The Nation Newspaper

Tag: government

  • Increase tax revenue to fund education, Actionaid tasks govt

    The Country Director, Actionaid Nigeria, Mrs Ene Obi has urged federal and state governments to take decisive steps to increase the funds allocated to the education sector in order to improve the quality of education.

    Obi said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria  on Monday in Lagos on the sidelines of a workshop on Breaking Barriers for Girl’s Education.

    She tasked the governments to break the barriers to quality public education by improving tax revenue, particularly corporate tax, as a way of providing sustainable funding to the sector.

    She listed some of the barriers to public primary education as poor school infrastructure, violence and discrimination, failure to recruit and retain good quality teachers among others.

    “If states commit to finding resources to increase the size of their education budget for globally agreed targets, all children including the poorest and most marginalised will enjoy free, quality public education,” Obi said.

    Obi revealed that Actionaid had received 6.2 million dollars grant from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) to influence policy making and initiatives to increase the size and share of education budget.
    In addition, she said the project aimed at ensuring the public education system became more responsive to the needs of girls and marginalised children.

    NAN reports that about 10.5 million children are out of school in Nigeria, with the country investing only about seven per cent of its budget on education, short of the UNESCO 20 per cent benchmark.

    Experts observe that there is a link between the crumbling education service and evasion of tax by local and multinational companies in Nigeria.

    They note that money accruing from a proper tax regime can be useful in addressing infrastructure deficit in Nigeria’s education sector.

    Statistics obtained from the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) show that out of the 450,000 limited liability companies operating in Nigeria, no fewer than 125,000 representing 27.7 per cent pay any form of taxes.

    Dr Charles Nwaobia, an education stakeholder, observed that the Education Tax Act indicated that government intended to have a sustainable education system funded through tax.

    He said the tax imposed by the act was meant to fund the federal, states and local government educational institutions, including primary and secondary schools.

    “Two per cent shall be charged on the assessable profit of a company registered in Nigeria.

    “The Federal Board of Inland Revenue shall assess and collect from a company the tax imposed by this act.

    “Accordingly, the higher education shall receive 50 per cent, primary education 30 per cent; and secondary education shall receive 20 per cent of the total tax collected in any one year,” Nwaobia said, citing a portion of the act.

    Nwaobia said the number of companies that were taxed would determine the amount of money put into the education system.

  • Government will tackle farmers/herders clashes by end of this year, says Ogbe

    The Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbe has revealed that the problem of farmers/herders clash will be contained by the end of this year, if all the mechanisms government is building locally are put in place.

    Ogbe made this known while delivering a lecture yesterday on Technology and Agricultural Revolution: A tool for economic growth’, organised by Catholic Brothers United (CBU) of St. Agnes Catholic Church, Maryland, Lagos.

    According to the Minister, the mechanisms entails government providing enough feeds for cattle from agro waste, rice stocks, cassava leaves, maize, among others. “We are determined to bring the crisis to an end”,  he said.

    Ogbe also revealed that government is partnering with Federal universities of Agriculture, in collaboraction with the National University Commission (NUC), to make their graduates employers of labour by engaging in agriculture after graduation.

    His words “We the older generations must begin to hand over power to the younger generation; I know that the demand today is the political power transfer to youths, but there is much more power in the private sector than the government; because the private sector is the driver of growth”, said Ogbe.

    On his part, the Group Managing Director of Elephant Group, Tunji Owoeye, commended the government, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Bankers’ Committee for the reduction in the interest rate for  the agriculture and manufacturing sectors.

    The CBU 19th Annual lecture according to the President Catholic Brothers United, Emmanuel Okoro was carefully chosen in consideration of the various developmental challenges currently facing the country.

    “Agriculture has been the an important sector in the Nigerian economy in the past decades and continue to be a major sector despite the oil boom as it guarantees food security, employment opportunities for the teeming population, among others”.

  • Government approves N377m loan for rice farmers

    The Osun State government has approved N377.1 million agriculture loan for 1,000 rice farmers to cultivate 1,000 hectares of farmland in the state.

    In a statement yesterday in Osogbo, the state capital, by his media aide, Mr Sola Fasure, Governor Rauf Aregbesola said the loan would be accessed from the Bank of Agriculture (BOA).

    The governor said farmers in Ola-Oluwa, Egbedore and Ejigbo local government areas would benefit from the loan, which is a facility under the Anchor Borrowers Programme of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

    He said the loan was approved by the State Executive Council (Exco), as requested by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.

    Aregbesola also said the Exco considered and approved N2 billion for the upgrade and rehabilitation of nine technical colleges in the state.

    He said the technical colleges to be rehabilitated are in Osogbo, Gbongan, Ijebu’Jesa, Otan Ayegbaju, Osu, Iwo, Inisa, Ara and Ile-Ife, adding that Skill G Nigeria Limited would handle the project.

  • Ranches and deaths and government-inspired tradeoffs

    PRESIDENTIAL spokesman Femi Adesina will hope that the controversy surrounding his latest gaffe will blow over very quickly. He had misspoken on a television programme last Tuesday when he appeared to suggest that to avert the killings perpetrated by herdsmen it would not be a bad idea for besieged states to provide land for ranching as advised by the National Economic Council. It did not occur to him that he seemed in the same breath to have suggested that herdsmen could continue the killings until ranches were provided.

    Mr Adesina had been asked how easy it was for landowners to part with lands with which they had ancestral attachment. Here is his incredible answer: “Ancestral attachment? You can only have ancestral attachment when you are alive. If you are talking about ancestral attachment, if you are dead, how does the attachment matter? The National Economic Council that recommended ranching didn’t just legislate it, there were recommendations. So, if your state genuinely does not have land for ranching, it is understandable; not every state will have land for ranches. But where you have land and you can do something, please do for peace. What will the land be used for if those who own it are dead at the end of the day?”

    The presidential spokesman very clearly did not think his response through before venturing an explanation that suggested land could be used as ransom for people’s souls. It is unlikely that Mr Adesina’s view does not reflect the thinking of the presidency. As a spokesman, he is sensible enough to know that he could offer no private views on national issues. Taking the job implies that he had agreed to subordinate his views to his employer’s view for the duration of his national assignment. But he has a responsibility to make it easier for his media colleagues not to keep criticising him on account of some of his indefensible opinions.

    Examined closely, Mr Adesina’s views are atrocious and difficult to rationalise. How can he make light of people’s ancestral attachment to their lands? Does he not know that he seems to justify the killings on account of states failing to provide land for ranching? Even if someone is dead, his family survives him and sustains the attachment to their lands. So, dead or alive, the attachment goes on. And given Mr Adesina’s horrifying explanation, which is even crueler than the bewildering explanations given by the president and his appointees, it is not surprising that the problem has defied sensible and lasting solutions. Astonishingly, the president is now going after politicians whom he said are sponsoring the killings. But which of the killings? The ones masterminded by herders who boldly but indifferently claim responsibility? or the ones masterminded by landowners resisting the appropriation of their lands and the killing of their people?

    Well, it is now clear that the sum of all what the federal government is saying is that to avoid deaths at the hands of herdsmen, states should offer land ransoms. Although he qualifies which states should offer ranches by suggesting that only those with lands to give should give, that qualification is meaningless and provocative. It is enough to know that the federal government has taken sides with herders, and caused a link to be established between donation of ranches and peace. It is also clear that the federal government will do little to curb the killings going on especially in the Middle Belt. Having made their position known, the federal government has passed the buck to Nigerians to determine how to proceed in this gory and maddening situation, whether to buy their lives with donation of ranches or to defend their lands. This is truly depressing.

  • APC sweeps Nasarawa Local government poll

    The Nasarawa State Independent Electoral Commission (NASIEC) has declared candidates of All Progressive Congress ( APC ) as winners of the Saturday’s local government election across the state.

    Mr. Henry Omaku, chairman of the electoral body announced the results of the polls on Sunday at the commission’s headquarters in Lafia.

    He said that three political parties; All Progressive Congress (APC) Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Advanced Democratic Party (ADP) fielded candidates for the chairmanship election across the 13 local government areas, while 21 political parties contested for the 147 councillorship positions in the state, with the APC winning all.

    According to Omaku, the APC chairmanship candidate for Awe local government, Umar Abubakar polled 56, 598 votes to emerge winner, with Mr. Samuel Meshi emerging victorious for Akwanga local government having polled 50, 149 votes.

    Others winners include: Mohammed Iyimoga for Obi local government polling 88, 019 votes, Idris Danlami for Nasarawa Eggon with 79, 789 votes and Mohammed Sani scoring 98, 515 votes to win chairmanship seat for Nasarawa local government area.

    Also elected were: Aminu Maitafa for Lafia local government with 172, 717 votes, Saidu Kazi for Kokona with 69, 043 votes and Adamu Giza for Keana with 13, 658 votes garnered at the polls.

    Abubakar Abass emerged victorious in Wamba local government with 27, 108 votes, Rabo Sani got 77, 003 votes to clinch the chairmanship for Doma, while Samuel Akala and Abdulrahman Sani polled 80, 934 and 14, 817 to emerge winners for Karu and Keffi local government areas respectively.

    Omaku noted that although, the election witnessed low voters’ turnout, it was smooth an rancour-free.

    He explained that the restriction of movement could not be implemented during the election because of the ongoing Universal Tertiary Matriculation Examination. (UTME).

    He thanked security operatives, political parties and observers for their contribution towards the peaceful conduct of the elections.

    He advised political parties against boycotting subsequent elections in the state as doing so was capable of denying the people quality leadership at the local level.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalled that opposition parties in Nasarawa state including the Peopes Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) boycotted the May 26 election citing lack of confidence in the electoral body.

    The opposition parties had alleged that the chairman of NASIEC, Mr Henry Omakwu is a card-carrying member of the APC, therefore, not qualified to head the commission. (NAN)

  • NITP urges Cross River government on urban planning board

    The Cross River State Chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP) has called on the state government to establish an Urban Planning Board in line with the Urban and Regional Planning Act 2004.

    The state Chairman of NITP, Mr Daniel Ukene, made the call in a statement while reacting to the activities of the State Development Control Task Force, at the weekend in Calabar, the state capital.

    He said although they recognised the responsibility of the state government to ensuring the orderly development of its urban and rural Areas, it nevertheless must do so within the ambits of the law.

    “Government shall exercise its physical planning responsibilities within the framework of the Nigerian Urban and Regional Planning Act. Cap 138, Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 2004, from where it derives its mandate.

    “Therefore, it is our considered view that it is also the responsibility of the state government to comply with the relevant provisions of the Act or domesticate same in the state including the establishment of the State Urban Planning Board, ” he said.

    The chairman said town planners in the state had made several futile efforts to draw the attention of the state government on the illegality of setting up of such Task Force on town planning and development.

    According to him, in as much as town planners in the state appreciate the concern of the government to enforce the orderly development of the state, such should be handled by competent and registered professionals.

    He described the activities of the Task Force as purely unprofessional, adding that this would have negative consequences on the state in the long run.

    “Currently, the Task Force had begun massive posting of stop work, demolition notices, which are statutory functions of town planners as spelt out in the Urban and Regional Planning Act and Cross River Building Regulation Law,” he said.

    He added that the Bill establishing the Task Force was yet to be passed into Law by the State House of Assembly, saying this had rendered the Task Force illegal.

    Ukene said that they were willing to dialogue with the state government on the professional way of handling issue bordering on the orderly development of Calabar and the state in general.

    “As town planners, we are open to dialogue on the way forward for the proper and orderly development of Calabar and our state in general,” he said.

    Also, the State Representative of Town Planners Registration Council of Nigeria (TOPREC), Mr Archibong Omon, said they decided to inform the public in order to clear the two bodies of any complacency in the activities of the Task Force.

    “Many concerned citizens have continued to ask questions about what is going on, so we have to let Cross Riverians know that we are not part of the activities of the Task Force,” he said.

  • 240,000 out of school children in Zamfara – UNICEF

    The United Nation Children Education Fund (UNICEF) said it had identified 240,560 out-of-school children in three Local Government Areas of the state.

    The affected local government areas are Bukkuyum, Maradun and Zurmi.

    The Chief of UNICEF in charge of Sokoto Field office, Mohameden Fall disclosed this on Friday in Zurmi at the launching of cash transfer disbursement to parents of affected children under the UNICEF’s Educate A Child (EAC) project.

    He said the number was derived from the household mapping and listing of out-of-school children conducted in 2016 through the state Universal Basic Education Board when the number of out-of-school children was identified in the three LGAs.

    “In Bukkuyum, a total of 93,849 out-of-school children were identified with 41,134 males while 52,715 were females.

    “In Maradun 63,943 were identified with 28,963 males and 34,980 females while Zurmi has a total of 82,768 children with 38,286 males and 82,768 females,” he said.

    Fall also noted that the EAC project was bring funded by Qatar Foundation as personal initiative of Sheikh Nasser of Qatar and implemented by UNICEF in collaboration with Sokoto, Kebbi, Katsina and Zamfara state governments.

    According to him, the overall aim of the EAC was to extend the access to quality of basic education for 501, 749 out-of-school children across the four states by 2020.

    “We are targeting to reach out 10,347 in the first phase in Zamfara State, considering the alarming number of out-of-school children in the state.

    “We are calling on the state government to extend this programme to other local government areas,” he said.

    The project was initiated to assist households in sending their children and keeping them in school, in the benefiting communities who will receive an unconditional cash transfer of N8, 000 per child that falls between six and 11 years for the period of two years.

    “Cash transfer is one of the seven strategic interventions under the EAC to enable the government of the target states and UNICEF to reach more out-of-school children,” he said.

    He thanked the state government for the recent award of N1billion contract for school renovation and the release of over N1billion UBE counterpart funding on UNICEF intervention.

    In his remark, the state Commissioner of Budget and Economic Planning, Alhaji Ibrahim Birnin-Magaji thanked the UNICEF and Qatar Foundation for initiating the project.

    Birnin-Magaji said that the project was complementing the state government policy of promoting pupils enrollment and enhancement of basic education in the state.

    He said the state government was ready to continue to partner with the UNICEF and other development partners to improve quality education in the state.

    “The state government is committed to enhance teaching and learning in the state, from 2011 to date, we have renovated over 4,000 classrooms to reduce congestion of pupils.

    “We trained over 8,000 teachers and established 50 ICT centers across the primary and junior secondary schools in the state.

    “These efforts have increased our enrollment drive from 283,000 in 2012 to 600,000 as of now”, he said.

    Birnin-Magaji said the plan was one the ways to recruit more teachers and implement N18, 000 minimum wages for primary and junior secondary school teachers in the state.

    Earlier, the state SUBEB Chairman, Murtala Jangebe Commended the State Government and UNICEF for the project, saying that it would increase the pupils’ enrollment in the state.

    Jangebe said 3,449 children have been selected from the 14 communities to benefit from the assistance of N8, 000 under the project per term, per child.

    “We are disbursing N27 million as first phase to beneficiaries from Alawa, Kadage, and Doka communities from the three LGAs of Bukkuyum, Maradun and Zurmi respectively.

    “In each of the selected LGA, one community was chosen for the flag-off as first phase and we are going to continue with the remaining 11 communities”, he said.

    NAN

  • NAGAFF urges FG over SON return to seaport

    The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has urged the Federal Government to ensure the return of standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to the seaport.

    The group wants SON back instead of the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administrative Control (NAFDAC) that was recently returned to the port.

    Dr. Boniface Aniebonam reacting to the spate of substandard items imported into the country told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Lagos that SON should be actively involved in the import inspection of goods and quality assessment at the ports.

    Aniebonam, who spoke on behalf of the association, said the return of SON will help to identify substandard products in the market that are injurious to the public.

    He said that the importance of this exercise is enormous, considering the economic, health and safety implications of the public.

    “On weather SON should return to the port? I would say the presence of SON in the port is needed more than the presence of NAFDAC that are presently dominant at the port.

    “So, we are calling on the Federal Government to ensure that SON returns to the port; as we are aware of the harm substandard goods cause to the economy and safety of the people.

    “Our stand is that SON should be dominant in the port, while other agencies like NAFDAC should be called upon whenever their services are needed” he said.

    NAN reports that the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) had asked the officials of SON to vacate the seaports or risk being arrested.

    The NPA directive said was in line with a new order issued to the agency by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC).

    Aniebonam, however charged the Nigerian Shippers Council to prosecute shipping companies who refused to comply with the directive on return of container deposit to importers.

    NAN

  • SGF commends motor dealers N400bn to nation’s GDP

    The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Boss Mustapha, has commended motor dealers in the country, for contributing N400 billion to her Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

    Boss gave the commendation on Friday in Abuja in a statement by Mr Lawrence Ojabo, Director of Press, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

    The SGF spoke when he received a delegation of the Association of Motor Dealers’ of Nigeria (AMDON), led by the National President, Mr Ajibola Adedoyin, in his office.

    He thanked the association for also reducing the rate of unemployment and encouraging economic diversification.

    “Your annual turnover of N400 billion is a welcome development in this administration’s drive for economic diversification away from oil.

    “I commend you for the many multiplier effects of your business, which provided the citizens with access to the needed vehicles,” the SGF said.

    The national president of the association solicited for waiver on customs duties on imported vehicles by the members.

    Adedoyin said that the association would reorganise its structure and business outlets as well as review its membership, to help reduce crimes and contribute to economic development.

    NAN

     

     

     

  • APC to hold convention May 14

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) on Wednesday announced that its National Convention to elect officers for a new term in the party’s leadership would hold on May 14.

    According to schedule of activities released by the Organising Secretary, Sen. Osita Izunaso, in Abuja, the party’s Ward Congresses will hold on May 2, while appeal that may arise from the conduct will be entertained on May 3.

    The schedule showed that local government area congresses would hold on May 5, with appeal arising from the exercise fixed for May 7.

    It indicated that May 9 is the date for congress at states’ level to elect executive committees of the party in all states in the country.

    It fixed May 10 for hearing of appeal that may arise from the conduct of the state congresses.

    NAN