The Nation Newspaper

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  • NASS queries decrease in FIRS’ 2019 proposed non-oil revenue tax collection

    National Assembly Joint Committee has raised concern over Federal Inland Revenue Service’s (FIRS) 2019 projected estimate of non oil revenue tax collection of N146.54 billion.

    The Co-chairman of the committee, Sen. John Enoh and other members of the committee raised the concern at FIRS’s budget defence in Abuja on Monday.

    The committee sought to know why the 2018 approved estimate was N153.85 billion, while the 2019 projected cost stood at N146.54 amounting to 4.75 per cent decrease.

    On personnel cost, the committee asked why the service was proposing 14.6 per cent increase in number of staff from 7, 854 in 2018 to 9000 staff in 2019.

    It equally demanded explanation to the “proposed N160 million meant to sew drivers’ uniforms, N825 million for refreshment and security vote of N250 million among others.

    The Executive Chairman of FIRS, Mr Tunde Fowler while presenting the budget proposal, noted that the proposed increase in staff strength was due to recruitment of staff scheduled in 2019.

    He further explained that N160 million was earmarked to sew uniforms for the 850 drivers of the service as part of effort to make them fit properly into the structure.

    Also, he said the amount earmarked for security vote was meant to attend to some security issues, particularly those not receipted for.

    “The achievement of 2019 budget will be driven by increase oil and non-oil revenue tax collection.

    Read Also: Yobe Gov-elect Buni to take oath behind closed doors

    “The service in realisation of this responsibility and challenges of doing manual collection will continue to implement automated tax collection for the critical sectors of the economy notably telecommunications, airlines and financial institutions.

    “The deployment of these platforms is at no cost to the service and the consultants will only be rewarded on increased revenue generation.

    “There will be increased enforcement activities nationwide to bring more tax payers into the tax net and increase compliance level,’’ Fowler said.

  • Yobe Gov-elect Buni to take oath behind closed doors

    The Governor-Elect for Yobe State, Alh. Mai Mala Buni will on Wednesday be sworn-in as the new Executive Governor behind closed doors.

    The Nation observed that attendance will be strictly by invitation as only a handful of invitation cards have been printed and are being issued by protocol officials as tickets to grant guests access to the Banquet Hall.

    The Chairman Publicity Sub-Committee for the 2019 inauguration, Alh. Mala Musti who is also the State Commissioner for Information, Home Affairs and Culture disclosed to newsmen in Damaturu that the event will be held at the new Banquet Hall of Government House in Damaturu with strict control of the crowd to the venue.

    The Commissioner, however, advised the general public that will not have the opportunity to attend the event to wait until June 12 when a grand celebration will be held at the August 27th Stadium in Damaturu.

    He explained that the decision of the committee to restrict the swearing behind closed doors is in conformity with the president’s low-keyed inauguration which will, however, be held at the Eagle Square in Abuja.

    “As you may be aware that the inauguration/swearing-in ceremony will be low-keyed because of the pronouncement by His Excellency, President Mohammadu Buhari that henceforth Democracy Day will be celebrated on 12th June every year.

    Read Also: NNPC alerts workers on emergency exit from towers

    “All other activities for the democracy Day Celebration have been shifted to June 12 which will be celebrated with fanfare,” Mala Musti said.

    With the current arrangement, the new governor Mai Mala Buni will not be taking the traditional salute from security agencies which signify as a sign of allegiance to him as the chief executive of the state after being sworn-in as the fourth executive governor of the 28-year-old State. He will also not be opportune to inspect the guard of honour, another key aspect of the swearing-in ceremony of a new Chief Executive of the state and the President Commander -in – Chief of the Armed Forces.

  • NNPC alerts workers on emergency exit from towers

    There was an incident in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) towers in Abuja about 10:00 am on Tuesday that culminated in an emergency evacuation of workers from the building.

    A public address system that was on for over 15 minutes warned the occupants of the building to vacate it without using the elevator.

    The announcer did not immediately give reason for the emergency, although The Nation learnt that it was due to a routine emergency drill in the towers.

    Read Also: NNPC posts $490.03m export of crude oil, gas

    “Attention please, due to an incident it is necessary to evacuate the building. Please leave by the nearest exit. Do do not use the lift,” said the announcer.

    At 10:23 am, the public address system added that “please you can go back to your offices. It was just to test the effectiveness of our emergency system.”

  • IGP orders redeployment of CP Ahmed Iliyasu to Kano

    The Inspector General of Police, IGP M.A Adamu, has ordered the immediate posting of CP Ahmed Iliyasu to Kano State Command as Commissioner of Police in charge of the State.

    He takes over from CP Wakili Mohammed, who retired from the Force on 26th May 2019 after 35years of unqualified meritorious service to the Force and the Nation at large.

    CP Ahmed Iliyasu, who holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration (MBA) from Ambrose Ali University, Ekpoma, was until his recent deployment, the Force Provost Marshal, Force Headquarters, Abuja.

    Read Also: Insecurity: North’s governors take case to Buhari

    He had also held command position as the Commissioner of Police in charge of Ogun State Command from 2016 to January 2019.

    He is expected to bring to bear his wide policing and law enforcement experience in managing the complex security challenges in the beautiful and ancient city of Kano.

    Meanwhile, the Inspector General of Police, while wishing the outgoing CP Wakili Mohammed a blissful retirement, enjoined the new CP to up the ante in ensuring effective policing of the State.

    The posting is with immediate effect.

  • May 29: Bello dissolves Niger cabinet

    Gov. Abubakar Bello of Niger on Tuesday dissolved the State Executive Council and directed all commissioners to handover the affairs of their ministries to their Permanent Secretaries.

    He also directed other political appointees to handover to the most senior civil servant in their departments or agencies.

    The directives are in a statement by Malam Jibrin Ndace, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor in Minna.

    Ndace stated that the governor gave the directives during valedictory session of the council on Monday night.

    He noted that the governor commended members of the Executive Council and Special Advisers and directed that all handover should be done on or before 12 midnight on Tuesday.

    He expressed his appreciation to the council members for offering themselves to serve the state.

    The governor said “I want to express my profound gratitude to all of you. I appreciate your commitment to the service of our dear state.

    “You all have contributed immensely to the social contract we had with our people four years ago.

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    “The modest actualisation of the `Restoration Agenda’ was a product of our collective efforts.

    “I want to wish every one of you success in your future endeavors while I implore you all to remain committed to the development of our dear state.

    “Your valuable contributions are highly appreciated and I make bold to say that you all have done well.”

    The valedictory session had in attendance, members of the state Executive Council, Special Advisers, Permanent Secretaries, Local Government Directors of Personnel Management, Departments, Ministries and other stakeholders.

  • Man ‘sells’ adulterated drinks

    A sales assistant, Stanley Mikel, yesterday appeared at an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court for allegedly selling adulterated alcoholic drinks.

    He pleaded not guilty.

    Prosecuting Inspector Mathew Akhaluode said Mikel committed the offence on April 17, at Oshodi Market, Lagos.

    Read also: Police arrest soldier, others for alleged kidnapping

    “Mikel was caught while adulterating Seaman Schnapps, Regal Dry Gin and Lord’s Dry Gin, all alcoholic drinks, with the intention of selling them to the public,’’ he said.

    Magistrate O.O. Fagbohun granted the defendant  N100,000 bail with two sureties in the like sum.

    She adjourned till June 7.

  • Health benefits of cucumber

    CUCUMBERS are extremely beneficial for overall health, especially during hot weather since they are mostly made of water and important nutrients that are essential for the human body. The flesh of cucumbers is rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, and folic acid, while the hard skin is rich in fibre and a range of minerals including magnesium, molybdenum, and potassium.

    Different varieties of cucumber are grown in different regions, and they are usually eaten fresh or pickled.

    They are rich in various nutrients, vitamins, minerals, energy, and water. According to USDA cucumbers are a good source of potassium, phosphorus, vitamin C, niacin, and vitamin K. They also provide iron, sodium, zinc, riboflavin, and vitamin B-6.

    The health benefits of cucumber are not widely known in many cultures. The taste of fresh cucumber is somewhat bland in comparison to other squashes, but the thirst-quenching and the cooling qualities of this squash are truly refreshing.

    The health benefits include: Skin Care: Doctors often recommend cucumber juice because of the silica content for a healthier and brighter skin. It is also well known that moisture is the best friend to healthy skin. The extract of cucumbers is often used topically for treating various types of skin ailments like sunburn and swelling under the eyes. Ascorbic and caffeic acid are the two vital compounds in cucumbers that prevent water loss from the body. The squash also promotes healthy hair growth and can treat skin ailments like psoriasis, eczema, and acne.

    Control Blood Pressure: Cucumber, therefore, regulates blood pressure and contributes to the proper structure of connective tissues in our body, including those in the muscles, bones, ligaments, cartilage, and tendons.

    Manage Diabetes: The presence of carbohydrates and their result on the body is measured by the quantity of glycemic index (GI). Every food item contains essential nutrients in different percentages. The carbohydrates contribute to raising the glucose level, however, the ones present in the cucumber can be easily digested by diabetic patients. Thus, consumption of this cool fruit keeps the glucose level in check. Nowadays, most commercial stores have cucumber supplements as spiny sea cucumber extract powder, which is very effective in combating the effects of diabetes.

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    Maintain Overall Health: Cucumbers have excellent cleaning properties, and they actively remove accumulated waste and toxins from your body. These fruits are very good for optimising urinary bladder, kidney, liver, and pancreatic functions. Cucumber juice along with carrot juice is extremely effective for rheumatic conditions caused by excessive uric acid in the body. Drinking cucumber juice on a regular basis also helps cure gout and eczema. If you are having lung or stomach problems, be sure to add it to your diet. It also promotes muscle flexibility, while the magnesium content of cucumbers ensures proper blood circulation and relaxed nerves.

    When buying cucumbers it is important to look for firm ones and check if the colour is bright medium green to dark green. Avoid the yellow, puffy cucumbers that have water-soaked areas or wrinkled tips. You will find fewer seeds in the thinner cucumbers.

  • Women warned on dangers of fixing artificial eyelashes

    A medical practitioner, Dr Ayopo Adeyemi, on Sunday warned women against the use of artificial eyelashes, commonly used to enhance beauty, in view of its grievous consequences.

    Adeyemi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the health implications of fixing false eyelashes included corneal abrasions or ulcers, damage of the natural eyelashes, eye sensitivity, amongst others.

    She said fixing of artificial eyelashes had become an increasingly popular trend in the fashion world as most ladies, regardless of the health implications, seek perfection and glamour.

    According to her, natural eyelashes had its natural way of preventing dirt, sweat, bacteria and other foreign materials from entering into the eye by trapping and keeping out anything that comes near.

    Adeyemi, a practitioner at Mushin General Hospital, Lagos, said false eyelashes would accommodate the dirt, thereby causing different forms of allergy and infections.

    “The use of harmful chemicals on the eyelashes can cause them to fall out quicker than they naturally would and it is also dangerous when tools to be used come in close proximity to the eye.

    “Artificial eyelashes can cause trauma to the eye either through the glue and other materials used or unprofessional operators; there could be introduction of microbes into the eye causing conjunctivitis of all types.

    “The lashes themselves can cause allergic conjunctivitis trapping and retaining dirt around the eye,” she said.

    Adeyemi advised ladies to minimise the rate at which they fix false eyelashes if they must retain healthy natural ones.(NAN)

  • 2019 polls: we’ve withdrawn 64 Certificates of Return, says INEC

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has so far withdrawn 64 Certificates of Return, it was learnt.

    The commission has also issued to persons declared winners by courts of law, after the conduct of the 2019 general elections.

    INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu disclosed this in his remark at the presentation of Certificates of Return to winners of Zamfara State Governorship and members of the National Assembly –elect from the state.

    Certificate of Return was issued to the Zamfara State Governor-elect, Dr Bello Matawalle of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and his Deputy, Mahdi Gusau.

    Others who were issued their certificate of return were three Senators-elect and seven Members of the House of Representatives-elect under the platform of PDP.

    The certificate of returns for the 24 members of the State Assembly would be presented in Gusau on Friday.

    Yakubu harped on the need for political parties to conduct proper primaries before elections in order to reduce the spate of litigation associated with them.

    “At the moment, there are 809 pre-election cases pending in various courts across the country challenging the conduct of primaries by political parties for the 2019 general elections.

    “This is clearly more than the total number of petitions currently before the various election petition tribunals nationwide challenging the outcome of the main elections.

    “In our last update, the Commission reported that 25 certificates of return had been withdrawn and issued to persons declared winners by courts of law. Since then, three more certificates have been withdrawn by court order.

    Read Also:  INEC presents Certificate of Return to Mattwalle as Zamfara Gov-elect

    “With the Zamfara case, the figure has now risen to 64. In addition, the Commission is studying nine more judgements we were served in the last one week in which primary elections conducted by different political parties were upturned by the courts.’’

    Yakubu said that the Zamfara example was not the first pre-election case determined by the Supreme Court arising from the recent party primaries.

    He recalled that earlier, the apex court had determined the case of Lere Federal Constituency in Kaduna State which the Commission had already complied with and issued the certificate of return to the winner.
    Yakubu said that Nigeria democracy in particular and electoral process, in general, could never be virile unless political parties rise to the challenge of internal party democracy.
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  • Jonathan tasks 9th Assembly on electoral reforms

    Former President Goodluck Jonathan has urged elected members of the incoming Ninth National Assembly to take the issue of electoral reforms a notch further by adopting measures that would deepen confidence in the electoral system.

    He made the call in Port Harcourt at a Public Lecture and Presentation of a book titled ‘Excellence in Governance and Creativity: Legal Essays in Honour of His Excellency, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike,’

    Jonathan also enjoined the African Union to provide the leadership towards establishing minimum requirements for constituting electoral management bodies on the continent.

    The former President noted that some of the issues that arose during the 2019 general elections were caused by lack of confidence in the electoral system. He, therefore, urged the incoming Assembly to take measures that would address that.

    Read Also: Court frees Jonathan’s cousin charged with laundering $40m

    He said: ” Parliamentarian who have won elections to go the National Assembly should take a look at what happened in the 2019 elections. We must modify our laws to make sure that in the 2023 elections, some of these things don’t repeat.”

    “As a nation, we must move forward. Nigeria is a very important country in Africa and we must set the pace in some of these areas. We must not wait for other countries to come and teach us how we should elect our people.”

    He said further: “If democracy must endure in Africa, then the process leading to elections and the conduct of elections must be done in a way that people will have confidence in the system.”

    Making a case for a continent-wide minimum standards for constituting electoral management bodies, Dr Jonathan urged African nations to consider vesting the appointing authority on established bodies, as a means of deepening the credibility of the process.
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