing edited video of U.S. raid that killed IS leader

    Agency Reporter

    U.S. President Donald Trump said Americans might be able to watch parts of the raid by U.S. Special Forces in which leader of the Islamic State terror group Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi blew himself up.
    Trump disclosed this to reporters on Monday while boarding Air Force One on his way to Chicago.

    “The question was, ‘am I considering releasing video footage of the raid,’ and we may take certain parts of it and release it. Yes,” Trump said.

    A raid on the compound of the leader of the Islamic State terror group (banned in Russia) al-Baghdadi by U.S. Special Forces at the weekend led him to kill himself with three children to avoid capture.

    Read Also: Trump confirms death of ISIS leader, Baghdadi

    On Sunday, Trump announced that Baghdadi was chased to the end of an underground tunnel by U.S. military dogs during the raid, saying he whimpered, cried, and screamed all the way.

    Accompanied by three children, Mr. al-Baghdadi then detonated a suicide vest, blowing up himself and the children when trapped at the end of a tunnel, Trump said.

    Trump declined to inform House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi of the raid beforehand, fearing that members of Congress would compromise the operation with leaks. (Sputnik/NAN)

  • Gov. Ikpeazu swears in new commissioner

    Agency Reporter

    Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia on Monday swore in Prof. Ikechi Mgbeoji as the state’s Commissioner for Agriculture.

    Speaking at the swearing in ceremony in Government House, Umuahia, Ikpeazu urged the commissioner to utilise his wealth of experience to turn the state to an agricultural hub.

    The Governor also urged him to consider his new duty as an opportunity to make positive contributions that would enable the state government achieve its developmental plan.

    Ikpeazu urged the new commissioner to run an inclusive administration in the discharge of his duties.
    “I am aware that you are conversant with the new trends in Agriculture. I urge you to evolve policies that will ignite the interest of our teeming youths and women.

    “I am passionate about seeing Abia becoming an agricultural hub as well as the establishment and industrialisation of an Agro-allied cluster in Ubani-Ibeku.

    Read Also: Ikpeazu sacks ASEPA GM over poor sanitation in Umuahia

    ”I urge you to cooperate with stakeholders in the agriculture sector and ensure that at least two cottage industries are built in each local government council in Abia,” he said.

    Ikpeazu said that the state government was desirous of increasing production of cassava, rice and palm oil.
    In his acceptance speech, Mgbeoji expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve, adding that he would not fail in his duties.

    He said that he was confident that under his watch as the Commissioner for Agriculture, the state would record increased agricultural development. (NAN)

  • Technology future of tax administration – Fowler

    Nduka Chiejina and Saviour Joseph

    The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has hinged the future of tax administration in Nigeria to technology.

    Executive Chairman of the FIRS Mr. Babatunde Fowler said this when a delegation of the Areas Youth Forum (AYF) led by its President Gambo Ibrahim Gujungu paid him a courtesy visit on Monday in Abuja.

    Fowler noted that giving the critical role ICT will play in the work of the Service, the FIRS has launched an IT solution that has simplified tax payment.

    According to him, this IT solution “will ensure that all Nigerians carryout registration, pay all their taxes without visiting any of our offices. This solution can be used anywhere in the world. From the time you register your business with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), you get you tax ID, pay your stamp duties online.”

    The FIRS boss reiterated that “the only sure revenue is tax revenue, we complain that we don’t have good infrastructure, good services, the truth is that without revenue those things can never be provided, no matter how much we complain.”

    He lamented that because of the “over dependence on oil revenue, a lot of Nigerians did not pay taxes while some who paid taxes did not pay correctly.”

    As the IT solution kicks in, Fowler noted that the Service has embarked on educating Nigerians on the need to pay taxes by producing “books, taking tax education to schools to teach the future generation the importance of paying tax. So the generation that is coming behind us who are still in primary and secondary school are being taught through our comic books on taxation the benefit of paying tax. That it is not something they should not be afraid of when they grow up,” he said.

    He added that with the new tax database, where both corporates and individuals reside, people will be able to transact businesses anywhere across Nigeria. “So you don’t have to carry ID card with you as you can transact your business seamlessly across the nation.

    In his remarks, the AYF President, Gujungu, commended the management of FIRS for “the impressive successes recorded in revenue generation, which has never happened in the history of Nigeria.”

    According to Gujungu “you have in your own stylish and strategic ways expanded the revenue generation environment, without doubt, we are proud to say that Fowler has become a household name in Nigeria as far as revenue generation is concerned.”

    He said the that expansion of Nigeria’s taxpayer’s base, inauguration of the new Taxpayer Identification Number Registration System and deployment of online solutions to ease tax payment were steps in the right direction.

    National President of the Forum, Gambo Ibrahim Gujungu promised that the AYF would continue to use their platforms to support Fowler’s good initiatives and that of the Management of the Service.

    Read Also: FCT Fire Service investigates fire outbreak at FIRS

    “It is on record that from your appointment till date, and with the support of your hardworking Management team and staff, Mr. Fowler has among other things achieved the following: expand our national tax base from 10 million to 20 million with a potential increase to 45 million;

    increase States’ Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) by over 46.11 percent, that is from 800bn in 2016 to N1.16 trillion in 2018; for the first time in history, the Federal Government paid all 15 years outstanding PAYE tax liabilities to MDAs; Nigeria was able to move up positively by 25 points in tax administration section of World Bank’s ‘Ease of Doing Business’.

    “FIRS recorded the highest collection in history from N3.30 trillion in 2016 to N5.32 trillion in 2018 with the Non-Oil sector contributing almost 54 percent to our total revenue collection; launching of the Consolidated National Tax Base for ease of access to taxpayer information,” Gujungu said.