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Tag: Nigerian news

  • Tax: Lagos to shut headquarters of defaulting companies from Nov. 20

    Tax: Lagos to shut headquarters of defaulting companies from Nov. 20

    The Lagos State Government on Sunday said it would begin to shut the corporate headquarters of organisations that had defaulted in remitting statutory taxes to the government from Nov. 20.

    The Commissioner for Finance, Mr Akinyemi Ashade, who made the disclosure on Sunday in Lagos, said some banks had failed to remit statutory taxes, including withholding taxes on banks’ interests for more than 10 years.

    Ashade said that the government had resolved to resort to all lawful means to ensure compliance with statutory tax remittances.

    “Any company found to have evaded tax will not be spared.

    “It is in the interest of defaulting companies and their management to remit the statutory taxes to the state within the grace period to avoid embarrassment to them and their shareholders.

    “All law abiding corporate organisations are advised to adhere to this directive as the state government has given enough grace period for them to remit their taxes.

    “The government will on Monday, Nov. 20, commence the process of shutting down the headquarters of corporate organisations, including banks that have failed to remit statutory taxes to government coffers,’’ Ashade said in a statement.

    He said that prompt payment of taxes would enable the government to provide the necessary infrastructure and improve the standard of living of the people.

    “When people pay their taxes promptly, government is encouraged to do more.

    “The administration of Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode has shown in the last two and half years that taxes paid are judiciously spent on projects that have impacted positively on the lives of residents,’’ the statement said.

    The government had on Nov. 7, lamented that only about 600,000 residents out of a population of over 22 million were up to date in terms of tax compliance.

    The government, therefore directed all its revenue agencies to ensure prompt payment of taxes, including land use charges and also commence enforcement of payment by all tax defaulters with immediate effect.

    NAN

  • Passenger Manifest: Jigawa to prosecute defaulting commercial drivers

    Passenger Manifest: Jigawa to prosecute defaulting commercial drivers

    The Coordinator Road Taxes of the Jigawa Board of Internal Revenue, Alhaji Salisu Sani, said commercial drivers that fail to adopt the newly introduced passenger manifest would be prosecuted.

    Sani in Dutse on Sunday said that there was low compliance by commercial drivers to the manifest policy recently introduced by the state government.

    “To avoid prosecution commercial drivers should immediately comply and begin to use the new passengers manifest.

    “Any driver that failed to comply will have himself to blame for whatever action we may take against him.

    “This is because the policy was introduced to ensure safety and security of passengers and goods,’’ Sani said.

    He said that the policy was introduced to get accurate data on passengers movement in various motor parks in the state.

    “This manifest was introduced to ease identification of all passengers by security agencies in case of accidents or other emergency situations because important information on passengers and drivers are recorded in the manifest.

    “It will also enable us to fish out drivers who picked passengers by the roadside and also curb theft and robbery,” he noted.

    The coordinator added that the manifest was also introduced to boost the Internally Generated Revenue of the state.

    He advised passengers to always patronize recognized motor parks and ensure they fill the manifest for their safety.

    NAN

  • ‘Kaduna electric spent N100m to install Usman Danfodio university transformer’

    ‘Kaduna electric spent N100m to install Usman Danfodio university transformer’

    The Kaduna Electric Distribution Plc, said it spent N100 million to purchase and install 7.5MVA transformer at the Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto.

    Mr Garba Haruna, the Managing Director of the company disclosed this on Sunday in Sokoto.

    The transformer was installed at the university’s injection substation in the state.

    The electricity distribution company covers Sokoto, Kebbi, Kaduna and Zamfara states.

    According to Haruna, the project is part of the company’s priority investment to ensure adequate power supply to the institution as well as communities in the region.

    “The transformer which cost N100 million will service the university and the surrounding communities.

    “We are fully committed to achieve the desires of our customers; huge amount of money has been spent in projects across Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara states on power supply.

    “Our mission to deliver the required service for our deserving customers will surely be achieved, as the university is among our key partners in the state,” Haruna said.

    According to him, the company is planning to partner the university on its diversification to solar energy supply and other sources of energy.

    NAN

  • Kaduna PDP sets up four committees to woo back defectors

    Kaduna PDP sets up four committees to woo back defectors

    The Kaduna State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP ) has set up four committees to woo back members that defected from the fold.

    The committees, according to the party’s state chairman Hassan Hyat, will also mobilise new members into the fold.

    Hyat on Sunday in Jos said that each senatorial district had a committee saddled with bringing back former members, while a central committee was wooing members from other political folds.

    “One of the senatorial district committees has turned in its report, while reports from the three other committees are still being awaited,” he said.

    According to him, many top PDP chieftains, who left the party in the last few years, have returned to rebuild the house they left.

    “Among the returnees are former commissioners, legislators and local government chairmen; we have left the door open and many others are still coming in,” he said.

    Hyat said that he was surprised at the quality and quantity of people rushing into the PDP in Kaduna State.

    “There is general dissatisfaction at the ‘other side’. The returnees said that they were deceived into abandoning a house they built and have promised to join hands with us to build it back to reckoning,” he said.

    He said that the party was ready to forgive “members that created crises and left”, saying that the PDP would give equal opportunities to returning members, new ones and those that had remained faithful over time.

    “We have not promised anyone anything. There is no automatic ticket for anyone, whether new or old.

    “We have promised that there will be no impunity or imposition. What that means is that everyone interested in anything would have to fight for it and get it on merit,” he said.

    Hyat said that the PDP was also wary of moles that were being planted to cause confusion and frustrate its rejuvenation to greatness.

    “Clearly, the PDP is getting more popular by the day and should normally attract those with evil intention, but we are being careful to identify such persons and know how to relate with them,” he said.

    On the party’s National Convention slated for December 8, Hyat said that the intensive competition for party offices was an indication of the rising popularity of PDP in the country.

    “We are moving through a developmental phase; it is a sign of strength. It means that the PDP belongs to everyone and offers equal opportunities to its members. It means that we are waxing stronger,” he said.

    Hyat said that the PDP had a good chance of making inroads in the 2019 elections because Nigerians had tasted another political party in power, and could now compare.

    “We lost power to the APC in 2015, but many Nigerians have compared the two political groups and appear convinced that PDP did a good job. So, there is hope that we could be given another chance,” he said.

    He said that Kaduna State witnessed massive developments in the eight years Sen. Ahmed Makarfi served as governor.

    “Makarfi constructed many roads, bridges and houses. He also created new traditional councils based on demands, and sank boreholes to improve the living standards of villagers,” he said.

    NAN

  • NCAA alerts airline operators on weather hazard

    NCAA alerts airline operators on weather hazard

    The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority ( NCAA ) has issued a weather alert to all airline operators indicating hazards associated with Harmattan dust haze in flight operations at this period of the year.

    A statement by the NCAA General Manager, Public Relations, Mr Sam Adurogboye, on Sunday said the alert was important as Harmattan was a threat to aircraft particularly in areas of challenging terrains due to low visibility.

    Adurogboye said according to the Seasonal Rainfall Prediction issued by the Nigerian Meteorological ( NiMet ) Agency, the prevailing weather condition is likely to herald a long and severe dust haze in the months ahead.

    He said:”The Advisory circular AC: NCAA- AEROMET-24 is intended to alert pilots of the hazards associated with dust haze which is a dry and dusty wind that blows southwards from the Sahara across Nigeria during the months of November to March.

    “The effect of the dust and sand stirred by the wind is known as Harmattan Dust Haze.

    “Therefore, pilots should note that air-to-ground visibility may be considerably reduced due to the dust haze.

    “In addition, aerodrome visibility might fall below the prescribed minima and in severe conditions dust haze can blot out runways, the markers and airfield lightings over wide areas.”

    According to him, this makes visual navigation extremely difficult or impossible.

    “Resultantly, where visibility falls below the prescribed weather minima, flight operations are expected to be delayed, diverted or outrightly cancelled.

    “Hence, all pilots are obliged to exercise maximum restraint especially when severe weather condition is observed or reported by NIMET,” he said.

    The NCAA spokesperson advised pilots to obtain adequate departure, en route and destination weather information and briefing from NIMET prior to flight operations at all the airports.

    He also urged Flight Crews/Operators and Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) to ensure adherence to aerodrome operating minima.

    “Operators are therefore advised to ensure necessary measures are put in place to manage the effects of flight delays or cancellations on their passengers.

    “All stakeholders are required to ensure strict compliance with this circular,” Adurogboye said.

    NAN

  • Jigawa sports council holds inter-LG basketball competition – Director

    Jigawa sports council holds inter-LG basketball competition – Director

    The Jigawa Sports Council says it organised inter-local government basketball competition to promote unity and sportsmanship among the teeming youths in the state.

    Director of the council, Gambo Labbo in Dutse on Sunday said that preliminaries in five zones were currently going on among the 27 local government areas of the state.

    He said two teams were drawn from each local government after which winners would compete for trophies and different cash prizes.

    He added that “after the zonal elimination, we expect 10 teams to come to sports complex in Dutse to compete for three trophies and cash prizes.

    “They would be camped at the NYSC orientation camp; we have provided adequate security for their safety and vehicles for transportation from the camp to the venue throughout the competition period.

    “The competition is expected to promote unity and sportsmanship among youths in the state.”

    The director explained that the competition was  part of the council’s efforts in promoting sports development at the grassroots.

    According to him, the gesture will also lead to discovery of new talents.

    “Usually, competitions organised from the grassroots snowball into discovery of talents.

    “This is because competitions are the main avenues through which young and new talents can be discovered.”

    Labbo further pointed out that corporate bodies and other wealthy individuals had a role to play to ensure the discovery of talents through funding and sponsorship of competitions.

    He, therefore, urged them to invest in sporting activities to make it attractive to youths, particularly in rural areas.

    The director noted that engaging youths in sporting activities would enable the state and the nation to provide platform for their empowerment.

    He said “government alone cannot achieve success in the development of sports without the support of all and sundry.

    “Wealthy individuals, banks, construction companies, among others, should invest in sporting activities, particularly at the grassroot.

    “They should not leave sports development in the hands of the state governments; they should complement government’s efforts.

    “This, I am sure, will provide platform for grooming young players to compete anywhere in the world,” he emphasized.

    NAN

  • We must vote to avoid state of emergency in Anambra – Oduah

    We must vote to avoid state of emergency in Anambra – Oduah

    Sen. Stella Oduah (Anambra North) has urged the people of Anambra to come out en masse to vote in next Saturday’s governorship election to avoid creating a vacuum of governance in the state.

    Speaking with journalists in Abuja on Sunday, Oduah said that if the people failed to vote, they would be giving room for a possible declaration of a state of emergency.

    She explained that the Constitution did not allow for a vacuum in any state and as such if the current term lapses and a governor had not been elected, then an administrator would be appointed.

    “Therefore if we fail to cast our votes, if we fail to come out to vote and have a new governor, what will happen is that the Federal Government will provide an administrator and declare a state of emergency.

    “That is not what we want. It means that democracy will elude us, who is governing us would not be who we voted for or who we desired.

    “This is not about which party I belong to. It is about saving our state, it is about making sure that our youths, our women, our children have a peaceful and enabling environment where good governance and policies will strive.

    “Therefore we must make sure that we come out on the 18th and vote,” she said.

    The PDP lawmaker also charged political leaders in the state to call on their followers to come out and vote at the November 18 exercise.

    The proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra ( IPOB ) had threatened Anambra voters with death if they vote at the election.

    They also vowed to disrupt the poll.

    But in a swift reaction, the Anambra State Police Command asked residents of the state to go out en masse to exercise their franchise on the day of the election.

    Giving more reasons why Anambra people must vote, Oduah said that the state had enjoyed peace, stability and investments had started accruing.

    “What Anambra needs now more than anything is peace, we need peace for progress, we need peace for security, we need peace for the development that is coming and that has come.

    “We do not need violence, we have had enough killings, thank God we have security in Anambra more than most states, we must ensure that is sustained.

    “Most importantly our basic human right that is enshrined in the constitution that gives us the right to choose who governs us must not be denied us.

    “We will be denying ourselves that if we fail to come out and vote and protect our votes.

    “I am pleading that all leaders come out and tell their followers to ensure that they come out and vote come 18th of November.

    “We must not stay at home on the 18th, we must exercise our civic rights,” she said.

    NAN

  • Senate to publish names of companies in alleged N30trn scam

    Senate to publish names of companies in alleged N30trn scam

    The Senate says it is set to publish names of companies found culpable in investigation into alleged N30 trillion revenue scam in the import and export value chain.

    Sen. Hope Uzodinma, Chairman of the Joint Committee on Customs, Excise and Tariff and Marine Transport, made this known in an interview with newsmen on Sunday.

    He said the committee had completed its first batch of investigation involving over 60 companies and would publish names of companies involved in various infractions leading to loss of government revenue.

    He said the committee was releasing the names because it had established culpability against the companies.

    Uzodinma added that the names to be published would contain details of how much of recoverable government revenue was with each of the companies.

    The lawmaker stressed that companies found to be involved in infractions bothering on money laundering and foreign exchange abuses would be referred to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC ) for prosecution and recovery of the monies.

    He added that those bothering on smuggling and import infractions would be referred to the Nigeria Customs Service for recovery of such revenues and possibly blacklisting.

    “We got up to the point that even the companies themselves have seen that they are culpable and that is why we want to publish the names and hand them over to EFCC and Customs.

    “The reason for the delay in publishing the names all the while is to establish culpability against the companies.

    “Now through various reconciliations, it has been established and we are no longer in doubt, including the companies that are involved, that these things are in existence and that they are culpable.

    “We have presented the interim report which detailed how much we have recovered so far and the Senate approved it in plenary, while an extension was given to us to do the final reconciliation.

    “We do not want emphasis to continue to be on how much we have recovered even though it is contained in the report. We want those companies found culpable to go to government and make payments,’’ he said.

    The chairman further said that “some of the companies have started paying while others have not. None of them have fully paid what we have established against them.

    “Since they have started paying, we will now transfer the matter to the Customs, who will now do a recovery schedule with the companies that are willing to pay what is due to government.

    “By the time the names are published, Nigerians and the Federal Government will know which company is owing what and the relevant agencies will go after them to recover the money.’’

    The chairman said that the committee would commence the second batch of investigation after some oversight visits to establish culpability.

    He assured that the committee would not be deterred in its effort to assist government in recovering monies meant for the development of the economy.

    He stressed that the legislature would continue to use its constitutional powers to assist the executive in blocking leakages and increasing revenue generation, particularly in the non-oil sector.

    Uzodinma said it was appalling that in spite of government’s effort to improve revenue generation to meet the country’s development needs, some people were still involved in jeopardising such effort.

    The joint committee was mandated by the Senate to carry out investigation into alleged N30 trillion revenue leakages in foreign exchange and the entire import and export value chain between 2006 and 2017.

    It was mandated to identify leakages and irregularities in the system and come up with recommendations that would block further leakages and strengthen the revenue drive of the Nigeria Customs Service.

    In an interim report presented to the Senate on Oct. 18, the committee said it had recovered N140 billion.

    The report indicated that some collection banks had made remittances to the Central Bank of Nigeria to the tune of N128 billion with evidence of payment received by the committee.

    It further indicated that some of the 60 companies made voluntary payment of over N12 billion to government based on internal self-audit after receiving documented evidence of culpability from the committee.

    The report also indicated that the committee identified 32 leakage channels as the major sources of revenue loss in the import-export value chain, including undervaluation, wrong tariff classification and abuse of waivers and concessions.

    NAN

  • NAFDAC refutes report of 70% fake drugs in Nigerian markets

    NAFDAC refutes report of 70% fake drugs in Nigerian markets

    The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control ( NAFDAC ) has denied reports that 70 per cent of drugs in the country are fake and described such information as false and misleading.

    NAFDAC spokesperson Abubakar Jimoh while reacting on the report on Sunday in Abuja said the statement from the acclaimed expert was displeasing and false.

    Jimoh said that the report was just a mare statement without referring it to a particular study or research work.

    One Mr Andrew Nevin, an Economist and Financial Services Advisory Leader of Project Blue PWc Nigeria in a key note address at a conference by Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria in Umuahia recently said 70 per cent of drugs in Nigeria are fake.

    Nevin also stated that Africa records 100,000 deaths arising from counterfeit drugs related ailments annually.

    Jimoh explained that the fight against counterfeit drugs had been heightened from 2001 to date and had led to a drastic reduction in fake drugs in the market.

    He said that in 2001, when this kind of report appeared in public, the agency conduct a systematic study and in 2005, NAFDAC in collaboration with World Health Organisation (WHO) did another research.

    He disclosed that the study done with WHO showed that the prevalence of counterfeit drugs in circulation was 16.7 per cent for all categories of drugs.

    According to him, the agency puts a lot of efforts to fight counterfeiters by introducing TruScan machine in 2010 to detect fake drugs in the market.

    The Spokesperson noted that another research conducted in 2012 indicated that the prevalence of counterfeit medicines in circulation in the country had gone down to 6.4 per cent.

    He said that the same year, a separate research by the agency on anti malaria drugs which Nigerians consume more showed counterfeited ones have dropped to 19.6 per cent.

    He stated that the 2011 WHO’s study revealed that there was 20 per cent fake drugs in Africa which the result was almost the same with that of NAFDAC conducted in 2012.

    Jimoh added that in 2014 the result of a study by NAFDAC in conjunction with United State of Pharmacopia (USP) showed that the country only had 3.6 per cent of fake anti malaria drugs in the market.

    He said that the result of a research work on fake drugs between his agency and USP conducted in 2017 were being awaited.

    “The counterfeiters in the country engage more in anti malaria drugs because they know the patronage is high and with awareness created and introduction of various devices by NAFDAC, we have been able to reduce such counterfeit malaria drugs drastically.

    “Getting such unresearched work from acclaimed expert undermines our efforts, it is unfortunate and very painful,” he said.

    He said that NAFDAC remained committed and determined to fight counterfeit drugs in the country.

    NAN

  • Broadband penetration: NCC plans new spectrum auctions

    Broadband penetration: NCC plans new spectrum auctions

    The Nigerian Communications Commission ( NCC ) says it will soon auction and assignment new spectrums to boost broadband penetration in the country.

    The Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta made this known in Lagos during the Telecom Executives and Regulator Forum, organised by the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON).

    The theme of the forum is: “Removing Barriers To Growth And Innovation”.

    Represented by the Deputy Director, NCC Technical Standards and Network Integrity, Mr Bako Wakili, Danbatta said that spectrum was a critical mobile infrastructure.

    He said that the commission would strive to provide the required frequency spectrum capacity needed for broadband deployment.

    According to him, the process for new spectrum auctions and assignments to drive mobile and wireless broadband is ongoing.

    “The commission will facilitate the re-farming of existing spectrum held by operators to provide broadband services without impacting their Quality of Service (QoS) delivery.

    “We will auction the 2.5/2.6 Gigahertz (GHz) spectrum for Fourth Generation (4G) Long Term Evolution (LTE) capacity requirements.

    “The commission will also auction the 700 Megahertz (MHz) band once available, for 4G LTE coverage requirements and will open up and assign other spectrum bands in an open and transparent manner,” he said.

    Danbatta said that according to the Nigerian Broadband Plan, Broadband within the Nigerian context was defined as an internet experience where the user could access the most demanding content in real time, at a minimum speed of 1.5 megabit per second.

    According to him, broadband also means high-capacity networks that can deliver very large amounts of information simultaneously, as a result, they can deliver voice, data and video all at the same time.

    “The broadband industry ecosystem comprises of government policies and programmes, regulatory frameworks and environment, then the supply and demand sides of the services.

    “The industry is currently seeing the trend of increasing use of data enabled devices such as smartphones, dongles, MiFis, among others.

    “With pervasive voice services objective largely achieved, the operators now focus on growth of data services and provision of optimal QoS delivery,” he said.

    Danbatta said that the current status of broadband infrastructure in Nigeria showed that there was adequate international bandwidth from International submarine cable landing on the country’s shores.

    He said that optimal deployment of broadband infrastructures was critical to driving broadband availability, accessibility and affordability in Nigeria.

    According to him, the availability of broadband infrastructure will unlock new opportunities and drive a second wave of growth in the telecommunications industry and the economy.

    He said that broadband was a productivity enabling technology and its penetration rate was 21 per cent as at February 2017.

    Danbatta said the commission was optimistic towards achieving the 30 per cent broadband penetration target by 2018.

    NAN