The Nation Newspaper

Tag: urges

  • Agency urges Ekiti lecturers to pay new tax

    The Joint Tax Board (JTB) has written to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Ekiti State University (EKSU), Ado-Ekiti branch, urging them to comply with the new tax regime.

    The leadership of ASUU, EKSU chapter, had threatened to embark on a strike to protest against what it termed “unduly high taxes.”

    It accused the state government of imposing high taxes on them.

    However, the JTB, in a letter dated July 2, 2013 copied to the EKSU Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Oladipo Aina, said the new tax regime followed the Personal Income Tax (Amendment) 2011 signed into law by President Goodluck Jonathan.

    The letter marked JTB/GC/27/VOL.6/31, signed by the JTB Secretary, M.L. Abubakar, said the provisions of the act did not make any provision for tax waivers or concessions for any sector of the economy.

    It absolved the state of any blame over the increase in taxes payable by workers, stressing that workers in the states pay a uniform tax under the new tax law put in place by the Federal Government.

    The letter reads: “The Personal Income Tax (Amendment) Act 2011 was assented to by President Jonathan in 2011 and its implementation has begun across the country.

    “We wish to notify you that all sectors of the economy are complying, using the new provisions of the law to pay taxes accurately. It is pertinent to clarify that the sixth schedule to the Personal Income Tax (Amendment) Act 2011 duly states the relief granted tax payers.

    “Following the above, there is no provision in the act for tax waivers or concession for any sector of the economy, as tax payers are expected to pay their taxes promptly and accurately.

    “However, government employees seeking assistance can approach their state governments for approval of allowance or any form of palliative, but not a reduction in their tax liabilities.”

    The Ekiti State Government has said it is not responsible for tax regulation, emphasising that tax is a Federal Government responsibility.

    The Chairman, State Board of Internal Revenue, Mr. Ishola Akingbade, said: “States have no control over tax, which is on the federal list, as they are affected by the new tax law. This is fixed by an act of the National Assembly and it is uniform nationwide. No state of the federation or establishment can alter it.”

    He added that what the state is doing is to ensure that the right taxes are paid in line with the tax law.

    According to him, taxes payable by EKSU lecturers are not different from what their colleagues in other universities are paying.

    Section 182 (2) of the Personal Income Tax ( Amendment) Act 2011 empowers the Accountant- General of the Federation to deduct directly from the budgetary allocation of any Ministry, Department or Agency (MDA) any withheld and un-remitted taxes, and transfer such deduction to the beneficiary state government upon written request by such a state government.

  • Ekiti Deputy Governor urges pupils to reverse brain drain

    Ekiti State Deputy Governor Prof. Modupe Adelabu has urged secondary school pupils to reverse the brain drain.

    Prof. Adelabu, who spoke as a special guest of honour at the 21st Valedictory Service/Speech & Prize-Giving Day of Chrisland College, Idimu, Lagos, said youths hold the key to Nigeria’s future.

    She said: “The country needs intervention and students are the future of the nation. We need leaders, who can shape and reshape Nigeria.”

    The Deputy Governor said the country would become a better place to live and a pride of all once everybody does his best.

    She enjoined the graduating pupils to use what they have learnt at Chrisland College as agents of change.

    Prof. Adelabu said the school’s proprietress, Dr. W.A. Awosika, had played her part with the establishment of a foremost private secondary school.

    She went on: “The all-round education you have acquired at Chrisland is the tool you need to pursue your ambition in life. Education is the most powerful weapon needed to transform the world in general and Nigeria in particular. But charity must begin at home. No more brain drain but brain gain.”

    The Ekiti Deputy Governor hailed the courage of Dr. Awosika in persevering her dream of positioning Chrisland as one of the foremost private schools in the country.

    Dr. Awosika thanked Prof. Adelabu for honouring the invitation. She prayed for the success of the graduating pupils in their future endeavours.

  • Minister urges diplomats on wealth creation

    Minister of Foreign Affairs Olugbenga Ashiru has urged the 69 graduating career diplomats of the 20th Regular Course of Master’ s Degree Programme in International Relations and Strategic Studies (MISS) on wealth creation for the country.

    The minister spoke at the weekend during the closing ceremony of the 20th Regular Course held at the Foreign Service Academy on the Lagos -Badagry Expressay.

    He said: “You should take cognissance of on-going measures to deploy our foreign policy to assist in the promotion of national development.

    “The agenda of wealth and job creation for Nigerians, building and upgrading infrastructure in consonance with the government ‘s Transformation Agenda are a precursor to the attainment of Vision 20-20.”

    Ashiru said the ministry has re-directed the nation’s diplomatic posts towards trade and investment drive by giving them targets and benchmark on performance.

    He urged the graduating officers to shun social vices and corrupt practices, that could tarnish the image of the nation, he said the ministry had re-invigorated the Joint and Bi-National Commissions with key countries, such as Germany, USA and Canada to create more business opportunities for the private sector.

    The minister, who said the training was aimed at equipping the officers with adequate against the backdrop of recurrent and emerging challenges, called on the officers to be good ambassadors of the country.

    Director of Foreign Services AcademyMr. Tiwalade Adelanwa said the Master’s degree programme was carefully crafted and introduced through the exemplary vision of the principals in the ministry with the sole purpose of imparting critically needed capacity unto newly recruited officers.

    “It was also borne out of the realisation that “a chain is as strong as its weakest link”.

    He said that the hallmark of the initiative was the creation of excellence hinged upon competence and enhancement of performance.

    Mr. Oko Charles Abechi, winner of the Best Overall Student Award, who spoke on behalf of the officers, promised that they would be worthy ambassadors of the nation whenever they are posted out.

    “We have benefited from the course immensely and this will equip us to do the nation proud, and compete with the best in the world”, he said.

    Various awards were given to the best students in languages, such as French, Spanish, Arabic, Portuegese and Germany

  • CPC urges Jonathan to withdraw case against Leadership reporters

    CPC urges Jonathan to withdraw case against Leadership reporters

    THE Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) yesterday condemned the re-arraignment of two Leadership reporters – Mr. Tony Amokeodo (Group News Editor) and Mr. Chibuzor Ukaibe (Political Correspondent) – barely 50 days after it dropped the forgery charge against them.

    The Goodluck Jonathan administration, on June 24, re-arraigned the journalists on an 11-count charge before an Abuja High Court.

    But, in a statement yesterday in Abuja by its National Publicity Secretary, Rotimi Fashakin, the CPC urged Jonathan to “cut the chase and order unconditional withdrawal of the law suit forthwith to save the nation from further embarrassment”.

    It described the step taken by the Presidency as “a shameful U-turn”.

    The statement added: “It would be recalled that on April 3, 2013, the Leadership Newspaper published a bromide of a purported Presidential directive to, among others, ensure a crackdown on the opposition, stifle the registration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and increase price of petroleum products.

    “But in swift cacophonous rhythm, the two spin doctors in the Presidency issued separate statements. Dr Reuben Abati, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, intoned: ‘It is worth pointing out, again, that what is being bandied around by a section of the media as a “Presidential Directive” on Tinubu, APC and other matters, is fictitious, designed to mislead the public, discredit the person and office of President Goodluck Jonathan and cause disaffection within the polity’…”

  • Fayemi urges change as Summer School closes

    The first Ikogosi Graduate Summer School (IGSS) was at the weekend concluded with Ekiti State Governor Dr. Kayode Fayemi making a case for attitudinal change among the people. He said this is to sustain the changes made to the physical structures.

    Speaking at the closing ceremony, the Governor reiterated his commitment to the development of the mental capacities of young Ekiti people and prepare them for future challenges, adding: “We must let our youths and trainers of future leaders realise that there is no short cut to acquiring knowledge. It can only be acquired through hard work.”

    Dr. Fayemi, who said physical infrastructure can collapse and sometimes require repairs, stressed that knowledge impacted on the people is the surest way to sustain infrastructural developments.

    According to him, “we are building structures and effecting changes to our physical structures in Ekiti, but they can only be sustained by attitudinal, mental and value re-orientation among our people and this remains one of the best ways to actualise this.”

    The Governor, who said knowledge building helps to prepare one for a lifetime benefit, urged the academia not to see their positions as a means for personal aggrandisement.

    He said they should see their posts as a way to effect changes in the society.

    At the well- attended closing ceremony, the Vice- Chancellor, Ekiti State University (EKSU), Prof. Oladipo Aina, said he had instructed the Postgraduate School of the university to devise modalities through which EKSU could partner the government to strengthen the Ikogosi Graduate Summer School.

    He said the IGSS programme is like bringing a tip of the global intellectual community to “our environment as there is no way there will be development in a community without this kind of a gathering.”

    Prof. Aina said the programme should not be limited to graduate students alone, but should be extended to the academia so that knowledge could further be enhanced.

    He added that IGSS is the beginning of the actualisation of the state’s potential as the fountain of knowledge.

  • Stay focused, Eguma urges Flying Eagles

    Stay focused, Eguma urges Flying Eagles

    Dolphins of Port Harcourt Manager, Stanley Eguma has urged the Flying Eagles to be focused in their remaining matches at the ongoing FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey.

    Eguma was reacting to the national team’s 1-0 victory over South Korea to qualify for the round of 16. He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Port Harcourt on Thursday that although Nigeria won, they need to be more professional in front of goal.

    “We played well, but you will agree with me that our players lost several scoring chances. I urge the coaching crew to work on the finishing ability of the team, to make them utilise all their scoring opportunities in order to progress further in the competition.”

    Eguma reminded the team to remain focused and concentrate more in the defence and attack.

    “I want Coach John Obuh to organise his defence and make it concentrate more and not concede cheap goals. I congratulate the team for the victory because the South Koreans were equally good and gave a good account of themselves,’’ he said.

    Dolphins Media Officer, China Acheru also commended the Flying Eagles for defeating the South Koreans.

    “The boys have done well and I believe they will still do well in the second round of the tournament.

    “They should remain focused and take all their chances,’’ he said.

  • Fayemi urges teachers to end strike

    Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi has urged striking teachers to accept the 15 per cent of the Teachers’ Peculiar Allowance, which the government is offering them.

    Teachers are demanding 27.5 per cent payment of the allowance.

    The governor spoke on Tuesday during a monthly live media chat, tagged: “Meet Your Governor”.

    He urged the teachers to end the strike “in the interest of the pupils, who have been at home for over three weeks”.

    Fayemi said the 12.5 per cent balance would be paid “when the state’s finances improve”.

    Explaining that the ongoing recruitment of teachers was not aimed at replacing the striking teachers, he said: “The process of employing more teachers to fill vacancies in the Teaching Service was already on before the strike began in June.”

    The governor urged the striking teachers to emulate their counterparts in Ogun State, “who showed understanding with their state government and ended the strike when offered 15 per cent increase”.

    He said Ogun State, which earns N5 billion monthly, could only offer 15 per cent because of the heavy burden the demand would put on its finances.

    Fayemi said the salary of teachers had been increased twice since he assumed office to motivate them.

    He said: “Teachers were on a minimum wage of N8,500 when I became governor and they have enjoyed both the 33 per cent relativity pay and N19,300 national minimum wage.

    “At the time the 33 per cent relativity pay rise was packaged for core civil servants, teachers showed interest and were included in the package, which they believed was higher than the 27.5 per cent special allowance.”

    Fayemi said the implementation of the 27.5 per cent allowance would increase the state’s monthly wage bill by N172 million, which would translate to over N2 billion annually.

    He said the current monthly wage bill is N2.2 billion and the state is left with N400 million for capital projects.

    The governor said: “My attitude is to continue to appeal to them because all of us are stakeholders. We are talking to them and we believe that good sense will prevail in the end.”

    On ongoing projects of his administration, Fayemi promised to complete them as scheduled. He said they are being financed with the N20 billion bond sourced from the capital market.

    The governor said the State Pavilion to be used for ceremonial events would be completed before the year runs out, adding that work has reached an advanced stage at the Funmi Olayinka Civic Centre.

    Dismissing claims in some quarters that the new Government House is not a priority, Fayemi argued that the structure presently being used as the Government House was designed to be a guest house.

    He said: “Ekiti is not a second-class state. I have visited other Government Houses in the country and I know what obtains there. This is not my personal building and when I finish my tenure, I will not carry it to Isan-Ekiti. That is why all these projects are called legacy projects.”

  • Call Bode George to order, group urges Jonathan, Tukur

    President Goodluck Jonathan and the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, have been urged to call the former Chairman of the Board of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Chief Olabode George, to order.

    A group, the Forum for Equity and Justice (FEJ), yesterday condemned “George’s attempt to usurp the functions of the Zonal Working Committee (ZWC) and the Zonal Executive Committee (ZEC) by calling an illegal meeting of some so-called party leaders to share positions zoned to the Southwest”.

    In a statement by its National Co-ordinator, Mr. Enitan Ayelabowo, FEJ said George’s role as a member of the PDP’s BoT is advisory.

    The statement reads: “We have noticed the way George has been carrying himself since he came out of prison. He has been running around to put himself in the forefront of Yoruba and Nigerian politics, breaching the law and protocol by side-tracking Alhaji Shuaibu Oyedokun, who was the party’s rallying point when George was away.

    “It is even more nauseating when we recall the 2003 governorship elections, when the PDP won all states of the Southwest but Lagos, where he has been calling the shots in the last 14 years or so. The loss was majorly due to his half-hearted commitment to the party’s course. He does not really want the party to win any election, so that he would remain the numero uno and continue to corner the goodies meant for members.

    “Having been tactically rejected because of his personality albatross at the recent PDP National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held in Abuja, where he desperately sought to move a motion for the passing of a vote-of-confidence in the President, his next move is to usurp the functions of the Southwest Caretaker Committee by calling an illegal meeting of his ilk.

    “The question now is: in what capacity is he doing this, since the caretaker committee has the responsibility of preparing for the congress?

    It is only the caretaker committee constituted by the National Working Committee (NWC) that can summon its members and extend its hand of fellowship to other leaders and bodies it deems fit to put heads together to ensure a hitch-free congress.

    “The Yoruba are decent people, who will not give any position of responsibility to questionable characters, more so when the reason for their personality cum political deficit has to do with financial impropriety and corrupt practices.

    “If George was not allowed to move the motion at the NEC meeting because of moral deficit, it will be an insult to the sensibilities of the Yoruba if he is allowed to lay claim to the party’s leadership in the Southwest.

    “More so, we know his relationship with Adamawa State Governor Murtala Nyako. They have been holding nocturnal meetings in Lagos and Yola in recent times. We are also aware of his flirtation with former President Olusegun Obasanjo and his plans to take three names to him, out of which one, and most likely, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, will be endorsed.

    “We urge President Jonathan and Tukur to intervene and save us from the consequences of George’s albatross and indiscretion, especially given the events of the recent past. It is imperative for all well-meaning leaders and elders of the party to call him to order to avoid another round of controversies.”

  • Adeboye urges Christians in U.S. to receive ‘double portion’

    The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has prayed for Christians in North America to receive ‘double portion’ in their growth and advancement.

    Adeboye, who spoke during the inauguration of the North American Redemption Camp in Greenville, Texas, also prayed that they are accelerated to the glory of the Lord.

    Quoting from the Holy Bible, 2nd Kings 2 Verse 9, Adeboye said: “We learn from this that we are not to be content with the accomplishments of those who have led and or are leading us.

    “No, we are expected to aim to achieve even more. This is very consistent with the admonition made to the disciples by the Lord Jesus Christ in John 14:12.”

    He also ordained Pastors, Assistant Pastors, Deacons and Deaconesses and presented certificates to graduates of the Redeemed Christian Church of God North America (RCCGNA) Seminary and Bible College.

    The North America Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the one-million-seat capacity camp, with an initial 10,000 seats, is said to be the largest Nigerian-owned church auditorium in the U.S.

    It sits on over 800 acres of land acquired by the RCCGNA.

    The camp already has an administrative building that houses the headquarters of the church and when fully completed; it would also have a number of buildings including housing estates, fish farm, schools and a university.

    The inauguration coincided with the church’s 17th Annual Convention with the theme: ‘Double Portion’.

    Pastor James Fadele, Chairman, RCCG, North America, noted that the camp premises has made progress in infrastructural improvements.

  • Jonathan urges governors to okay capital punishment

    Jonathan urges governors to okay capital punishment

    Nigeria cannot run away from capital punishment to ensure discipline and better living, President Goodluck Jonathan declared yesterday.

    He spoke at the Father’s Day service at the Aso Villa Chapel, Abuja. The President said he had been urging governors to sign the law for capital punishment in their states.

    He said: “If in the case of capital punishment, the governors will sign – even governors sometimes find it difficult to sign – I have been telling the governors that they must sign because that is the law. The work we are doing has a very sweet part and a very ugly part and we must perform both. No matter how painful it is, it is part of their responsibilities.”

    While urging fathers at home to endeavour to be role models to their children, the President insisted that discipline in the families should not be relegated to the background.

    “Let me wish all of us happy Father’s Day. Today is Father’s Day and that is why we are here to celebrate. Who is a father? If we look through all the references that we have today with the father in the Bible, you will see that we expect a father to show love. The father is the breadwinner of the family, to take care of the mother and the children, to provide food for them and take care of their education. We expect fathers to be role models where children will want to be like their fathers.

    “I want to urge all of us who are fathers to discipline our children. No matter what you do, even if you show love and provide the needs of the family, if you don’t discipline your children, it is not good.”

    “Like my late father, when we were young, anytime we committed an offence and we heard his voice, we would start crying. You would not wait to see him because you knew what would happen to you.”

    “These days, because of modern life, discipline is almost gone. Discipline can be in various forms. In the states, it could be admonition. Magistrates can just admonish and allow him to go. From admonition to various forms of punishments, it could be imprisonment. The extreme is capital punishment.

    “So for us as parents, it is important for us to let our children constantly know that it is good to take the right path. It is good for them to know that they must be upright.” He said.

    In his sermon entitled ‘Fathers’ Responsibility’, President of Church of Christ in Nigeria, Rev. Soja Bewarang, said those working with the President must refrain from stealing public funds and must be honest if Nigeria must move forward.

    He said: “If this country must survive, all men working under the President must practice honesty and they must not steal. He (the President) cannot fight corruption when you are not supporting him. He may try, but he cannot be everywhere. You are his representatives, so you must practice honesty and you must not steal.”

    Nigerians, he said, should pray for good fathers like Enoch, Joshua, Abraham, and those who will walk with God like Noah.

    Among those who attended the service were Governors Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta) and Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom) Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, and his wife.

    Also there were Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Tony Anenih; some members of the Federal Executive Council; Comptroller-General of Immigration, Mr. David Paradang; Commandant-General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Dr. Ade Abolurin; and some members of the National Assembly.

    Others were the Ambassador of Ireland in Nigeria, Mr. Patrick Fhearghail; the Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Uriel Palti; former House Leader, Tunde Akogun; Rep Ndidi Elumelu; and some Nollywood stars.

    The organisers presented gifts of a guitar and a mobile telephone handset to the President to commemorate the day while other dignitaries also went home with different gifts.