Home Blog Page 1545

President Tinubu Signs Executive Orders Suspending Major Tax Measures

July 6, 2023

By Ayodele Oni

President Bola Tinubu has again moved to reduce high prices of goods and services occasioned by high and multiple taxation.

Manufacturers and other stakeholders have recently raised concern over recent tax changes, which led to multiple taxes on by producers of goods and services.

In an apparent bid to reduce the burden, President Bola Tinubu on Thursday in Abuja, signed three executive orders suspending major tax measures.

The move comes as a response to the need for clarity and adequate notice for tax adjustments, as specified in the 2017 National Tax Policy.

The President’s Special Adviser on Special Duties, Communications, and Strategy, Dele Alake, made the announcement at the Presidential Villa on Thursday.

The first executive order signed by President Tinubu was the Finance Act (Effective Date Variation) Order, 2023.

It defers the implementation of the changes outlined in the Act from May 23, 2023, to September 1, 2023, ensuring compliance with the stipulated 90-day advance notice for tax changes.

The second order, the Customs Excise Tariff (Variation) Amendment Order, 2023, also adjusts the commencement date of tax changes.

Originally scheduled for March 27, 2023, the changes will now take effect from August 1, 2023, aligning with the National Tax Policy guidelines.

Furthermore, President Tinubu has issued an order suspending the five percent Excise Tax on telecommunication services, as well as the Excise Duties escalation on locally manufactured products.

Alake said the decision reflects Tinubu’s commitment to fostering a business-friendly environment and alleviating the burdens faced by businesses and households in affected sectors.

In addition to these suspensions, the President has also ordered the halt of the newly introduced Green Tax, an Excise Tax on Single Use Plastics, including plastic containers and bottles.

Alake also said the Import Tax Adjustment levy on certain vehicles has been suspended.

According to him, President Tinubu’s intention was to listen to the concerns of the Nigerian people and alleviate the negative impacts of the tax adjustments, rather than exacerbate the challenges faced by citizens.

Ecobank Nigeria Gets Fitch Probation

Tosin Olatokunbo

July 6, 2023

International Ratings Agency, Fitch Ratings has placed Ecobank Nigeria, ENG on six-month probation within which it will review the Ratings Watch Negative, RWN awarded the Nigerian lender recently.

Fitch had rated the commercial bank RWN, citing risk factors such as Nigeria’s challenging operating environment, high credit concentrations and exposure to market risks, asset-quality issues, weak profitability, and modest capitalization.

“ENG’s National Long-Term Rating is among the lowest of all Nigerian banks under Fitch’s coverage, which primarily reflects its weak earnings and modest capitalization,” Fitch said in June.

The agency however said in its latest ratings that it foresees a positive outlook for the commercial bank in the ‘next six months” as it moves to strengthen its creditworthiness as the economic situation in the country improves.

“Within the next six months when exchange-rate volatility may recede, the impact on regulatory capital ratios and common equity double leverage is clear, and the scale of the second-order economic effects of the devaluation on loan quality becomes evident.”

For the bank to be upgraded, Fitch said in the report it must “remain compliant with its minimum CAR requirement following the devaluation, with sufficient buffers to accommodate increase in credit concentration and loan-quality risks.

“An upgrade of ENG’s VR and Long-Term IDR would require a sovereign upgrade and an improvement in operating conditions in conjunction with a strengthened financial profile.”

The rating agency however warned that the bank’s impaired loans ratio will increase in the near term at a faster pace following the devaluation of the naira and fuel subsidy removal as borrowers contend with higher inflation and interest rates.

I Will Be Back Soon – Ondo Gov Akeredolu

Ayodele Oni

July 6, 2023

By Ayodele Oni

The Governor of Ondo State, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu has assured people of the State of his return to his duty post very soon.

The Governor expressed his profound gratitude to the people of Ondo State for the ceaseless prayers and messages of goodwill for his full recovery and return to good health, soon.

Mr. Akeredolu said that this unprecedented display of genuine affection and solidarity have been a soothing balm not only for him to stand on his feet, but also, and more importantly, for him to continue his service to the people, particularly the good people of Ondo State.

The Governor, in a statement by the State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Bamidele Ademola-Olateju, thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and members of his team, all party leaders, his brother-Governors and the members of the State House of Assembly for their support.

Akeredolu, who said he is in high spirits, is expected to join the people of the State as soon as his doctors consider it expedient.

The Governor had last month sought the approval of the State House of Assembly for a month leave, which is expected to end on July 7, to enable him attend to his health challenges.

He also, in the letter transmitted power to his Deputy, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, who has been holding sway in his absence.

Wike Takes Over Both Rivers APC, PDP; APC Picks Him For Ministerial Post

The Source

July 6, 2023

By Charles Igbo

The immediate past Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, has effectively taken over the leadership of both the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the All Progressives Congress, APC.

In taking over the APC, Wike, surprisingly, still a PDP member, has pushed Rotimi Amaechi, a former Governor of Rivers State, and the immediate past Minister for Transportation, out of political reckoning in the APC – both at the State and National level.

Instructively, the APC, was founded in Rivers State by Amaechi when he, as a second term Governor, dumped the PDP, and became a founding member of the APC in 2014.

Wike took over tye APC when he became the most powerful tool in Rivers State to the controversial electoral success of the APC in the February 25 Presidential election. He proudly worked against his Party’s Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in favour of the APC Candidate, now President Bola Tinubu. Then, he, also, successfully installed a PDP Governor, his choice, as his successor. The result is that the leadership of both political parties are answerable to him and he bestrides both Parties like a collosus. Forgotten, by the APC, and even those he thought were his loyalists, is Amaechi, who has, it seems, quietly crawled back into his shell.

And now, based on his leadership of both parties, the APC in Rivers State has nominated and recommended him to President Tinubu to appoint him as a Minister to represent the State in the expected new Cabinet.

The Party put up his name in preference to Senator Magnus Abe, another foundation member of the APC, who followed Amaechi, but later fell out with him. Abe, a strong supporter of Tinubu, long before Wike, was forced to quit APC for the SDP, when Amaechi muscled him put of contention for the APC Governorship ticket.

Abe has, however, been recommended by a group to Tinubu for the State’s Ministerial slot. But the “new” leadership of the APC has asked the President to ignore Abe who they insist abandoned ship mid- sea, and pick Wike, who is yet to quit his membership of the PDP.

At a news conference members of the APC, under a group, Amalgamated Bola Tinubu Campaign Council Rivers State, led by Chief Tony Okocha, former Chief of Staff to Amaechi when he was Governor, said their nomination of Wike is based on the huge roles he played to perfect Tinubu’s victory in the State during the February 25 Presidential Election.

At a news briefing in Abuja, he asked Tinubu to ignore the “cheap political stunt by Governorship candidate of Social Democratic Party, SDP, Magnus Abe who is now taking the front seat in Tinubu’s political veranda, after he left the APC at a time he was most needed.”

Okocha attributed Tinubu’s victory in the Presidential election to Wike who he said kept the party together when major stakeholders abandoned it.

His words: “When Amaechi had left, Magnus had left what remained was the little I could control with an amalgamation of support groups. Since 1999, PDP has been in control of Rivers State back to back. Even in 2015, when I was Chief of staff, Ameachi was Governor and during that Presidential election, APC scored about 69,000 votes, PDP scored about 2 million votes and we were in charge and he doubled as the DG of Buhari in 2015, in 2019 Wike had become governor, it became even worse.

“In 2015, APC scored seven per cent, in 2019 we scored 5 percent. Then, in 2023 APC is now winning. What was the magic? Wike’s PDP scored 32/32 in the state House of Assembly in Rivers state, Wike’s PDP scored 12/13 of House of Reps seats, Wike’s PDP scored 3/3 of the senatorial seats, Wike’s PDP won the governorship and then Wike’s PDP did not win Presidential election in Rivers state. What happened?

“Is it not the reason that all of us know that the G-5 Governors said until things are made right, until power shifts to the South and that until Ayu resigns that they will not work for Atiku.

“Now, the spin doctor who made sure everything worked out for Tinubu, was Wike.

“We have 6,868 polling units in Rivers state across 319 wards and across 23 LGs and you and I know that every politician has his own polling unit agents that are paid on a stipend or the other. Who paid for the 6,868 agents in Rivers for APC?

“The activities of the G-5 is instrumental to the success of Tinubu in Nigeria politics today. Look at the ratio, APC won 12 states, and PDP won 10 states. Assuming PDP people worked together, they would have taken more States.

” I am telling you that in our own case, I am saying it categorically, I would have been the one person to say no don’t give it to him because I had the house. He didn’t come to see an empty house. I would have decided to appropriate everything to myself and behave like a crab.

“If you have somebody that is more than you, why don’t you invite the person. If he helped us to win in 2023, are we now going to tell him to come to us in 2027 to help us win? Why don’t we bring him in because he has value to add. No politician in Rivers state today can surmount Wike. No one in Rivers State can challenge Wike. He is the best.

“We are saying that whatever is due us as Rivers state should be handed over to Wike because he knows who worked for Tinubu in Rivers. I would have claimed it all because I was the last man standing when everybody took off but we are saying, look, this man contributed more.

“Magnus’ media stunts are mere grandstanding and only for benefits. My own satisfaction is that if you marshal out Tinubu’s soldiers today, even people that hate me the most will say I was at the epicenter of Tinubu’s victory in Rivers state, to me, it is enough food if there are other benefits that will come, it will be secondary but if anybody is coming out with the primary aim of getting an appointment, I will not accept.

“You’re now eulogizing Tinubu, you didn’t know that Tinubu was the best person when you left him for another party. Now, you defeated him in your unit and ward but now that the man has won, you want to eulogize, you want to grandstand, you want to say all manner of good things just for political appointment, it will not work. It is against common sense and reason.”

Wike has been a regular face in the APC corridors of power, Abuja, and has visited President Tinubu, at least, three times.

Speculations are rife that he could be appointed a Minister, just as it is rife that he is likely to dump the PDP, finally, for APC. Even if he does, he will still be in charge of the PDP in Rivers State.

“Mmesoma Collaborated With Scammers To Inflate Her Scores”- JAMB Registrar

Adesina Soyooye

July 6, 2023

By Adesina Soyooye

The Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, has revealed that there is evidence that Mmesoma Ejikeme, the 16- year old student of Anglican Girls Secondary School, Nnewi, who declared herself the highest scorer in the 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, conducted by JAMB, collaborated with scammers to forge and inflate her scores.

Mmesoma had claimed that she scored 362 based on the result slip she printed from the JAMB portal.

However, she was swiftly countered by the Examination body which declared her scores fake and a product of forgery. The student, revealed JAMB, scored 249, a comfortable score which could have given her an admission in her University of choice, but not the scholarship and celebration she was expecting.

The score saga led to controversy, with a number of people, including former Minister for Education, Dr Oby Ezekwesili who weighed-in, and urged Oloyede to invite Technological Experts for a forensic investigation of the matter.

But in a transcript sent by the Registrar to The Punch, Oloyede disclosed that there is a booming industry faking JAMB result for students with their collaboration. “Presently, there is an industry faking results, and unfortunately, they cannot penetrate the JAMB system”, he said, adding that: “Unfortunately, parents and some of the candidates who are being fooled are not aware that they have only been fooled.”

Specifically on Mmesoma’s case, Professor Oloyede said: “There is internal evidence to show that the change in Mmesoma’s scores were done with her collaboration. There are certain features pertaining to her that only her knows, and unless she makes them available to somebody else, they couldn’t have increased her score on her behalf.”

He said that he had spoken to Dr Ezekwesili on Mmesoma’s matter, and told her it was “a high- level scam.”

His words: “We improved on our facilities this year, so, Ejikeme and her collaborators were still living in the past. I spoke with Mrs Ezekwesili on the matter, and I told her it was a high-level scam, a careless forgery.

“This is because we are no longer using some of the things they used in changing those results since 2021. We used that pattern in 2021, and you saw what happened, and many of such individuals were caught as well, and they were treated accordingly.”

Miss Ejikeme has been banned by JAMB, for the next three years, from any of the Boards Examinations.

“I knew Mmesoma’s JAMB Result Was Fake” – Chidoka, Fmr. Aviation Minister; Says She Took The Exam At His CBT Centre

Adesina Soyooye

July 6, 2023

By Adesina Soyooye

A former Aviation Minister, Osita Chidoka, has said he knew the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board Examination results being flaunted by 16- year old Mmesoma Ejikeme was fake.

The Examination Body and Ejikeme, a student of Anglican Girls Secondary School, Nnewi, Anambra State, and JAMB have been in a tango over her claim that she scored 362 in the just released result, and, therefore, is the highest scorer in the Examination.

JAMB swiftly countered her claim, and dismissed the score as fake and a product of forgery. Her correct score, the Board revealed, is 249. It accused Ejikeme of criminally inflating her result in order to attract unmerited favours from her State Government and kind-hearted individuals.

The situation exploded into a big controversy with reactions which, almost, had ethnic colouration, coming in like claps of thunder.

Instructively, the real highest score was by Miss Nkechinyere Umeh, also from Anambra State.

Chidoka, also, a former Corp Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Commission, in a statement he issued on Wednesday, said for him, the red flags started flying as soon as he saw the result slip being flaunted by Miss Ejikeme.

Here’s why Chidoka should know: Ejikeme took the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, at a CBT Centre owned by his Foundation. Everything on her result slip, Chidoka said, was different from everybody’s own.

Chidoka condemned the ethnic bent being attributed in some quaters to the Ejikeme saga, and commended JAMB for vigorously and robustly defending its integrity and that of the Examination it conducted. He asked Miss Ejikeme to come clean. If she does, Chidoka said he would be one of those to appeal to JAMB to temper justice with mercy, considering her age.

Following is the text of the former Minister’s statement.

“Miss Mmesoma Ejikeme took her 2023 JAMB at my Foundation’s Computer-Based Teaching Centre at Obosi. I got some calls from worried friends about Mmesoma’s result which had Thomas Chidoka Centre as her Examination Centre. I allayed their fears that the result issue had nothing to do with the Examination Centre.

“I observed two significant red flags as soon as I saw her result online. First, our Centre is no longer addressed as Thomas Chidoka Centre for Human Development on the JAMB portal since 2021.

“The correct name on the JAMB portal and main Examination Slip is Nkemefuna Foundation (Thomas Chidoka Centre for Human Development). Due to the difference in our CAC registration details, JAMB insisted that we change to Nkemefuna Foundation with Thomas Chidoka in a bracket as an identifier. We implemented the name change in 2021.

“Her result showing Thomas Chidoka without the Nkemefuna Foundation, which was on her main Examination Slip, raised my suspicion about the genuineness of the result.

“The second red flag was the result template. A cursory review of some of those who took the last examination at our Centre showed a different result slip template with the candidate’s passport picture, JAMB watermarks, and no mention of the Examination Centre. I gave the young Mmesoma the benefit of the doubt and wanted to see if she would explain how she got the result, which is obviously, not the result template that JAMB used in 2023. I knew it was fake.

“I doff my hat for JAMB. They came out forcefully and defended their integrity vigorously. They shared the USSD communication between Mmesoma’s phone and their servers with timestamps. Mr Fabian Benjamin, the JAMB spokesperson did a yeoman’s job in explaining how their system works, and the security of their portal.

“He even asked anyone who cares, to crosscheck with AIRTEL, the network provider of Mmesoma’s phone. Their transparency was compelling and disarming.

“The JAMB Registrar, Prof. Isham Oloyede, issued statements based on facts, and defended the integrity of a foremost Nigerian institution whose failure would have had a catastrophic effect on Nigeria’s educational and CBT systems.”

Chidoka revealed that his relationship with JAMB dates back to 2021. He said: “As a Corp Marshal in 2011, I used JAMB to conduct the FRSC recruitment exercise that is still adjudged a high-water in public sector recruitment. Those recruited through that process wear their uniform with pride and continue to deliver to the organisation to this day.

“For me, the real issue in this saga is the level of distrust of our national institutions. The social media frenzy and denigration of JAMB, together with the ethnic slang of a simple issue with clear and verifiable methods of resolution is symptomatic of the deep distrust of our national institutions.

“This distrust was deepened in the past eight years with a horrifying descent of issues to our national fault lines. The ethnicisation of the issue is sad and disappointing.”

Finally, Chidoka had a word for the teenager in the middle of the saga: “Come clean. If she does that, I will lend my voice to beg JAMB to note her age and show more leniency.”

JAMB has, since, cancelled and withdrawn Miss Ejikeme’s result. It has, also, banned her from participating in any of the Board’s Examination for three years.

Justice Agbo, Ranking Judge, Court of Appeal, Dies

The Source

July 6, 2023

By Charles Igbo

He served his country with passion and dedication. A very senior Judge of the Court of Appeal, Nigeria’s second highest Court, he was a brilliant non- controversial Judge.

He was billed to retire on October 21, 2023. On that day, he was set to be celebrated and seen off the Bench to enjoy a more quiet life in retirement.

But the Honourable Justice Raphael Agbo did not wait.

On Monday, July 3, 2023, he quietly exited mother-earth. He passed on, and left broken-hearted, his family, colleagues and friends who had been preparing to celebrate his glorious exit from the Bench on October 21.

A native of Enugu State, he was called to the Bar in 1978. After a successful practice on the Bar, he joined the Bench.

The Honourable Justice Agbo was elevated to the Court of Appeal in 2005.

Among other honours he garnered in his distinguished career, the immediate past Governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, just before he left office on May 29, 2023, named the Enugu State Multi- Door Court House after him.

WAEF Commends Senegalese President For Declining Third Term

The Source

July 5, 2023

The West Africa Elders Forum (WAEF) has commended the President of Senegal, Macky Sall, for declining to run for a third in the 2024 presidential election, a decision the organization describes as sacrificial, taken in the best interest of the nation.

Convener of the Forum and former President of Nigeria, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan in a letter addressed to Macky Sall on behalf of the Forum referred to the President’s action as a display of exemplary leadership, a gesture worthy of emulation by other leaders.

The Forum noted that the President’s decision would help promote peace and unity in Senegal and deepen democracy in West Africa. WAEF also applauded the leader for spearheading far-reaching constitutional reforms aimed at improving governance in the country.

Jonathan stated that as a Forum of past leaders, they are proud of Sall’s achievements and will be glad to welcome him as a member of the group at the end of his tenure and will work with him towards attaining sustainable democracy, peace and progress in the sub-region.

Below are the details of the letter :

“On behalf of the West Africa Elders Forum, I commend you for your display of statesmanship and patriotism by opting not to run in the forthcoming Senegal’s 2024 presidential election, a decision you have freely taken as a personal sacrifice in the interest of peace, unity and progress of your dear country.

“Your action is a display of exemplary leadership and attests to your commitment to the process of deepening democracy in our region. This is a courageous gesture, one that is worthy of commendation and emulation by political actors and leaders in different spheres.

“I recall that as President, you had spearheaded far-reaching constitutional amendments to improve governance in Senegal, including the review of presidential tenure from seven to five years, a development that reduced your own tenure by two years.

“This is a demonstration of sacrificial leadership and, as a forum of former Presidents in our sub- region, we salute your courage and sense of patriotism by placing the interest of your national above personal interest.

“As we look forward to the successful completion of your tenure next year, let me state that the Forum is proud of your achievements and will be more than glad to welcome you as a member and work with you towards achieving our goals for sustainable democracy, peace and progress in our sub-region.

“Please, Excellency, accept the assurances of my highest regard, as always.”

Wealth Dickson Ominabo

Communications Officer, Goodluck Jonathan Foundation

(For WAEF Secretariat)

CAN Leader Calls For Security in Churches

James Orji

July 5, 2023

President, Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Daniel Okoh, has condemned the killing of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG pastor by gunmen.

The Pastor, Kayode Oluwakemi was killed last week by the hoodlums, who are now at large in Abule-Ori, Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State.

Reacting to the cold-blooded murder of the Man of God, Okoh urged the federal government to provide security in worship centres across the country, adding that attack on churches by terrorists are becoming too frequent.

He said the matter should be thoroughly investigated with a view to bringing the killers to justice.

According to the Bishop; “We mourn the loss of the pastor and condemn the kidnapping of worshippers who were simply exercising their religious freedom to worship.

“We urge the various security agencies to increase vigilance on places of worship during religious gatherings and provide adequate security measures for worshippers.

“CAN urges citizens not to be discouraged by the recent losses but to continue to look up to God for help. Our thoughts and prayers are with the affected families and churches.”

Peter Obi’s LP Membership Already Settled By Court of Appeal, Says Obi-Datti Media Office

The Source

July 5, 2023

The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday closed their case in the ongoing hearing of the Petition filed by the Labour Party, Candidate, Peter Obi.

Among the documents submitted to the court is a register purported to be indicating that Obi is not a member of the Labour Party as stipulated by the Electoral guidelines.

But apparently unknown to them or they were feigning ignorance that the matter was long settled by the Court of Appeal in a Judgement delivered on Wednesday the 8th of February, 2023 by a team of three Justices led by the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Bolna’an Dongban-Mensem, Justice Ugochukwu Anthony Ogakwu, and Danlami Zama Senchi, in the case between the Allied Peoples Movement, APM, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Labour Party and Peter Gregory Obi.

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja then dismissed the appeal by the APM, seeking to disqualify Peter Obi, from being the Presidential Candidate of the February 25 general election.

In the appeal marked: CA/ABJ/CV/1414/2022, the Movement had approached the court, contending that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, ought not to have recognized Peter Obi as a valid candidate for the presidential poll.

APM said this was in consideration of the time Obi defected from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the LP. The party argued that the period of Obi’s defection for the purpose of contesting the presidential election violated sections 77(2) and (3) of the Electoral Act, 2022.

They also adduced that before Obi’s defection, the LP already sent a list of its registered members to the INEC. They then claimed that Obi lacked the right to be recognized as the LP flagbearer because his name was not on the list of the party members that were submitted to INEC.

APM had urged the court to set aside the Federal High Court judgment which dismissed the suit it filed to challenge Obi’s candidacy on the same matter.

But In a unanimous decision by the three-member panel of Justices, the appellate court said there was no merit in the appeal filed by APM.

The Justices affirmed the decision of the Abuja High Court that had earlier dismissed the case saying that “the lower Court cannot be faulted, the appeal is devoid of merit, the same fails and it is deserving of dismissal”

Obi-Datti Media office wishes therefore to draw the attention of the public to this case and disregard the empty evidence and propaganda of the APC and its candidate in the highly contentious February 25 Presidential election.

1...1,5441,5451,546...2,937 Page 1,545 of 2,937