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Tag: increasing

  • Why human trafficking is increasing, by Ogun CJ

    Chief Judge of Ogun State Justice Olatokunbo Olopade has blamed the rising cases of human trafficking to poverty, ignorance and ineffective law enforcement.

    She said peer pressure, porous borders, corruption, involvement of international organised criminal networks, lack of adequate legislation and political will to enforce existing legislation were other factors that fuel the crime.

    The CJ, represented by Justice Abiodun Akinyemi, called for stricter law enforcement to curb human trafficking.

    She urged the government to enact an all-inclusive law that adequately punishes offenders and has provisions to rehabilitate the victims, backed by reinforced legal institutions and framework.

    She said there was the need for extensive and broad public enlightenment through the media and in the markets, at community meetings, palaces, religious places and in areas that are prone to the scourge.

    The CJ spoke in Abeokuta at the opening of a two-day workshop organised by the Ogun State Judiciary, in collaboration with the Conference of Western Attorneys-General/African Alliance Partnership (CWAG/AAP) and Nigerian partner/coordinator, Punuka Attorneys and Solicitors (international law centre).

    Its theme was: Succeeding in the fight against human trafficking.

    She said: “The likely target audience is the poor and this must inform the strategy to be employed to reach out to them and pass the message across.”

    Justice Olopade expressed sadness over the scourge of human trafficking, particularly as it affects children.

    “The trend has taken a frightening and dangerous dimension globally, especially with our country, Nigeria, becoming a big hub breeding victims who are mainly children and women.

    “It has become a complex multi-faceted phenomenon. The demand for cheap labour and commercial sex workers has made human trafficking business to thrive globally.

    “All hands must be on deck to put a stop to this. It is necessary to lend our voices and ensure that this particularly vulnerable, helpless and defenceless specie are adequately protected,” she said.

    According to her, in a bid to protect children, family courts have been established in the state.

    “In fact, a standard family court has been built in Abeokuta and there is a move to replicate same in other jurisdictions,” she said.

    Justice Olopade called for more action to end human trafficking.

    National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking In Persons (NAPTIP) Director-General Dame Julie Okah-Donli, represented by Mrs Kehinde Akomolafe, said the agency had, in the last 15 years of its existence, rescued 12,882 victims, received 5,882 cases, investigated 3,602 cases, secured 294 conviction cases and convicted 352 persons.

    Okah-Donli noted that the scourge had taken untold toll on the victims and the society at large.

    “Human trafficking, like every other epidemic has its negative attendant effects which create cracks and destabilises the society in which it exists, thereby facilitating its continuous proliferation,” she said.

  • Why crime rate is increasing, by expert

    The increasing crime rate in the society is because most homes today lack the required orientation of raising good children, Chief Imam Nigeria Navy Central Mosque, Navy Town Ojo, Ustadh DaudAbdul Hameed has said.

    Abdul Hameed , a Lieutenant, said parents must be people of good character if they are to raise godly children

    He spoke at the maiden edition of TAQWA Private Schools Parents Teachers Association (PTA) Ramadan lecture in Iju, Lagos.

    Children raised in a loving home, by parents with character, he said, typically mimic the virtues demonstrated by their parents.

    According to him, the orientation given to children at home matters a lot.

    “As the saying goes you don’t give what you lack. Imagine the parents who lack self-control in their speech or who are wayward would produce the same character in their children. They won’t be able to cultivate righteousness in them,” he said.

    Abdul Hameed said if the parent can see themselves as mirrors, which the children will look up to, it would assist a lot in raising godly children.

    “Children that come out of decent homes with good orientation will make a safer society,” he said.

    Chief Executive Officer, DICOLI Nigeria Limited Alhaji Kayode Awobadejo, who chaired the occasion, advised the parents to live above board.

    Alhaji Awobadejo reminded them that children are trust from Allah, hence they will be accountable on how they nurtured them.

    “As Muslims, we shouldn’t turn out products that would add to menace in the society. Our children must be change agents that will contribute positively to the myriads of challenges facing us as a nation,” he said.

    He urged the children present to emulate good people in the society.

    “Be careful when choosing a mentor. Such mentor can make or mar your career because you will want to emulate such person. Prophet Muhammad and his companions are enough to pick from as your mentors,” he said.

    The school PTA Chairman, Alhaji Abdulhafeez Olarewaju said the Ramadan lecture was organised by TAQWA School in conjunction with PTA to enrich the parent with knowledge of Islam.

    He said the two topics discussed were carefully chosen to educate Muslims on conflict management, resolution and raising righteous children.

     

  • JAMB: enrolment in poly, others increasing

    JAMB: enrolment in poly, others increasing

    The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) yesterday said the enrolment for Colleges of Education, Polytechnics and Monotechnics and Innovative Enterprise Institutions had improved.

    JAMB’s Head, Media and Information, Dr Fabian Benjamin, in a statement in Lagos yesterday, said the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) had expanded the carrying capacity of the institutions and addressed admission access in the country.

    According to the statement, the negative preference by Nigerians over these institutions  necessitated the introduction of a unified examination.

    “Today, we are not there yet, but the enrolment for colleges of education, polytechnics, monotechnics and Innovative Enterprise Institutions has improved.

    “Having said this, I want to say that we are worried by a recent interview granted by the Vice-Chancellor, University of Lagos, Prof. Rahmon Bello, where he allegedly blamed the Board for admission challenges in tertiary education.

    “The respected scholar also said that the board’s matriculation examination should be split into three, with the universities, polytechnics and colleges of education each having separate entrance examination.

    “We sincerely appreciate this concern over the challenges of admission, especially as it affects carrying capacity and the preferences of candidates for universities over other tiers of tertiary institutions.

    “However, the board would want the public to note that it was this same concern among others that led to the unification of the matriculation examination,’’ the statement said.

    According to the statement, when the board was conducting UME for universities and MPCE for other institutions of higher learning, one of the concerns of stakeholders was the negligible number of candidates sitting for the MPCE.

    “For instance, when over a million candidates sit for the UME, less than 200,000 applied for the MPCE.

    “ At the 2008 National Council of Education meeting, it was observed that the disparity in entrance examination and separate examination was partly responsible for this negligible enrolment.

    “The Prof. Dibu Ojerinde-led board was then mandated to fashion a way of addressing this challenge and ensure uniformity in entrance requirements.

    “It was to also look into the admissions and improve the patronage of these tiers and  ensure that teachers and technical education in the country get the best,’’ it said.

    According to the statement, today, one of the challenges that has negatively affected the choice of university over others is the HND/BSc dichotomy.

    It said the board was appealing to stakeholders to call on government to address this issue, as it holds the key to resolving the preference of universities over other tertiary institutions in the country.

    The statement said when policies ran into stormy waters, there was need to find a solution by involving stakeholders rather than jettison its gains.

    “What we should be looking at now if there are challenges of admission is to look for ways of improving on the policies and ensure that the gains are sustained and improved upon.

    “One of the gains of the Unified Matriculation Examination by the board is the tremendous increase in patronage for polytechnics, colleges of education and the Innovative Enterprises Institutions.

    “This is as against what was the situation before the unification used to be.

    “The board has not achieved a 100 per cent result due to other variables, but wishes to appeal to government to support this drive.

    “Government can achieve this by first removing the certificate dichotomy and placing of graduates of polytechnics and universities on the same scale in the civil service and private sector employee scheme, if practicable,’’ the statement said.

    It noted that going back to separate examination would worsen the situation and return the country back to the starting stage.

    The statement said that the situation where candidates who applied for placements into universities could not be admitted and as well could not take up admission opportunities in other institutions of higher learning would play up.

    It said that that such a development would further place heavy financial burdens on the candidates, as they would want to sit for all the examinations to achieve the same result that the unified examination was currently giving them.

    “If all graduates of both universities and polytechnics are to be seen to be the same, then they must equally have the same treatment.

    “Our teachers too must also be the products of good competition,’’ it said.

  • Fowler: Challenges of increasing tax revenue

    Fowler: Challenges of increasing tax revenue

    Barely one month ago when his appointment as acting Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) was announced, not a few Nigerians who should know applauded the appointment. He had a rich background and antecedents in government revenue matters to flaunt. Mr. Babatunde Fowler, the legendary chairman of Lagos Inland Revenue Service (LIRS), thus assumed leadership of the FIRS almost immediately, pledging to work with state revenue agencies and relevant stakeholders to shore up tax revenue and improve on the country’s tax administration.

    While taking over the mantle of office from his predecessor,  Sunday Ogungbesan, on August 21,  Fowler told the staff of the service that the FIRS should be able to take the lead in tax revenue collection as well as share information and ideas with the states’ Boards of Internal Revenue to improve tax administration in the country. True to his character, he did not mince words when he assured of a new era at FIRS which would be predicated on the resolve of the presidency to ensure maximum increase in tax revenue to end the country’s absolute dependency on oil proceeds.

    Hear him: “My vision and mission is neither to alter the existing management organogram structure in FIRS nor lay off management staff from their duty posts, but to take FIRS as well as the nation’s tax system to an enviable height. This we cannot achieve all alone without a robust partnership and collaboration of all stakeholders within and outside the system. We must build a synergy for a healthy exchange of information between FIRS and SBIR.

    “This synergy will produce the best form of revenue generation in the FIRS and the states in general as well as ensuring that over dependency on oil revenue becomes a thing of the past.”

    Use of consultants for tax collection

    Against the backdrop of unending insinuations that the acting chairman would introduce consultants to help him in tax assessment and collection in the FIRS, Fowler debunked it all. The use of tax consultants to collect taxes, a practice that is prevalent among state governments, has been criticised as illegal and open to corruption between the consultants and state governors.

    At a meeting of the Joint Tax Board (JTB) in Abuja recently, Fowler said that the staff strength of the FIRS was not enough to undertake all that would be required in tax administration and as such, consultants would be engaged but their duties would be exclusive of tax assessment and collection.

    His words: “You can imagine a staff roster that can audit the books of well over 400, 000 corporate organisations.  It won’t work. Therefore to increase the level of transparency and accountability, we would engage consultants.  But these consultants will only gather data.  The law does not allow them to undertake assessment. The law does not allow them to collect revenue on behalf of government.

    “Consequently, they will collect data; they are to assist our staff.  We will do the assessment and issue the Demand Notice for the tax to be paid”.

    Compliance level

    On his view of the level of tax payers compliance, the chairman regrets that slightly over 30 per cent companies and other businesses pay tax in the country.  A situation, he said; must change.

    According to him, “there are about 450, 000 corporate organisations with only one out of every three paying tax. Based on our objectives, we want to have at least 99.9 percentage success level of compliance. Meaning that every individual at the state level and every corporate organisation at the federal level is in the tax net and pays the appropriate type of tax.

    “We have exchanged information with all states’ Internal Revenue Boards. We have all the information on the database.  We have given them out already and in case they need further information that they currently don’t have on their database, we will always collaborate with them.  With this development, we should have a growth in tax payers both at the state and federal levels within one week.”

    Fowler warned that organisations that evade taxes would be made to face the law in a civil suit in order to collect outstanding arrears and Chief Executive Officers of such organisations could face criminal charges.

    The meeting, according to Fowler, was to enable the JTB fashion out a roadmap to provide a workable tool for both the FIRS and the Internal Revenue Boards of the states with a view to raising the level of tax revenue in the country.

    Experts in the sector have been quick to align with the acting chairman on this note, positing that there are many stones left unturned as far as the country’s current tax administration processes are concerned.

    For example, they argue that it is common knowledge that the administration of the Value Added Tax (VAT) is greatly hindered by many factors, ranging from inadequate coverage of ‘VATable’ persons to non-remittances of VAT deductions. Tax revenue loss in this aspect can only be imagined.

    Fowler has so far been quick to respond to this obvious gap in revenue generation when he stated at a forum recently too, saying: “I have also identified the fact that there is deficiency on our part as tax administrators in terms of collaboration and cooperation in the areas of exchange of information for tax purposes.”

    He said that the FIRS and the state boards would have to work with greater synergy in the areas of conducting joint audit exercises by FIRS and SBIRs; carrying out joint tax enlightenment and enforcement exercises; sharing and exchanging of information concerning unremitted taxes identified by either side; embarking on joint training programmes and workshop; reviewing and amending tax laws and legislations from time to time.

    FIRS-Kogi State collaboration

    The acting FIRS chairman has no doubt sold his vision across the board for urgent implementation. Days ago, he caused a representative to spread the message of his war against tax evasion to Kogi State.

    At that event, the FIRS called for a unique collaboration with the state’s Inland Revenue Service against current and potential tax evaders. Disclosing that a new technology designed to checkmate such tax dodgers as being currently employed in the avaition and power sectors would be deployed to other sectors very soon, the FIRS under Fowler gave the five areas of envisaged collaboration with the states as follow:

    • Joint tax auditing
    • Information gathering and sharing
    • Joint training
    • Education and sensitisation and
    • Tax law review.

    Who’s Fowler?

    He was the Chief Executive Officer/Executive Chairman of the Lagos State Board of Internal Revenue from 2005 to 2014.

    He had his higher education in the United States where he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Wisconsin and a Masters of Business Administration degree from the California State University.

    Before joining the service of the Lagos State Government, Dr. Fowler worked in the banking sector for about 20 years with long stints at Credit Lyonnais Nigeria Limited and Chartered Bank.

    Under his leadership, the Lagos State Board of Internal Revenue reportedly achieved a sharp increase in internally generated revenue from an average of N3.6. billion per month in January 2006, to an average of about N20.5 billion per month in 2013.

    Fowler, who holds an Honorary Doctorate Degree of the Irish International University, is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria and the Business Management Association of the United Kingdom.

    With his coming to the FIRS, expectations are high that Fowler, who got the tax revenue generation right in Lagos, would in no time replicate his success in his current beat. Opinions too suggest that the Senate would in all wisdom confirm his appointment to enable him deliver with every authority of his office. Of note is the fact that the FIRS has not had a substantive chairman since the departure of Ifueko Omogui-Okauru in 2012.

     

    • Adegoke is an Abuja-based media consultant
  • Why liver diseases are increasing

    Why liver diseases are increasing

    Cases of liver problems and diseases are on the increase.  A lot of habits are responsible for this.  In this chat with Edozie Udeze, Chris Ebaeju, a medical practitioner says that since the liver is the largest organ in the body and performs the highest functions, it is proper to avoid many dirty habits to allow it function well and more.

    Nearly every minute, more new cases of people with liver diseases are reported in Nigeria.  In the past five years or so, the situation has become so worrisome that people are now advised to go for regular medical check-ups to determine the condition of their liver.  Beyond that, medical practitioners have been up and doing by telling people that the best to do is to avoid these habits that help to endanger the state of the liver.

    According to Dr. Chris Ebaeju of Saint Augustine’s Clinics, Ikorodu, Lagos.  Since the liver is the largest and the most complex organ in the body, people should try to treat it with some kind of care.  “Your liver performs many vital jobs.  Among other things, it removes toxins from your blood system.  It also stores vitamins, minerals and then gives you the fuel necessary to survive.”

    He regretted however that in spite of all these functions, the liver is still very vulnerable to damage.  “Since there is no cure for chronic liver disease, this damage can have dire consequences,” he says.

    What to avoid

    In order that the liver be totally preserved and prevented from facing a situation that may endanger it, people are advised to avoid heavy intake of alcohol.  “Heavy alcohol consumption is not good for the body.  People who take alcohol on a regular basis should also consider what effect it has in their bodies.  Apart from that, viral hepatitis, diabetes and excess weight also tend to affect the condition of the liver and when there are gallstones in the pancreatitis, the liver is also threatened,” he said.

    There are some certain drugs when taken in excess or continuously over time that also affect the liver. “For instance, deactivating potentially harmful drugs and medications are hazardous.  Drug breakdown can damage liver cells which can result to acute or chronic liver disease.  Preventable factors that include alcohol and drug abuse, medications, injections and certain health conditions, particularly viral hepatitis should be avoided in order to allow the liver perform its many functions.  Since the liver is responsible for the breaking down and the total elimination of naturally occurring toxins in the body as well as producing bile necessary for digestions, it is usually wise to avoid situations that may make it over work itself.

    Bacterial infections

    Infections may indeed arise from the biliary tract, portal vein, hepatic artery or by direct extension. Ebaeju explains that infections from the biliary tract are the most common and this consequently results in about 30% to 50% of the total number of pyogenic abscesses.  “In other words, this leads to liver abscesses which are frequently multiple.  In fact another common route of entry of infection is the portal vein.  This often results in more serious liver conditions which includes complicated diverticular disease, appendicitis, peritonisis and pancreatitis.  This also contributes to pyogenic liver abscesses.  Other common causes include pneumonia, intravenous drug abuse, staphylococcus aureus which is evident in about 20% of causes that are regularly confirmed and treated.”

    Signs to look out for

    The most common sign that liver problem is on the way is when you begin to feel regular pains associated with the right upper quadrant arm, coupled with general malaise and anorexia.  “At this stage,” Ebaeju says, “examination may reveal tender hepatomaly.  There may also be few occurrences of hypertension and cardiovascular collapse showing as nagging symptoms.  Liver function tests may also show that blood cultures are frequently positive. The tests would include radiological investigations that relate to ultra sound or CT scan of the abdomen to determine the size, characteristics, number and anatomical location of the liver abscesses.  At the state too, a chest x-ray is necessary, and it may show an elevated hemidiaphragm or a pleural effusion.

    He points out that the signs may be slow in manifesting in the beginning.  “But there are situations where it can be sudden, depending on the level of infection or damage that may have occurred.  At this level, weight loss is possible and sweating regularly becomes a problem.  Approximately, 30% of patients have diarrhea at this stage. Occasionally too, signs of jaundice may occur, signaling that the live may have been damaged severely.”

    Treatment

    The first major step to take is to place the patient on medical therapy.  This includes what is called taking a symptomatic measures which includes taking appropriate antibiotic therapy.  Immediately the total drainage of the liver abscesses should be observed.  A patient is usually placed on the appropriate and adequate nutrition and hydration. “Necessary precautionary measures should be take now against further spread of staphylococcus organisms by mitigating it with heavy antibiotic drugs.  This will be done for several weeks with the intention to totally eradicate infection and then avoid reoccurrence.”

    Due to modern medical provisions which have invariably made certain medications easier and more accessible, total drainage is now done through ultrasound control or by repeated percutaneous aspiration.  “In addition, it is usual to have frequent clinical, biochemical, microbial and radiological follow-up are required to access progress and then detect possible relapses.”