The Nation Newspaper

Tag: engage

  • ‘Engage stakeholders in proposed tax law’

    ‘Engage stakeholders in proposed tax law’

    A non-governmental organisation (NGO), the Christian Conscience,

    has advised members of the National Assembly to engage relevant stakeholders in robust and informed public debate before passing the proposed tax laws submitted by the Federal Government.

    The lawmakers were praised for creating an enabling environment to discuss the bills.

    In a communiqué made available to reporters yesterday in Lagos, signed by the National President, Mrs Yetunde Akinluyi and National Secretary, The Revd Dr Kolawole Verrals, the group believed the Bill was a positive one that if passed into law, ‘’will streamline our tax regime.’’

    They, however, cautioned that before it was passed, it must be inclusive of shades of opinions.

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    The statement said such reform must be subjected to robust and informed public debate, ‘’because in our opinion, a public hearing on tax reform is essential.’’

    ‘’It will allow Nigerians from all segments of life to engage meaningfully in the process. Such actions, we believe, will build public trust and ensure inclusivity in law making.’’

    All over the world, according to the statement, “there is nothing wrong with tax reforms because it is a critical issue in nation building provided stakeholders are carried along. From our findings, the tax reform bills before the National Assembly are aimed at economic transformation to empower Nigerians and facilitate inclusive economic growth.” 

  • Lawyers to engage Lagos on Land Use Charge

    The Lagos Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) will engage with the state government on the Land Use Charge during the association’s Law Week, its Chairman, Mr Chukwuka Ikwuazom, has said.

    According to him, the forum will provide an opportunity for dialogue.

    He said: “Lawyers have complained about challenges they encounter when they go to register title in Lagos, that there are issues around personal income taxation.

    “So, we’ve made an offer to the Lagos State government to allocate between 30 to 45 minutes to the government to come and engage with members.

    “On the Land Use charge, at our last branch meeting, we had someone come to talk to us about it. One of the things that came out of that engagement was the need for further engagement. That was what further informed our decision to give them the opportunity to be part of the law week.”

    The branch said it would visit the Ikoyi and Kirikiri prisons to show support for inmates as part of activities for the 2018 Law week.

    The Law Week Planning Committee Chairman, Mr Tola Oshobi (SAN), told reporters in Lagos that the prison visitation was aimed at making provisions for the inmates to help improve their quality of lives.

    The theme is: Human capital and the legal profession in the 21st Century. It will hold from May 5 to May 11.

    Oshobi said apart from the prisons visit, the week also include sessions such as health walk, health screening, registration of lawyers for the National Identity Card, technical sessions and a forum for the young lawyers.

    On the prisons visit, Oshobi said: “We will be giving out some gift items to the inmates and make legal representations to some of them, where necessary,”

    He said if the NBA found reasons to make recommendations to the Chief Judge, the Attorney-General or the prison authorities, it would do so as part of ways to aid in prison decongestion.

    Also, NBA Lagos Chairman, Mr Chukwuka Ikwuazom, said the various sessions would be anchored by versatile lawyers in Lagos, while there would be a social event for the older lawyers in the NBA.

    “The human right arm of the NBA ensures provisions of free legal services for indigent prisons inmates, as this year’s law week celebration was a slight deviation from the previous years’ activities.,’’ Ikwuazom said.

    He said some of the dignitaries expected at the event include judges, senior lawyers and some legal luminaries from   some international bodies.

    On the Bar/Bench forum, Ikwuazom said: “We want to discuss the peculiar issues that have come out of the National Industrial Court. We’ll continue to interact with the leadership of the Bench. Not too long we had the Bar/Bench forum.

    “But for the purposes of the Law week, we’re focusing specifically on Labour issues. There’s a sense among employers of Labour that the National Industrial Court has been established to only take care of employees and that its decisions are anti-employers.

    “So it’s those types of issues that we want to have conversations around. Labour matters are extremely important.”

    The NBA chair said the association takes the issue of professional ethics seriously even if it was not listed for discussion at the event.

    “We have a Disciplinary and Ethics Committee of the branch. One of the innovations we brought is the knowledge sharing sessions as part of our monthly meetings.

    “We bring people to address subjects of importance to our members. Ethics was discussed in February. So while we may not accommodate ethics during the Law week, we understand the importance of the subject and we’ll continue to sensitise our people about it even outside the Law week event,” Ikwuazom said.

  • Delta technical schools to engage in production

    Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has said the  state’s newly renovated technical colleges would switch focus from training to production.

    He said the technical colleges  were being equipped to be of international standards.

    Okowa spoke at the palace of Ovie of Ughelli, HRM Oharisi III after inspecting blocks of classrooms being constructed at Eni Grammar School, Evwreni.

    Other ongoing projects include: reconstruction and equipping of Ogor Technical College, Otor-Ogor; construction of Royal Avenue/Prince Oharisi Drive as well as Government Secondary School and Orherhe/Otokutu in Ughelli North Local Government Area.

    Okowa also inspected the on-going rehabilitation of urban water supply scheme, general hospital, ultra-modern market and reinforced concrete pavement being done by his administration at Bomadi, Bomadi local government area of the state.

    He said: “We are here to inspect projects we are executing. Last weekend, we inaugurated road projects. We inspected the technical school and it is of the same standard with the ones we have in Sapele, Agbor, Ofagbe and other places because, we are equipping our children to acquire skills to be equipped for the future., The schools are going beyond training to be involved in productive activities.”

    The governor thanked traditional rulers for making the state conducive for developmental projects to take place.

    “The support of our royal fathers is wonderful, it has done a lot for us to deliver good governance for our people. With the peace that exists in your kingdoms, we have the opportunity to work for our people, without peace, we will be distracted.”

    He sought prayers to sustain its peaceful state, and expressed satisfaction with the pace and quality of work done at the project sites.

    He disclosed that the contractor handling the renovation of Government Hospital, Bomadi has been urged to execute the projects in phases to ensure that skeletal services were rendered at the hospital while construction was on.

    HRM Oharisi III thanked Okowa for his sincerity and unity of purpose, adding that the people are in support of his administration.

  • I smuggle marijuana because I cannot engage in robbery – Suspect

    A 43-year-old man Okafor Secopter has told police that he ventured into smuggling of marijuana (Indian hemp) in Lagos, because he could not do armed robbery.

    Police sources said the suspect was arrested by the Operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) while on routine patrol at Isheri Berger area of Lagos, on August 28, 2017.

    It was learnt that Okafor was intercepted with a Ghana-must-go bag at Isheri Berger area which contained Indian hemp weighing over 20 kilogramme.

    The suspect allegedly confessed to the ownership of the hard drug.

    Confessing, Okafor said:  “I am a smuggler. I was into smuggling business. I used to smuggle marijuana because I cannot do armed robbery job. Smuggling is the only business I know how to do well.

    The country is too tough and rough. I cannot kill my fellow human beings to get money. Leave matter for Mathias. I cannot do armed robbery and I cannot do kidnapping. I do not have the mind to do obtaining by false pretense aka 419 or big fraud. I cannot operate dangerous gun.

    I am hustling to get what I and my family will eat. It is not a crime. I have to take care of my family.

    “I was buying and selling foreign rice before the government banned foreign rice importation. As if that was not enough, the bags of rice in my shop were seized and for me to survive I started smuggling marijuana. I used to buy it from Benin, Edo State. It was when I was carrying the bag of Indian hemp to Lagos that police on patrol saw me at Isheri Berger area and stopped me. When they opened the bag to know what I was carrying they saw marijuana and they said I was under arrest. It is not my fault. The country is tough.

  • Delta communities engage in gun battle

    Hostilities between the Ijaw of Lotiebiri  and Itsekiri of Ugbori in Delta State escalated early yesterday when armed groups from both sides engaged in an exchange of gunfire for several hours.

    Armed soldiers and policemen have been drafted to the the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) old port bypass in Warri to restore order.

    Sources said no one died or was injured but it was learnt the incident caused panic in the area.

    Lotiebiri had demanded a N500 million compensation for damage suffered during an alleged invasion by the Itsekiri of Ugbori in 2012.

    The leadership of Ugbori  dismissed Lotiebiri’s demand and threat of violence, saying although the Ijaw community was living on their (Ugbori) land illegally, the state government in 2013, paid a compensation to reclaim the land from them.

    A source, who pleaded for anonymity, said: “The shooting was carried out by groups from both sides. As a matter of fact, the shooting started from midnight till 4:30 am.

    “I don’t think anybody was able to sleep in the neighbourhood. People are scared but the presence of security men, including soldiers and policemen, has brought us succour.

    “From what I heard, nobody died and no one was injured, but there is panic everywhere because nobody knows what their next stunt might be”.

    An Ijaw chief from Isaba, Chief Dieyei Portnovo, has appealed to the government to intervene.

    He urged the government and anti-graft agencies to investigate the earlier compensation paid.

    Portnovo said: “I was informed by a reliable source of the outcome of the security meeting held on Wednesday, February 25, 2015, that when a petition of claims by Lotiebiri community was read, Governor Uduaghan admitted he had paid the claim long ago, but unfortunately, to the wrong persons.

    “Security agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) should investigate this matter and bring the culprits to justice.

    “The governor should consult the community for proper payment and avoid this unwanted crisis”.

    Confirming the incident, police spokesperson Celestina Kalu said the Warri Area Command deployed men in the area, to complement other security agencies in providing security.

    “There was a shooting last night and that’s why our men are on patrol to make sure there’s no breakdown of law and order. The area commander has made efforts to bring these two communities to a roundtable, but they didn’t show up; he has made efforts in conjunction with the military, the Navy and the brigade                 commander came, still they (the communities) didn’t show up for the meeting.

    “So police has no choice than to protect the people. That’s why our men are there patrolling the area, so there’ll be no breakdown of law and order”, Kalu said.

     

     

  • Engage new media, The Nation Online Editor urges students

    Engage new media, The Nation Online Editor urges students

    Mass Communication students have been urged to embrace the new media if they want to be relevant in the emerging trend of communication. The charge was given by the Managing Editor, Online and Special Publications of The Nation, Mr Lekan Otufodunrin, at a seminar marking the Mass Communication Students’ Association (MCSA) Week at Babcock University.

    The event with the theme: Preparing for a Mass Communication Career in a New Media Age, was held on the campus.

    Otufodunrin noted that the teaching of traditional journalism was changing with the advent of the new media, which he said youths are championing. The knowledge of new media, Otufodunrin said, would increase the chance of the youth to get job in the media.

    He said: “Media organisations and other employers of communication graduates now give preference to those who are skilled in new media not only for social interaction, which was the original purpose of the platform, but to those who know how to apply it professionally.”

    The Editor, however, said journalism training could not be substituted for skills in the use of new media, saying not many of the users of the new media possessed knowledge required to practise journalism.

    “Students must realise that they can only become professionals in mass communication if they acquire skills in the use of social media to complement their knowledge in traditional journalism. It would not be good enough if you know how to use the new media and you don’t have the required media knowledge in traditional journalism,” he said.

    The event also saw him engage the students and staff of the department with tangible ideas on how to start making earnest and intentional preparations towards a successful career in the field.

    Otufodunrin urged the students improve their activities on Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms, but cautioned them against the wrong use of social media.

    The seminar also featured an interactive session, where the guest speaker engaged participants on how to use social media.

    Alaba Abodunrin, a 300-Level student, described the session as educative, noting that he Otufodunrin’s message was clear and straightforward on the need to engage the new media.

  • Daniel: I won’t engage in war of words

    Former Ogun State Governor Gbenga Daniel has said he is a statesman and would not descend low to engage ordinary citizens in a “war of words” because of 2015 politics.

    Daniel, in a statement yesterday by his media aide, Mr Ayo Giwa, said he has observed the frustrated attempt by some politicians to drag his name into a desperate political chess game for reasons best known to them.

    The former governor, who was reacting to a report describing him as a political prostitute, said he would rather busy himself with policies and political administration to make life more meaningful for the citizens and improve the state than engage ordinary people in an unproductive war of words.

    The statement reads: “We note the frustrated attempt to drag Daniel’s name into a desperate political chess game by some politicians for whatever reasons known to them, but definitely not far from seeking to perpetuate relevance.

    “We need to sound it that Daniel, after serving eight years of two terms as governor, has become a statesman and so cannot descend low to the level of engaging ordinary citizens in the war of words the originator of the story seeks to achieve.

    “Let it be noted also that Otunba Gbenga Daniel is a businessman and engaging some of those who had been his subjects in the past would not compliment his busy schedule.

    “Rather, as a statesman, Daniel is more concerned about statements and issues of policies and political administration that will make life more meaningful for the citizens and move the state forward. From this, he will not be distracted.”

     

  • Govt to engage local insurance firms on aircraft cover

    Govt to engage local insurance firms on aircraft cover

    Worried over the classification of Nigeria as a high risk country, Aviation Minister Princess Stella Oduah said yesterday that plans were afoot to engage indigeneous insurance firms to reduce the premium paid on aircraft registered in Nigeria.

    She said the Ministry of Aviation was discussing with the National Insurance Commission on how to achieve lower insurance premium for aircraft registered.

    She said the government was planning to attract aircraft manufacturers to set up maintenance facilities to reduce the cost of aircraft repairs, adding that the government would encourage the firms by giving exemption on duties.

    The move to attract aircraft manufacturers, she said, would provide a window for training Nigerians on aircraft maintenance and other aeronautical areas.

    She said it was unacceptable that Nigerian registered aircraft was attracting higher premium when the country ‘s civil aviation is rated category one by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

    Government, the minister said, was getting worried over the trend as domestic and charter airlines were made to pay over four times the insurance obtainable in other countries of the world.

    Speaking in Lagos at the “sector’s master plan buy-in” for industry stakeholders , Oduah explained that apart from the merger of local insurance companies to reduce premium on aircraft, the government planned to domesticate laws on the leasing if aircraft to make it convenient for operators.

    She said plans were underway to achieve the categorisation of domestic operators under a licensing and operational structure that would enable the transport sector have “air taxis”.

  • Kwara to engage youths in agric

    As part of measures to check growing unemployment, especially among youths, the Kwara State Government said it will support the youth in agriculture with the provision of funds and farm inputs as part of its commercial agriculture scheme.

    The state Governor, Dr Abdulfatah Ahmed, made this known at a special media chat focused on youths at the Governor’s Lodge,Government House, Ilorin.

    The governor said government’s responsibility was to create policies that would drive the economy, saying that in order to achieve the objectives of youth empowerment, it embarked on the enumeration ofyouth that would be positioned into various skills including agriculture.

    According to him, the government set up the Malete youth farm with the aim of training youth in agriculture, stressing that already, some of theyouths have graduated and given funds to set up their own farms across

    the state. “Already, they are being compartmentalized into crops andlocations and are expected to go to their locations to become changeagents in agricultural sector”, Governor affirmed.

    “The success recorded would now enable us to begin to expand it bychoosing people from each of the 16 local governments who would largely become “change agents”, the governor stressed.

    According to him, each farmers haven successfully completed his ownfarming skill would now become a master trainer and cluster himselfwith another set of five to ten farmers.

    “The most important part of it was that we have set up an agric mallbecause we have to go into agric business on a commercial bases bylooking at the constraint that disallow people from making success in the agric business,” Ahmed said.

    He said the agric mall would provide access to funding, agricultural inputs, and access to off-takers, adding that farmers can now go tothe agric mall to meet farm extension workers and banking support team for their services.