The Kwara State government will give a five-year tax relief to small businesses to encourage owners and eradicate poverty.
According to Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, the tax relief is imperative to allow economic growth and development.
The governor gave the order yesterday in Ilorin at a lecture to mark the 50th creation anniversary of the state. He maintained the state has not introduced fresh taxes but “only succeeded in blocking leakages in the system through effective management of the collection processes.”
“Our business is not to kill your business, but to grow it,” he assured business owners.
The governor, therefore, directed Chairman of the state Internal Revenue Service to coordinate the process of the tax holiday.
Guest speaker and former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mrs. Sarah Alade, advised the government to design an economic blue print which will strategically reposition the state for economic prosperity.
In her paper, titled; “Socio-Economic Development of Kwara State: An Agenda for the future,” Dr. Alade said Kwara has the lowest unemployment rate in the country and should never be among the poorest. She, therefore, urged the government to step up its Public Private Partnership initiative.
Tag: kwara
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Kwara gives tax relief to SMEs
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Kwara at 50: Ahmed announces tax holiday for businesses
Kwara state Governor Abdulfah Ahmed has announced tax holiday for new business outfits and investors coming into the state.
The decision according to him would encourage the growth of small scale business enterprises in the state.
The governor directed the chairman of the Kwara state Internal Revenue Service (KW-IRS), Dr Muritala Awodun to write a memo to him requesting for the approval.
He however clarified that existing business outfits would have to continue the payment of their taxes while assuring that government will continue to provide enabling environment for businesses to grow.The governor said this just as the former deputy governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Dr Sarah Alade said Kwara state has the lowest unemployment rate of 85 Per cent amongst the 36 states in Nigeria.
She urged the state government to come up with an economic blueprint that will turn around the future of the state in the next 50years.
Both governor Ahmed and ex-CBN boss spoke at a lecture to mark the 50 years anniversary of creation of the state held in Ilorin where they discussed the economic future and challenges of the state
Alade had in a paper she presented titled “Socio -Economic Development of Kwara state :an Agenda For the futture” stated that taxation topped the list of” 26 most problematic” factors preventing people from doing business in Kwara.
She said the factors were generated from survey conducted on 325 companies in the state .
While highlighting the potential of the state, Alade said the state has largest Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs )that should be leverage on to turn around the economic future of the state in next 50 years
She however called on the state government to address what she called “lopsided infrastructure Development in Kwara central” and charged the state to spread infrastructure to rural areas to reduce pressure on the centre.
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Kwara needs N215b for infrastructure
Kwara State Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed has said the government needs N215 billion to develop the state’s infrastructure.
He added that all inclusiveness in governance would take the state to greater heights of development.
Ahmed spoke in Ilorin at a lecture to mark the state’s 50th creation anniversary.
His words: “This money cannot be gotten overnight; it can be modulated. We are picking out those aspects that are doable within the current financial capacity we have found ourselves.
“Another critical issue to development in any part of the world is human capital development. Our problem in Africa is education; we must put our acts together and take education as everybody’s business. Stakeholders must recognise the deficit we are facing on our low level of human capital development. We need an effective and impactful educational system.
“That is why health and education sectors must be supported by the government and private sector. That is why we are expanding our health insurance scheme to ensure that people in the nooks and crannies of the state have access to healthcare, with as low as N500 all year round.’’
Country Director for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Southern Sudan, Prof. Kamil Kayode Kamaldeen said more attention should be paid to infrastructural development by both state and federal governments in areas of construction and maintenance of existing ones.
In his lecture, titled: ‘Governance and Development in Kwara State: The Past, Present and Past’’, Prof Kamaldeen harped on key factors needed for a greater Kwara – vision, strategic choices to make better and secured future, and institutions with support roles to play in development.
Prof. Kamaldeen said the inclusion of people was essential to drive development goals, adding that resilience of the people at sustaining peace and harmony in the state would take it to the Promised Land.
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Kwara LG chairman pledges to prioritise staff welfare
Mr. Abiodun Ajiboye, the newly sworn-in Transition Implementation Committee (TIC) Chairman for Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara, has promised to make staff welfare his priority.
Ajiboye made the promise at the inauguration of the council’s TIC members at the council headquarters in Omu-Aran on Thursday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Gov. Abdulfatah Ahmed had extended the tenure of the 16 TICs, with each made up of four members.
Ajiboye said his administration would channel adequate resources toward improving the welfare of council workers through prompt payment of salaries and allowances.
He expressed his administration’s commitment to promoting the state government’s rural integration drive as catalyst for socio-economic development at the grassroots.
Ajiboye, who solicited the support of council workers and other stakeholders, pledged to run an open door administration that would facilitate the turning around of the council’s fortunes.
He said: “I want to say that our efforts toward the transformation of this council remains a collective responsibility of every stakeholder.
“We will give everybody, be it workers, politicians, traders and other stakeholders, equal opportunity to contribute toward the development of this council.
“Ours will be an open door policy with adequate priority for the welfare of council workers and the generality of the people of the council,” he said.
The chairman, however, urged the newly sworn-in officers to make honesty, transparency and accountability their watchwords.
He solicited the cooperation of party leaders, traditional rulers and other stakeholders in building a solid foundation for the next elected council administration.
Ajiboye commended the governor and the state’s APC leader, Sen. Bukola Saraki, for the confidence reposed in the committee’s ability to turn the councils around.
Chief Bisi Owolabi, the Chairman of the party in the local government area, urged the TIC members to see their appointments as a call to service.
NAN reports that the inauguration was attended by party leaders and supporters across the 11 wards of the local government area.
Those sworn-in were Adefila Olumide, Vice-Chairman, Adewoye Alarape, Supervisory Councillor for Works and Agriculture and Sherif Mohammed, Supervisory Councillor for Health and Education.
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Kwara chairmen get extended tenures
•PDP kicks
Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed has approved the extension of the tenures of Chairmen of Transitional Implementation Committees (TICs) for the 16 councils, and the appointment of new members.
Secretary to the State Government Isiaka Sola Gold said the move followed the expiration of the tenure of previous members.
He added that Ahmed made the appointments and extension in exercise of powers conferred on him by the Kwara State Local Government Law 2008.
But the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) condemned the move, describing it as “retrogressive”.
A statement by the factional chairman, Prince Sunday Fagbemi, said the people expect local government elections to be conducted.
According to him, the government, by its action, has short-changed the people at the grassroots yearning for the development of their localities.
Fagbemi noted that the constitution stipulates that the TIC could only operate for six months. He urged the government to stop playing on the people’s intelligence and conduct the local government elections.
“Only elected council chairmen can bring development to the rural communities. Anything short of this is short-changing the people and abridging democracy,” Fagbemi said.
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Kwara 2019: Who succeeds Ahmed?
Two years to the next general elections, consultations are on in Kwara State. Politicians are scheming for the seat that will be vacated by Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed on May 29, next year. ADEKUNLE JIMOH examines the succession struggle and aspirants on the platforms of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Though next general elections are two years away, Kwara State is already abuzz with politics. Major political gladiators interested in the seat that would be vacated by Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed have started oiling their political machinery.
Kwara politics is still dominated by the Olusola Saraki dynasty. This perhaps, explains the large number of aspirants that have in one way or the other signaled their interest in the ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC). So far, about 15 persons on the platform of the party are said to be interested in the seat.
A good number of them are associates of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki; most of them are holding political offices both at the state and national levels. Some of the aspirants considered to be serious contenders have floated what an impeccable source called “subtle pressure groups”.
They include the spokesperson of the APC, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi; the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Dr Ali Ahmad; former acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and now APC stalwart, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje; the Special Adviser to the Senate President on Special Duties, Alhaji Mashood Mustapha; Senator Representing Kwara North Senatorial District, Alhaji Mohammed Shaaba Lafiagi; and member representing Asa/Ilorin West Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Razak Atunwa.
Others are a member representing Ilorin East/South Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Dr Abubakar Amuda-Kannike; his counterpart for Edu/Moro/Patigi Constituency, Alhaji Bahago Ahman Patigi; Zakari Mohammed representing Baruten/Kaiama Constituency; the Chief of Staff, Government House, Ilorin, Alhaji Yusuf Abdulwahab and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Political Matters, Alhaji Usman Bibire Ajape.
The aspirants have begun clandestine recruitment of youths, who are already helping to market their candidacy in the social media.
A source told The Nation that some of the aspirants are keeping their ambition to their chest, owing to the peculiarity of Kwara politics. It was learnt that some of the aspirants who are bent on taking part in the contest are afraid of a possible backlash in the event that they unveil their plans ahead of time.
Some social media platforms are already touting Abdullahi, Ahmad and Mustapha as likely successors of the incumbent Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, when the latter’s second term of four years ends May 29, 2019.
Mustapha is not making his ambition secret as he has already started strategic moves to curry the favour of the power that be in securing the governorship ticket of the APC.
He was a member of the House of Representatives between 2011 and 2015 and served as Commissioner during the tenure of Saraki as governor.
For Abdullahi, some youth organisations were said to have started convening stakeholders’ fora both in Ilorin and Abuja as a platform to commence subtle campaigns for him. He served as Minister of Sports and Chairman, National Sports Commission in the cabinet of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
However, a source hinted that Ahmad is also interested in the race, but he has chosen to keep the ambition close to his chest. He was a member of the Seventh National Assembly, where he served as the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Justice.
His four years in the Green Chamber of the National Assembly gave birth to the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, a bill he solely sponsored, with main objective of speedy trial of criminal cases.
The Speaker’s media aide, Shuaib Abdulkadir, dismissed media reports that his principal was nursing governorship ambition in 2019. He said it is only the party hierarchy that will determine who takes what in the forthcoming general elections, adding that no decision had been taken on that yet.
He said: “As far as everybody is concerned in Kwara State, and as you rightly know, he (Ali Ahmad) is the Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, representing Ilorin South Constituency in the House of Assembly.
“Yes, you might have been told some things about his ambition. I am not aware of that for now. But I can tell you reliably that he is not eyeing the governorship seat, except probably what the hierarchy would decide, which everybody is not aware of for now. That is all I can tell you.”
Abdulkadir neither picked up telephone calls nor responded to the message sent to him inquiring about his 2019 governorship ambition.
A member representing Ilorin East/South Federal Constituency, Dr Abubakar Amuda-Kannike, could not be reached for his comment on the matter.
But, Baraje advised those nursing governorship ambitions within the APC to tary a while. He urged such persons to exercise patience and allow the incumbent governor to concentrate on the good job he is doing.
Baraje said it is too early for anyone to start campaigning for the next governorship or any elective office.
He pointed out that a rare political system where the party’s hierarchy decides who takes what exists in Kwara State. Baraje advised those reported to be nursing governorship ambitions to allow the system work.
He added: “In Kwara State, Dr Bukola Saraki, the Senate President, is still our leader. I respect him and still queue behind him and when the time comes, all of us shall sit down together and the system will bring out the best candidates for governorship and other elective offices that will be beneficial to the people of our state.
“For now, I think we should allow the sitting governor to continue the good work he is doing. The governor is doing his best to serve the people of the state in accordance with the principles and policies of our great party, the APC. It is public knowledge that the governor has been going round the state, flagging off various projects, as well as empowering the vulnerable members of the society.
“To those nursing governorship ambitions, I advise them to be patient and cooperate with the political leader of the state.”
Baraje said if the so-called governorship aspirants “have been part of the APC family in the state, then they are not doing justice to the system and if they have not been part of us, then they should know that we have a system.
The former Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate in the 2015 election, Dr Mike Omotoso, it was gathered, may still give the governorship seat a shot. But, this time around, he may be contesting on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Omotosho recently gave conditions to make himself available for the 2019 governorship race. Though he did not disclose the platform on which he intends to contest, he said the readiness of the electorate would spur him to join the race. Indications are that the pharmacist-turned-politician is tinkering with the idea of defecting to the crisis-ridden PDP to realise his ambition.
Popularly known as Omotosure, he said the masses remain the determinant factor of the electoral processes.
The former LP flag bearer who lost to Governor Ahmed in the 2015 polls said his decision to vie for governorship was to improve the welfare of the electorates.
He said: “I would love to run, but the people must be ready. It is not about me wanting to be governor; I am not a career politician. It is about better life for the masses. At the right time, details will be unveiled by the people, if they actually want me to run.”
The PDP is currently destabilised by factional crisis. The party is divided into two factions, with Senators Ali Modu Sheriff and Ahmed Makarfi who are laying claims to the soul of the party.
Although the recent Appeal Court verdict recognised Sheriff as the authentic National Chairman, the National Caretaker Committee chaired by Makarfi has gone to the Supreme Court to challenge the appellate court judgment.
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‘Kwara not owing pensions, salaries’
Kwara State is not owing pensions and salaries, despite the economic situation in the country, the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communication to Kwara State Governor, Dr. Muyideen Oluwakorede, has said.
In an interview with reporters, he said the governor was able to achieve this through the reform of the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the state.
According to him, the governor was also able to reduce the cost of governance from about 40 per cent to 30 per cent.
He said contrary to reports in a newspaper (not The Nation) that the state is owing 11 months’ salaries and pensions, the state does not have any pension or salary arrears.
He said the only area where there are arrears is with the local government workers and pensioners.
He said the local government is also not owing 11 months as speculated but only has various degrees of arrears of one and half months, three or six months depending on the IGR capacity and the allocation.
He further explained that the local government is a different tier of government and in Kwara autonomous.
The governor’s aide said: “The state government is not owing any salary or pension. Except for local government situation, which is a different tier of government and with special regards to the case of Kwara State is autonomous. Their funds by law comes through the state and are allocated publicly by law by a body comprising the chairmen of the local government, their treasurers and the state commissioner for finance.
“The local governments are not even owing 11 months as claimed. What we have is various degrees of arrears. Suffice to say that local government allocations have drop from about N2.7 billion on average to about N1.6 billion this month.
‘’Meanwhile, the local government council requires N2.1 billion to pay primary school and junior secondary school workers and pensioners, needless say running governance. So by their own decision they pay a proportion that a particular month covers and this has nothing to do with Kwara state government. This is just a situation with regards to the drop in allocation to all tiers of government in the country.
“Despite the drop in allocation, the governor has often times come to the aid of the local governments by augmenting their allocation. The last one was to the tune of N280 million. But this funds has to be appropriated in the budget. Otherwise, the governor’s hands are tied to the extent that he cannot help the local government. The local government cannot be blame and it is not that we are making a case for them to owe. But if we look at it from the perspective of somebody that is to get N2.7 billion naira allocation and has now drop to N1.4 billion and they require 2.1 to be able to meet their financial obligation, such person will certainly have challenges in meeting with obligations.”
Akorede noted that the problem of the local government also has to do with the fact that they are unable to generate enough revenue to operate, pay salaries and pensions, including arrears.
He however said the problem was not peculiar to the state local governments but also to others in the country.
Oluwakorede added that the basic issue affecting the councils was the significant drop in allocations, saying that not all local government were viable enough to create revenue to fund their operations.
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Kwara gets N2b for commercial agriculture
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will supplement the investment of Valentine Chickens, a subsidiary of Shonga Farms Holdings Limited in Kwara State, with a loan of N2 billion from the Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme.
CBN’s Governor Godwin Emefiele stated this when he visited Shonga Farms in Edu Local Government.
He noted that the loan is to support value chain in chicken production, with the potential of employing more youths.
According to him, Kwara has a comparative advantage in poultry business, and will support Valentine Farms, which business has employed many youths.
Emefiele, who was accompanied by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, Chairman, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Abdullah Adam and Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed, expressed satisfaction that critical sectors in the farms are managed by Nigerians.
He praised the government for the initiative, describing it as an example of a successful collaboration with foreign direct investors that created employment in the agro-allied sector.
Saraki thanked Emefiele for supporting commercial agriculture in the state, and assured foreign investors that lawmakers will support agro-allied related businesses through appropriate laws to create more employment.
Ahmed assured Emefiele the state is well positioned to champion commercial agriculture revolution in the country.
He added that his administration has established an off-taker demand driven scheme based on lessons learnt from the Shonga model, to empower farmers, create jobs and establish Kwara State as a major agriculture hub in the country.
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Kwara gets N2b for commercial agriculture
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will supplement the investment of Valentine Chickens, a subsidiary of Shonga Farms Holdings Limited in Kwara State, with a loan of N2 billion from the Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme.
CBN’s Governor Godwin Emefiele stated this when he visited Shonga Farms in Edu Local Government.
He noted that the loan is to support value chain in chicken production, with the potential of employing more youths.
According to him, Kwara has a comparative advantage in poultry business, and will support Valentine Farms, which business has employed many youths.
Emefiele, who was accompanied by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, Chairman, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Abdullah Adam and Governor AbdulFatah Ahmed, expressed satisfaction that critical sectors in the farms are managed by Nigerians.
He praised the government for the initiative, describing it as an example of a successful collaboration with foreign direct investors that created employment in the agro-allied sector.
Saraki thanked Emefiele for supporting commercial agriculture in the state, and assured foreign investors that lawmakers will support agro-allied related businesses through appropriate laws to create more employment.
Ahmed assured Emefiele the state is well positioned to champion commercial agriculture revolution in the country.
He added that his administration has established an off-taker demand driven scheme based on lessons learnt from the Shonga model, to empower farmers, create jobs and establish Kwara State as a major agriculture hub in the country.
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FIDA tasks stakeholders on rights of violated children
The International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) on Tuesday called on relevant stakeholders not to relent in the fight against violated children.
A statement issued in Abuja quoted the Vice President of the association, Mrs Inime Aguma, as making this appeal at the National Executives meeting held in Kwara.
The theme of the meeting was” Protection of children and young persons from sexual abuse”.
She called on agencies of government, ministries, security agencies, National Assembly, National Human Rights Commission, faith based organisations, Judiciary, CSOs and other relevant organisations at the federal and state levels to continue to fight for rights of children.
“FIDA Nigeria observes with dismay the incessant abuse of children as young as four months by persons who ordinarily should provide care, protection and security.
“FIDA Nigeria cannot afford to stay silent in the face of such dehumanisation and degradation of our future generation,” she said.
Aguma said the theme was to create a platform to build the capacity of members to continue to provide legal services to violated children.
She said the association has 33 branches providing free legal clinics where parents, guardians and good citizens of Nigeria can report cases of these menace, and members are obliged to ensure proper prosecution of these perpetrators.
“As lawyers, we believe that we are equipped to take action through the instrumentality of the law to make our society a better place for our children.
“For example, in Niger State, a 12-year-old boy was sexually abused by a man, the perpetrator was arrested, prosecuted and sentenced to one month imprisonment.
“The child victim eventually died from the severe injuries and damage from the assault,” she said.
Aguma said the perpetrator was re-arrested and is being prosecuted for murder for the death of the boy.
Besides, she called on all states in the country yet to adopt the Child Rights Act to domesticate and ensure its full implementation together with all laws concerning children especially the establishment of a family court in each state.
“We acknowledge the role of the media in projecting this menace especially the use of the social media in creating this awareness.
“We however appeal to all media outfits to continue in exposing the perpetrators of this menace.
“Let us break the silence and join FIDA Nigeria to say NO to all forms of sexual abuse and exploitation of all children in Nigeria,” Aguma urged.