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Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike

 

An Islamic human rights organization, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has described as meaningless and reckless the comment by Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, that the South-south state is Christian. 

Wike, declared two days ago that the state is a Christian state during a crusade organized by the Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Church in Port Harcourt, capital of Rivers State.  

However, in a press statement on Thursday, MURIC described the governor’s statement as audacious, unguarded and reckless. 

The statement was signed by the Director of the organization, Prof. Ishaq Akintola.

“At a time when Nigeria is facing religious and ethnic crises, a state governor still has the temerity to declare his state a Christian state. Wike is short in intellect, long in impunity. It is not his first time of making this pronouncement. We ignored him the first time because we did not want to dignify him with a response. But he has just exposed himself as an analogue governor with a triangular approach to all problems: religion, violence, and impunity. Wike cannot think outside this triangular box.

“At a time when religious fanaticism is on the rise and the authorities are cautioning Nigerians to be moderate, a state governor is running loose with reckless statements like, ‘I repeat once again without apologies, Rivers is a Christian state. That is why nobody can touch us’.

“This is nothing but articulated demagoguery. It is audacious, preposterous and myopic. It is also a dangerous precedent. Nonetheless, Wike’s statement must also be seen as meaningless unless he can establish Canon law for his ‘Christian State’. That is the challenge we like to throw at Governor Wike. He should promulgate canon law without any hesitation, otherwise, all his boasts amount to nothing. They are empty."

MURIC wondered if Rivers is the only state with a Christian majority in Nigeria and the governor to learn from the "moderate stance" of the governors of Cross Rivers, Delta, Enugu, Anambra, Ebonyi on the issue of religion. 

It added: "Wike is perpetuating a culture of acrobatic religiosity. He is playing on the intelligence of the good people of Rivers State and lending credence to Karl Marx’s view of religion as the opium of the people. He is brandishing state-sponsored religiosity to cover his gross ineptitude.

“The spate of crime in Rivers State is an indictment on Wike. Cult-killing is on the rise. Kidnapping has become an obsession. Youth restiveness is everywhere in the state. But all these are by-products of mass unemployment. This is what Wike should face.  

“He should be thinking of empowering the youth. Where are the roads built by Wike? What is the state of Rivers’ schools? Are there drugs in hospitals? What are the rates of infant and maternal mortality in Rivers State? Port Harcourt is one of the most expensive places to live in Nigeria. How can Wike bring relief to the residents? It is high time Wike focused on governance and stopped propagating motor-park doctrine, manifesting ‘agbero’ faculty and exhibiting ‘bolekaja’ mentality."

Akintola noted further that Wike’s statement must also be seen as meaningless unless he can establish Canon law for his ‘Christian State’. 

"That is the challenge we like to throw at Governor Wike. He should promulgate Canon law without any hesitation, otherwise, all his boasts amount to nothing. They are empty. Wike’s Christian state is a red herring," the Muslim scholar asserted.

“Where is Wike’s constitutional backing? Section 10 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria clearly prohibits state religion. It says, 'The Government of the Federation or of a State shall not adopt any religion as a State Religion.' Wike’s declaration is, therefore, ultra vires. It is null, void and of no consequence whatsoever.

“It is illegal, unlawful and unconstitutional for any governor to declare his state a Christian or an Islamic state. For the avoidance of doubt, a clear difference must be seen between Wike’s declaration and the introduction of Shariah in parts of the North. The state legislatures of states where Shariah was introduced followed due process. The governors did not just wake up one day and make arbitrary declarations."

According to the statement, there is also a world of difference between declaring a state an Islamic state and merely introducing Shariah to be used by the Muslim population. 

It pointed out that several parts of the United Kingdom, the United States, and some Western countries have introduced Shariah for their minority Muslim populations without necessarily declaring those countries Islamic nations.     

“But where are the secularists? Where are those who claim that Nigeria is a secular state? Why is it that only Muslims are taken up when they make declarations bordering on religious particularism?" asked Akintola.

"Why are they silent now? Is this not selective judgment? Must we always behave a la Animal Farm? Our self-righteous public commentators and human rights lawyers would have brought heaven down if any Muslim governor made a similar statement. Why are we like this? Who placed a curse on Nigeria? Well, known critics who fail to speak on Wike’s recent pronouncement should bury their heads in shame."  

 

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George Uboh

George Uboh, Chairman of George Uboh Whistleblowers Network (GUWN), has been arraigned during the week for exposing financial misappropriation by Godwin Emefiele, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Uboh was arraigned at the Federal High Court, Abuja on a two-count charge of disseminating false information about the CBN Governor.

Meanwhile, Uboh was the first to file a suit against Emefiele. 

In a case with the Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/419/2019 which has Uboh as the sole plaintiff and  Godwin Emefiele, the senate president, the senate, Federal Republic of Nigeria and the President of Nigeria as defendants. 

Through the suit, filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja,  Uboh had asked the court to restrain the Senate from exercising its 'confirmational' powers in regard to the re-appointment of 1st Defendant(Emefiele) by the fourth Defendant (the president of Nigeria). 

In the lawsuit filed against Emefiele by Uboh, a copy of which was sent to SaharaReporters,  Uboh  had alleged that the CBN under the watch of Mr. Emefiele conspired with Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation(NNPC) to divert  two billion, five hundred and sixty-four million dollars ($2,564000000 in 2015), money he claimed was expected to be shared through  Federal Account Allocation Committee(FAAC) in January 2016 to the three tiers of government.

Count one of the charges read, “That you George Uboh ‘m’ of No. 11 Nuh Street, Maitama, Abuja on or about the 12th day of May 2019, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did give information which you know or believe to be false that Mr Godwin Emefiele CON Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria under-declared or under-remitted the sum of N232 billion ($760B) exchange gains by CBN which accrued from Bureau De Change to Federation account in 2017. 

Your action is capable of tarnishing the image of the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 140(B) of the Penal code.”

Count two read, “That you George Uboh ‘m’ of No. 11 Nuh Street, Maitama, Abuja on or about the 12th day of May 2019, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did defame Mr. Godwin Emefiele CON Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria when you falsely alleged in your petition and was published by Sahara Reporters (an online news media) that he under-declared or under-remitted the sum of N232 billion ($760bn) exchange gains by CBN which accrued from Bureau De Change to Federation account in 2017, which caused him disaffection among his friend and other persons and you thereby commit and offence contrary to Section 391 (1) and punishable under Section 392 of the Penal Code.”

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An excited lady with a deep voice freely volunteered details of how residence of Arowojobe Community Development Area- a neighborhood of five streets in Oshodi, had tried for months to stave-off perpetual heat, fumes from generators and the blood-oozing tickles of mosquitoes, when she heard the person on the other end of the line was calling from Sahara Reporters. The transformer serving the neighbourhood got spoiled in October 2018 and getting a replacement has so far remained impossible.

“The transformer has a problem since October and they removed it since October. They asked us to pay some money- 1+1 or something like that. What it means is that the bill of last month, you will pay it double. So, we were asked to pay N2.4 million and we have paid up to N1.6. The transformer is N20 million, they waved it and told us to pay 2.4 million that is one+one.

“The problem is that we have already paid about 1.7 and no trace of the transformer has come. According to the resident who feels threatened by her drive to secure the transformer and therefore chose to stay anonymous, a list of creditors and debtors is published on request every day. The last time she went to check, the money to be paid per meter holder had increased.

“They ought to bring N8,000 per meter, now they are bringing N10,000.

We ought to have gone past N2 million with the N8,000 we have been paying per month. But they now increased it to N10,000 and said we have paid N1.7 million.

When we asked her for a copy of the creditor and debtor list the next day, the lady said she would not speak to us on the subject again. This is one of many communities that wait for months, and in some instances, years before they can get back on the national grid. There were however 208-line items carrying transformers in the 2018 budget cycle, which came to an end in June.

Misaligned transformers in the 2018 budget

In what Civic media lab— a media research centre, is observing to be a trend, multiple offices and departments in the Presidency undertake power related projects even though their mandate has naught to do with the subject. In a scan of the 2018 appropriation act, 208-line items pertaining to the provision, installation, and construction of 500, 300 and 33 Kilo Volt Amp (KVA) transformers were found. 161 of such projects were placed under ministries with the mandate to offer such services. The remaining 47-line items were unpacked into ministries with no clear directive for the execution of such projects. 

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture has seven transformer related line items. The Federal Ministry of Education were given eight, seven of which have no identified location. IN the Federal Ministry of Health, there was a project to deliver a 300 KVA transformer to an unnamed location. The Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, which is chiefly concerned with shaping public opinion about the government, is empowered to provide one transformer. Even the Ministry of Labour and Employment who has a mandate two maintain a smooth working relationship between the government and its employees were to build two transformers in the 2018 budget. 

Surprisingly, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation was to execute two electrical projects. If the SGF had his, it was appropriate to show the genuine interest of the federal government in making power available across the country by committing the State Headquarters to carry out the provision of two electrical installations to places outside the premises of the Federal Capital Territory.

The Ministry of Science and Technology received instructions to complete 10— one of which is the construction of a transformer production plant. 

This, however, falls under its mandate. The ministry of Transportation was instructed to add three electrical set-ups to its overhaul of the country’s transport network, like the burden of the $45 billion worth of rails it needs to raise money to construct across the country is not much enough. The Federal Ministry of Water Resources was allotted the grand total of 12 when Nigeria’s water infrastructure and sources need revamping.

The Federal Ministry of Power, Works, and Housing whose primary duty it is to execute such projects, was duly loaded with 154-line items, while the Federal Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs which has the commission to carry out infrastructural development within the oil-producing region of the country, planned to execute six.

Project value

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development was given the largest envelope of N4.9 billion to execute its seven projects. The Ministry of Science and Technology got approval of N1.39 billion to deliver on its nine misaligned line items loaded with transformers and electric poles. The 12-line items assigned to the Federal Ministry of Water Resources were given N708.4 million. The Federal Ministry of Transportation’s three projects were allotted N324.9 million. The State Headquarters received N142.7 million to deliver on its two transformer related projects. The Federal Ministry of Education got N114.8 million for its eight projects. The Ministry of Labour and Employment was allocated N77 million. The Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation was given N50 million for its two projects, the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture received N37.8 million, while the Federal Ministry of Health got N15 million.

Poorly Described Projects

The absence of uniformity in the description of the line items found remained a trend. As seen in scans of the budget provisions for other ministries and departments and agencies have done before, some line items had several projects lumped together, others did not specify the number of transformers to be distributed and specific locations of where they were to be delivered or installed, some line items lacked either amount or location.

They were as generic as ‘procurement of transformer.’ In the Budget provision for the Federal Ministry of Education, Seven out of the eight-line items containing transformers or electricity utility related objects had no detail on where they should be supplied, installed or provided. Three out of the four projects simply read: procurement of transformer, ‘procurement of transformers and installation, ‘supply and installation of a transformer.’ The other four project descriptions had extensive details of how many poles, solar streetlights, transformers, and generators needed provision and installation but there was no mention of where they should be delivered to except for a single vague line item that read: “Provision of 90 electric poles, wiring of college compound and set of 500 KVA/33 to 415 KV transformers and installations.” 

The name of the school whose ‘college compound’ needed wiring was not stated. The wording of the line item also indicated that three projects were haphazardly described together.

In FMARD’s allotment, it proposed to spend the same amount of money— N701 million on the provision of an unspecified number of 500 KVA transformers to all the six geopolitical zones.

One of the two projects assigned to the Ministry of Labour and Employment says: “Supply of transformers for Owerri federal constituency.”

According to INEC, there is no federal constituency with that name. the closest reference is Owerri Municipal/Owerri North/Owerri West, which is in Imo State. The description does not indicate what size of the transformer as stated in other project details.

As generic as it comes, the Federal Ministry of Water Resources has in its list of transformers carrying line items one that reads: “Provision of 2 numbers of 500KVA/33 transformers in Benue State.” 

Again, the description lacked detail on where in Benue the transformer should be supplied and installed.

Repeated Projects

Besides injecting line items that are not their responsibility and giving vague project descriptions, certain Ministries stretched the width of the red flags a couple of more inches by repeating line items.

The Federal Ministry of Education turned out to be the chief defaulters, ticking the three patterns Civic Media Lab observed. Besides executing misaligned projects, and giving a vague description of their budget line items, the ministry gave the same description twice with different codes:

“Purchase and installation of 250KVA generator and 300KV transformer.” 

They were, however, written with code ERGP23107797 and code ERGP23105045. Both codes are allotted N22 million. Also guilty of this is the Office to the Secretary of the Government of the Federation. The two-line items approved for the office in the 2018 budget cycle, all read:

“Procurement and installation of 33/300KVA transformers in rural communities in Udenu/Igbo-Eze North, Enugu State.” They were coded with  ERGP445002277 and ERGP445001698. The two codes were apportioned 25,000,000. (N25 million) each.

Project distribution by State

If funding is released for all the line items under observation, nine of the projects described will be executed in Imo state. Three will be done in Kogi, Kwara, and Anambra. Tenders for two projects should be sent out within the 2018 budget cycle in Enugu while a single project each was assigned to Ebonyi, Rivers, Kano, Abia, Ogun, Oyo, FCT, Delta, Lagos, and Benue.

The back page story

Sahara Reporters reached out to Felix Ofulue, Public Relations Officer of Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company to understand what exactly 1+1 means:

“It’s a business policy. If I go and check Arowojobe right now, I’m sure they will have a bill which they cannot pay,” Ofulue said.

“What happens is, when your transformer gets spoiled, we can’t use the money we are getting from other communities to pay for you. Do you have to also pay a part of your bill now?

“If Arowojobe as a community owes us about N15 million and we tell them that ‘Your transformer is spoiled oh!’

“Even if we want to repair it or we want to replace it, at list pay us a part of what you’re owing us. Just pay two months of your debt,” he emphasized.

“You are not paying for the transformer you are not buying it.” After requesting to take some time to check on the status of the community’s debt, he reported that the N20 million which the reporter assumed to be the cost of the transformer is actually what the distribution company waved. ON the balance of the

N2.4 million, "I think they are owing six hundred and something thousand," Ofulue informed.

The source in the community said in a follow-up conversation that the two-month bill or 1+1 has been fully paid. She said youths from the community paid a visit to IKEDC Wednesday but no response had been received yet.

With 208-line items and an unspecified number of transformers slotted into the 2018 budget, it is obvious that the distribution companies and the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), will have fewer electricity utilities to buy than they should. Experts the reporter interacted with, say if the sum of N20 million was accrued before 2013 it is down to the Nigeria Electricity Liability Management Company (NELMCO) to recover the debt. While agreeing with Mr. Ofulue that there are lots of debt in the distribution network, one of the experts noted that instances of distribution companies not providing transformers for communities when they get spoiled and living them disconnected, is common across the system. He maintained that the disconnection could have been done on an individual basis.

Electronics News Reports AddThis :  Featured Image :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 
https://ift.tt/2RHgQnH

An excited lady with a deep voice freely volunteered details of how residence of Arowojobe Community Development Area- a neighborhood of five streets in Oshodi, had tried for months to stave-off perpetual heat, fumes from generators and the blood-oozing tickles of mosquitoes, when she heard the person on the other end of the line was calling from Sahara Reporters. The transformer serving the neighbourhood got spoiled in October 2018 and getting a replacement has so far remained impossible.

“The transformer has a problem since October and they removed it since October. They asked us to pay some money- 1+1 or something like that. What it means is that the bill of last month, you will pay it double. So, we were asked to pay N2.4 million and we have paid up to N1.6. The transformer is N20 million, they waved it and told us to pay 2.4 million that is one+one.

“The problem is that we have already paid about 1.7 and no trace of the transformer has come. According to the resident who feels threatened by her drive to secure the transformer and therefore chose to stay anonymous, a list of creditors and debtors is published on request every day. The last time she went to check, the money to be paid per meter holder had increased.

“They ought to bring N8,000 per meter, now they are bringing N10,000.

We ought to have gone past N2 million with the N8,000 we have been paying per month. But they now increased it to N10,000 and said we have paid N1.7 million.

When we asked her for a copy of the creditor and debtor list the next day, the lady said she would not speak to us on the subject again. This is one of many communities that wait for months, and in some instances, years before they can get back on the national grid. There were however 208-line items carrying transformers in the 2018 budget cycle, which came to an end in June.

Misaligned transformers in the 2018 budget

In what Civic media lab— a media research centre, is observing to be a trend, multiple offices and departments in the Presidency undertake power related projects even though their mandate has naught to do with the subject. In a scan of the 2018 appropriation act, 208-line items pertaining to the provision, installation, and construction of 500, 300 and 33 Kilo Volt Amp (KVA) transformers were found. 161 of such projects were placed under ministries with the mandate to offer such services. The remaining 47-line items were unpacked into ministries with no clear directive for the execution of such projects. 

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture has seven transformer related line items. The Federal Ministry of Education were given eight, seven of which have no identified location. IN the Federal Ministry of Health, there was a project to deliver a 300 KVA transformer to an unnamed location. The Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, which is chiefly concerned with shaping public opinion about the government, is empowered to provide one transformer. Even the Ministry of Labour and Employment who has a mandate two maintain a smooth working relationship between the government and its employees were to build two transformers in the 2018 budget. 

Surprisingly, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation was to execute two electrical projects. If the SGF had his, it was appropriate to show the genuine interest of the federal government in making power available across the country by committing the State Headquarters to carry out the provision of two electrical installations to places outside the premises of the Federal Capital Territory.

The Ministry of Science and Technology received instructions to complete 10— one of which is the construction of a transformer production plant. 

This, however, falls under its mandate. The ministry of Transportation was instructed to add three electrical set-ups to its overhaul of the country’s transport network, like the burden of the $45 billion worth of rails it needs to raise money to construct across the country is not much enough. The Federal Ministry of Water Resources was allotted the grand total of 12 when Nigeria’s water infrastructure and sources need revamping.

The Federal Ministry of Power, Works, and Housing whose primary duty it is to execute such projects, was duly loaded with 154-line items, while the Federal Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs which has the commission to carry out infrastructural development within the oil-producing region of the country, planned to execute six.

Project value

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development was given the largest envelope of N4.9 billion to execute its seven projects. The Ministry of Science and Technology got approval of N1.39 billion to deliver on its nine misaligned line items loaded with transformers and electric poles. The 12-line items assigned to the Federal Ministry of Water Resources were given N708.4 million. The Federal Ministry of Transportation’s three projects were allotted N324.9 million. The State Headquarters received N142.7 million to deliver on its two transformer related projects. The Federal Ministry of Education got N114.8 million for its eight projects. The Ministry of Labour and Employment was allocated N77 million. The Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation was given N50 million for its two projects, the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture received N37.8 million, while the Federal Ministry of Health got N15 million.

Poorly Described Projects

The absence of uniformity in the description of the line items found remained a trend. As seen in scans of the budget provisions for other ministries and departments and agencies have done before, some line items had several projects lumped together, others did not specify the number of transformers to be distributed and specific locations of where they were to be delivered or installed, some line items lacked either amount or location.

They were as generic as ‘procurement of transformer.’ In the Budget provision for the Federal Ministry of Education, Seven out of the eight-line items containing transformers or electricity utility related objects had no detail on where they should be supplied, installed or provided. Three out of the four projects simply read: procurement of transformer, ‘procurement of transformers and installation, ‘supply and installation of a transformer.’ The other four project descriptions had extensive details of how many poles, solar streetlights, transformers, and generators needed provision and installation but there was no mention of where they should be delivered to except for a single vague line item that read: “Provision of 90 electric poles, wiring of college compound and set of 500 KVA/33 to 415 KV transformers and installations.” 

The name of the school whose ‘college compound’ needed wiring was not stated. The wording of the line item also indicated that three projects were haphazardly described together.

In FMARD’s allotment, it proposed to spend the same amount of money— N701 million on the provision of an unspecified number of 500 KVA transformers to all the six geopolitical zones.

One of the two projects assigned to the Ministry of Labour and Employment says: “Supply of transformers for Owerri federal constituency.”

According to INEC, there is no federal constituency with that name. the closest reference is Owerri Municipal/Owerri North/Owerri West, which is in Imo State. The description does not indicate what size of the transformer as stated in other project details.

As generic as it comes, the Federal Ministry of Water Resources has in its list of transformers carrying line items one that reads: “Provision of 2 numbers of 500KVA/33 transformers in Benue State.” 

Again, the description lacked detail on where in Benue the transformer should be supplied and installed.

Repeated Projects

Besides injecting line items that are not their responsibility and giving vague project descriptions, certain Ministries stretched the width of the red flags a couple of more inches by repeating line items.

The Federal Ministry of Education turned out to be the chief defaulters, ticking the three patterns Civic Media Lab observed. Besides executing misaligned projects, and giving a vague description of their budget line items, the ministry gave the same description twice with different codes:

“Purchase and installation of 250KVA generator and 300KV transformer.” 

They were, however, written with code ERGP23107797 and code ERGP23105045. Both codes are allotted N22 million. Also guilty of this is the Office to the Secretary of the Government of the Federation. The two-line items approved for the office in the 2018 budget cycle, all read:

“Procurement and installation of 33/300KVA transformers in rural communities in Udenu/Igbo-Eze North, Enugu State.” They were coded with  ERGP445002277 and ERGP445001698. The two codes were apportioned 25,000,000. (N25 million) each.

Project distribution by State

If funding is released for all the line items under observation, nine of the projects described will be executed in Imo state. Three will be done in Kogi, Kwara, and Anambra. Tenders for two projects should be sent out within the 2018 budget cycle in Enugu while a single project each was assigned to Ebonyi, Rivers, Kano, Abia, Ogun, Oyo, FCT, Delta, Lagos, and Benue.

The back page story

Sahara Reporters reached out to Felix Ofulue, Public Relations Officer of Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company to understand what exactly 1+1 means:

“It’s a business policy. If I go and check Arowojobe right now, I’m sure they will have a bill which they cannot pay,” Ofulue said.

“What happens is, when your transformer gets spoiled, we can’t use the money we are getting from other communities to pay for you. Do you have to also pay a part of your bill now?

“If Arowojobe as a community owes us about N15 million and we tell them that ‘Your transformer is spoiled oh!’

“Even if we want to repair it or we want to replace it, at list pay us a part of what you’re owing us. Just pay two months of your debt,” he emphasized.

“You are not paying for the transformer you are not buying it.” After requesting to take some time to check on the status of the community’s debt, he reported that the N20 million which the reporter assumed to be the cost of the transformer is actually what the distribution company waved. ON the balance of the

N2.4 million, "I think they are owing six hundred and something thousand," Ofulue informed.

The source in the community said in a follow-up conversation that the two-month bill or 1+1 has been fully paid. She said youths from the community paid a visit to IKEDC Wednesday but no response had been received yet.

With 208-line items and an unspecified number of transformers slotted into the 2018 budget, it is obvious that the distribution companies and the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), will have fewer electricity utilities to buy than they should. Experts the reporter interacted with, say if the sum of N20 million was accrued before 2013 it is down to the Nigeria Electricity Liability Management Company (NELMCO) to recover the debt. While agreeing with Mr. Ofulue that there are lots of debt in the distribution network, one of the experts noted that instances of distribution companies not providing transformers for communities when they get spoiled and living them disconnected, is common across the system. He maintained that the disconnection could have been done on an individual basis.

Electronics News Reports AddThis :  Featured Image :  Original Author :  SaharaReporters, New York Disable advertisements : 
https://ift.tt/2RHgQnH

Senior lawyer, Godwin Obla in court for trial

The Federal High Court in Abuja has refused to restrain the Federal Inland Revenue Service and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from arresting a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Godwin Obla, over alleged failure to pay tax.

Justice Taiwo O. Taiwo refused Obla’s prayer for an order of injunction restraining the respondents “from harassing, intimidating or humiliating” him “by arresting and/or detaining him or by otherwise preferring a criminal charge against him”.

The Obla prayed the court to hold that they could not arrest him without undertaking a revision of his objection to a notice of tax assessment issued him by FIRS.

Justice Taiwo further refused Obla’s prayer for an order of declaration that the body with the power to recommend or initiate criminal prosecution of any person to the attorney general of the Federation (AGF), state or any other relevant law enforcement agency in respect of any tax assessment is the tax appeal tribunal.

The judge also refused the applicant’s prayer to restrain the respondents or their agents from investigating or extending any summons to him “in respect of anything to do with the notice of tax assessment dated 31st May 2018 issued by the first respondent until the final determination of the applicant’s objection”.

Justice Taiwo, however, granted Obla’s prayer for a declaration that the relevant tax authority with the power and mandate to assess or collect personal income tax from Abuja residents is the Federal Capital Territory Inland Revenue Service (FCT IRS).

The court also granted Obla’s prayer for an order declaring that the issuance of tax clearance certificates by the FCT IRS in favour of the applicant is conclusive proof of assessment and payment of income tax for the years covered by the certificates.

The court held that the respondents could not lawfully take any steps to initiate or undertake any criminal prosecution of Obla on the basis of the notice of tax assessment issued by the FIRS without undertaking a revision of the plaintiff’s objection to an assessment.

Obla, who owns the firm, Obla & Company, in a July 31, 2018, originating summons, prayed the court to determine whether, in view of relevant laws, the FIRS has the jurisdiction to assess and collect personal income tax from him, being an Abuja resident and whose business is within the FCT.

Obla argued that the proper agency to request tax assessment in this regard is the FCT Inland Revenue Service and not the respondents.

But, FIRS contended that the lawyer did not pay tax from 2010 to 2014, which was prior to the establishment of the FCT IRS, and that as such, it was the right agency to assess the plaintiff for the years.

The first defendant also pointed out that it is empowered by law to co-opt any government agency for purposes of tax recovery from defaulters.

EFCC told the court that it is a statutory body charged with the responsibility of investigating all reported cases of economic and financial crimes in Nigeria.

The commission said it can collaborate with other government bodies within and outside Nigeria to fight economic and financial crimes, of which tax evasion and tax fraud are part and parcel.

Justice Taiwo, after considering the relevant sections, upheld FIR and EFCC’s powers to investigate tax evasion, tax fraud, and other tax-related crimes.

He held: “I am of the view that I have covered all the salient issues raised as issues for determination even by the sole issue proffered by the court. I hereby grant prayer one in whole.

“I grant prayer two only to the extent that the issuance of a tax certificate by the Federal Capital Territory Inland Revenue Service is proof of assessment and payment of income tax for the years covered by the said certificates before the operation of the Federal Capital Territory Inland Revenue Service Act.

“I grant prayer three. Prayers four, five and six are refused. The parties before the court are advised to respect the provisions of the law and conform to the laws in this matter. This is my judgment.”

 

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Senior lawyer, Godwin Obla in court for trial

The Federal High Court in Abuja has refused to restrain the Federal Inland Revenue Service and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from arresting a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Godwin Obla, over alleged failure to pay tax.

Justice Taiwo O. Taiwo refused Obla’s prayer for an order of injunction restraining the respondents “from harassing, intimidating or humiliating” him “by arresting and/or detaining him or by otherwise preferring a criminal charge against him”.

The Obla prayed the court to hold that they could not arrest him without undertaking a revision of his objection to a notice of tax assessment issued him by FIRS.

Justice Taiwo further refused Obla’s prayer for an order of declaration that the body with the power to recommend or initiate criminal prosecution of any person to the attorney general of the Federation (AGF), state or any other relevant law enforcement agency in respect of any tax assessment is the tax appeal tribunal.

The judge also refused the applicant’s prayer to restrain the respondents or their agents from investigating or extending any summons to him “in respect of anything to do with the notice of tax assessment dated 31st May 2018 issued by the first respondent until the final determination of the applicant’s objection”.

Justice Taiwo, however, granted Obla’s prayer for a declaration that the relevant tax authority with the power and mandate to assess or collect personal income tax from Abuja residents is the Federal Capital Territory Inland Revenue Service (FCT IRS).

The court also granted Obla’s prayer for an order declaring that the issuance of tax clearance certificates by the FCT IRS in favour of the applicant is conclusive proof of assessment and payment of income tax for the years covered by the certificates.

The court held that the respondents could not lawfully take any steps to initiate or undertake any criminal prosecution of Obla on the basis of the notice of tax assessment issued by the FIRS without undertaking a revision of the plaintiff’s objection to an assessment.

Obla, who owns the firm, Obla & Company, in a July 31, 2018, originating summons, prayed the court to determine whether, in view of relevant laws, the FIRS has the jurisdiction to assess and collect personal income tax from him, being an Abuja resident and whose business is within the FCT.

Obla argued that the proper agency to request tax assessment in this regard is the FCT Inland Revenue Service and not the respondents.

But, FIRS contended that the lawyer did not pay tax from 2010 to 2014, which was prior to the establishment of the FCT IRS, and that as such, it was the right agency to assess the plaintiff for the years.

The first defendant also pointed out that it is empowered by law to co-opt any government agency for purposes of tax recovery from defaulters.

EFCC told the court that it is a statutory body charged with the responsibility of investigating all reported cases of economic and financial crimes in Nigeria.

The commission said it can collaborate with other government bodies within and outside Nigeria to fight economic and financial crimes, of which tax evasion and tax fraud are part and parcel.

Justice Taiwo, after considering the relevant sections, upheld FIR and EFCC’s powers to investigate tax evasion, tax fraud, and other tax-related crimes.

He held: “I am of the view that I have covered all the salient issues raised as issues for determination even by the sole issue proffered by the court. I hereby grant prayer one in whole.

“I grant prayer two only to the extent that the issuance of a tax certificate by the Federal Capital Territory Inland Revenue Service is proof of assessment and payment of income tax for the years covered by the said certificates before the operation of the Federal Capital Territory Inland Revenue Service Act.

“I grant prayer three. Prayers four, five and six are refused. The parties before the court are advised to respect the provisions of the law and conform to the laws in this matter. This is my judgment.”

 

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The Centre Against Impunity, a civil society group, has kicked against the illegal arrest and unlawful detention of 22 Nigerians by the Nigerian Navy, describing it as an of impunity.

A statement issued in Lagos on Thursday and signed by Comrade Shina Loremikan said 22 people were sacked, arrested and detained illegally by the navy.

He said after the dismissal of one Captain Labinjo and Lt Commander Ibe Lambert and the 20 others, the armed force was ordered by a federal high court and the Supreme Court to reinstate but the victims.

However, the naval authorities have refused to obey the court orders.

"The Nigerian Navy rather than comply with the said order of release surreptitiously removed all the detainees to an unknown location," Loremikan said.

The names of the detainees are Captain D.O Labinjo,  Lt. Commander Sherifat Ibe Lambert, Segun Yusuf, Benjamin Gold, Petter Pulle, Pius Paul, Onoja Reuben, Adeleke Adewale, Labinjo Kehinde, Ogunmoyero Oluwaseun, Emmanuel Oputa, and Innocent Sunday, Lejoro Friday.

Others are Hamza Yakubu, Master Melvin Jack, Chief Mate Adebayo Mayowa, Chief Mate Francis Onyema, Engr Godwill Umoh, Bosin Miebaka Iyala, Edu Fidelis, Richard David, and Daniel Harrison.

"We act for and on behalf of the above-listed persons and their distraught families to bring to the fore the injustice meted to them," Loremikan added.

Continuing in the statement, he said: "That the said dismissal was held unlawful by the federal high court of Nigeria and both Captain D O Labinjo and Lt Commander Ibe Lambert were ordered to be reinstated.

"That the Nigerian Navy appealed the decision up to the appeal court and the Supreme Court and lost. Rather than comply with the lawful order of the court as affirmed by both the court of appeal and the Supreme Court, the Nigerian Navy resorted to self-help with the sole aim of denying them the fruit of their judgment."

He further alleged that the naval authority began a systemic and deliberate physical, emotional and psychological attacks on Labinjo, his wife, children, friends, and businesses.

"The arrest and detention were effected by an ex parte order from a magistrate's court. However, after three months and the magistrate being made aware of the true fact of the case, the said magistrate court vacated the order of arrest and detention and ordered the release of all the detainees forthwith," the statement added.

The detainees, Loremikan reiterated, had approached the court for an order enforcing their fundamental rights. This was granted with the court directing the Nigerian Navy to release the detainees.

"That all detainees have been denied access to their solicitors, doctors and family members and that the denial by the Naval Authority of the whereabouts of these detainees raises grave concern for their safety and well-being.

"That it is sad that in a democracy, Nigerian citizens were detained for almost a year without bail or trial contrary to the provision of the constitution," the statement pointed out.

"One is bound, therefore, to ask why the Nigerian Navy is refusing to obey the order of the federal high court," said Loremkina, "directing the release of all these Nigerian citizens. Is Nigerian Navy above the constitution?"

He noted further: "It’s appalling that Nigerian Navy that is supposed to set a good example for other institutions to follow, but they have instead shown flagrant disobedience to a lawful court order by openly promoting lawlessness in our nation from the vantage point of their power and position."

In 2001, Labinjo and his wife were indicted and charged before a general court-martial. They were tried and convicted for the offence of disobedience of orders contrary to Section 57  of the Armed Forces Decree No 105 of 1993; conduct prejudicial to good order and service discipline contrary to Section 103 (1) of the Armed Forces Decree No 105 of 1993; scandalous conduct contrary to Section 91 of the Armed Forces Decree No 105 of 1999 all as amended. 

In response to his being brought before the court-martial, he applied to the Federal High Court in Lagos, asking for a review of the composition of the court-martial.

On May 3, 2004, the court granted him his appeal and ordered his reinstatement. It ruled that the conviction by the court-martial was "null and void".

On May 30, 2004, the Navy filed an appeal to the court of appeal in Lagos.

On May 12, 2005, the court of appeal struck out the case for  "want of diligent prosecution". 

The counsel to the Navy failed to show up in the court on the day the judgment was struck out.

On June 1, 2012, the Supreme Court, led by former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen, unanimously ruled that the case brought by the Navy had no merit. 

Onnoghen had said in his lead judgment that the lower court whose judgment the navy sought to set aside, was rightly struck out as it appeared that the appellant was trying to stall the trial in order to stop the respondent from enjoying the "fruits of the judgment in his favour by the lower court".

In September 2018, the navy stormed Labinjo’s compound, arrested him, his wife and 20 staff, as detailed by the Centre Against Impunity.

In May 2019, Femi Falana, human right lawyer, wrote to President Muhammadu Buhari, requesting his intervention and the prosecution of the naval officers involved. 

The navy had earlier in that month denied knowing the whereabouts of 15 of the detainees, saying they had disappeared from custody.

Falana’s letter to Buhari contained 40 detainees. 

He said some were detained in a vessel, while others were held in Abuja.

The navy is also refusing to reinstate Labinjo and his wife or pay the N50,000 awarded to Labinjo by the Supreme Court.

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The Centre Against Impunity, a civil society group, has kicked against the illegal arrest and unlawful detention of 22 Nigerians by the Nigerian Navy, describing it as an of impunity.

A statement issued in Lagos on Thursday and signed by Comrade Shina Loremikan said 22 people were sacked, arrested and detained illegally by the navy.

He said after the dismissal of one Captain Labinjo and Lt Commander Ibe Lambert and the 20 others, the armed force was ordered by a federal high court and the Supreme Court to reinstate but the victims.

However, the naval authorities have refused to obey the court orders.

"The Nigerian Navy rather than comply with the said order of release surreptitiously removed all the detainees to an unknown location," Loremikan said.

The names of the detainees are Captain D.O Labinjo,  Lt. Commander Sherifat Ibe Lambert, Segun Yusuf, Benjamin Gold, Petter Pulle, Pius Paul, Onoja Reuben, Adeleke Adewale, Labinjo Kehinde, Ogunmoyero Oluwaseun, Emmanuel Oputa, and Innocent Sunday, Lejoro Friday.

Others are Hamza Yakubu, Master Melvin Jack, Chief Mate Adebayo Mayowa, Chief Mate Francis Onyema, Engr Godwill Umoh, Bosin Miebaka Iyala, Edu Fidelis, Richard David, and Daniel Harrison.

"We act for and on behalf of the above-listed persons and their distraught families to bring to the fore the injustice meted to them," Loremikan added.

Continuing in the statement, he said: "That the said dismissal was held unlawful by the federal high court of Nigeria and both Captain D O Labinjo and Lt Commander Ibe Lambert were ordered to be reinstated.

"That the Nigerian Navy appealed the decision up to the appeal court and the Supreme Court and lost. Rather than comply with the lawful order of the court as affirmed by both the court of appeal and the Supreme Court, the Nigerian Navy resorted to self-help with the sole aim of denying them the fruit of their judgment."

He further alleged that the naval authority began a systemic and deliberate physical, emotional and psychological attacks on Labinjo, his wife, children, friends, and businesses.

"The arrest and detention were effected by an ex parte order from a magistrate's court. However, after three months and the magistrate being made aware of the true fact of the case, the said magistrate court vacated the order of arrest and detention and ordered the release of all the detainees forthwith," the statement added.

The detainees, Loremikan reiterated, had approached the court for an order enforcing their fundamental rights. This was granted with the court directing the Nigerian Navy to release the detainees.

"That all detainees have been denied access to their solicitors, doctors and family members and that the denial by the Naval Authority of the whereabouts of these detainees raises grave concern for their safety and well-being.

"That it is sad that in a democracy, Nigerian citizens were detained for almost a year without bail or trial contrary to the provision of the constitution," the statement pointed out.

"One is bound, therefore, to ask why the Nigerian Navy is refusing to obey the order of the federal high court," said Loremkina, "directing the release of all these Nigerian citizens. Is Nigerian Navy above the constitution?"

He noted further: "It’s appalling that Nigerian Navy that is supposed to set a good example for other institutions to follow, but they have instead shown flagrant disobedience to a lawful court order by openly promoting lawlessness in our nation from the vantage point of their power and position."

In 2001, Labinjo and his wife were indicted and charged before a general court-martial. They were tried and convicted for the offence of disobedience of orders contrary to Section 57  of the Armed Forces Decree No 105 of 1993; conduct prejudicial to good order and service discipline contrary to Section 103 (1) of the Armed Forces Decree No 105 of 1993; scandalous conduct contrary to Section 91 of the Armed Forces Decree No 105 of 1999 all as amended. 

In response to his being brought before the court-martial, he applied to the Federal High Court in Lagos, asking for a review of the composition of the court-martial.

On May 3, 2004, the court granted him his appeal and ordered his reinstatement. It ruled that the conviction by the court-martial was "null and void".

On May 30, 2004, the Navy filed an appeal to the court of appeal in Lagos.

On May 12, 2005, the court of appeal struck out the case for  "want of diligent prosecution". 

The counsel to the Navy failed to show up in the court on the day the judgment was struck out.

On June 1, 2012, the Supreme Court, led by former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen, unanimously ruled that the case brought by the Navy had no merit. 

Onnoghen had said in his lead judgment that the lower court whose judgment the navy sought to set aside, was rightly struck out as it appeared that the appellant was trying to stall the trial in order to stop the respondent from enjoying the "fruits of the judgment in his favour by the lower court".

In September 2018, the navy stormed Labinjo’s compound, arrested him, his wife and 20 staff, as detailed by the Centre Against Impunity.

In May 2019, Femi Falana, human right lawyer, wrote to President Muhammadu Buhari, requesting his intervention and the prosecution of the naval officers involved. 

The navy had earlier in that month denied knowing the whereabouts of 15 of the detainees, saying they had disappeared from custody.

Falana’s letter to Buhari contained 40 detainees. 

He said some were detained in a vessel, while others were held in Abuja.

The navy is also refusing to reinstate Labinjo and his wife or pay the N50,000 awarded to Labinjo by the Supreme Court.

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Following the Wednesday adjournment of the tax dispute lawsuit between Nigeria and telecommunications giant, MTN Nigeria, the shares of the company have dropped on Thursday to their lowest level since the firm was listed last May. 

The court case between Nigeria and MTN Group was adjourned until October 29.

Analysts said the court adjournment created uncertainty for investors as the tax dispute would continue to linger, Reuters reports.

Shares in MTN, the local unit of South African telecoms group MTN Group, dropped 2.4% to N128.75 each, their lowest level since May 21. 

They were still above their initial public offer price of N99 when the company listed on May 16.

Nigeria's attorney general, Abubakar Malami hit MTN Nigeria with a $2 billion tax bill last September. 

MTN Nigeria listed with a valuation of N2 trillion, making it the second-biggest company on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. 

It climbed to as high as N159.30 in the days after listing.

The listing came after the South African group resolved another dispute in Nigeria over unregistered SIM cards. 

In December, it made a $53 million payment to resolve a money transfer allegation out of Nigeria, levelled by the central bank.

Nigeria is MTN's biggest market, with 58 million users in 2018 and accounting for a third of the group's core profit. 

MTN has said it would sell more shares to the public and increase local ownership in MTN Nigeria once the tax row was resolved.

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Following the Wednesday adjournment of the tax dispute lawsuit between Nigeria and telecommunications giant, MTN Nigeria, the shares of the company have dropped on Thursday to their lowest level since the firm was listed last May. 

The court case between Nigeria and MTN Group was adjourned until October 29.

Analysts said the court adjournment created uncertainty for investors as the tax dispute would continue to linger, Reuters reports.

Shares in MTN, the local unit of South African telecoms group MTN Group, dropped 2.4% to N128.75 each, their lowest level since May 21. 

They were still above their initial public offer price of N99 when the company listed on May 16.

Nigeria's attorney general, Abubakar Malami hit MTN Nigeria with a $2 billion tax bill last September. 

MTN Nigeria listed with a valuation of N2 trillion, making it the second-biggest company on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. 

It climbed to as high as N159.30 in the days after listing.

The listing came after the South African group resolved another dispute in Nigeria over unregistered SIM cards. 

In December, it made a $53 million payment to resolve a money transfer allegation out of Nigeria, levelled by the central bank.

Nigeria is MTN's biggest market, with 58 million users in 2018 and accounting for a third of the group's core profit. 

MTN has said it would sell more shares to the public and increase local ownership in MTN Nigeria once the tax row was resolved.

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The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) has warned that all unqualified teachers in Nigeria would be flushed out of the classroom by the end of the year. 

According to its Registrar, Prof. Segun Ajiboye, December 31, 2019, remains the deadline for unqualified teachers in the country to acquire the necessary licence.

The council had set the December 31 to rid the nation’s classrooms of unqualified teachers.

The TRCN boss gave the reminder while speaking with journalists in Ibadan and revealed that the National Council of Education has set the deadline for all teachers in Nigerian classrooms to get registered, qualified and licensed by the TRCN.

The Federal Ministry of Education had on June 7, 2019, sent a circular to all school principals declaring December 31, 2019, as the deadline for unqualified teachers to leave Nigerian classrooms.

Ajiboye said Nigeria needs quality teachers to deliver quality education and not ‘cheaters’.

He pointed out that the ultimate goal of the notice was to remove quackery from the teaching profession in order to ensure that only those with required competencies give Nigerian children quality education.

He said, “You need quality teachers to deliver quality education. The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria’s mandate is to determine those who are teachers in terms of their qualifications and registration with the agency.”

He urged those yet to be registered to take the opportunity of the qualifying tests and get registered by the council before the deadline.

“There is still time to be registered. The window of opportunity is still open. Yes, we are not backing down on the December 31, 2019, deadline given by the National Council on Education for all teachers in Nigeria to get qualified, registered and licensed by the TRCN. The FME is supporting TRCN in every way possible to achieve this target.”

Ajiboye added that teacher professionalism has become very imperative through appropriate regulatory standards as prescribed by the teaching regulatory authority in the country.

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The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) has warned that all unqualified teachers in Nigeria would be flushed out of the classroom by the end of the year. 

According to its Registrar, Prof. Segun Ajiboye, December 31, 2019, remains the deadline for unqualified teachers in the country to acquire the necessary licence.

The council had set the December 31 to rid the nation’s classrooms of unqualified teachers.

The TRCN boss gave the reminder while speaking with journalists in Ibadan and revealed that the National Council of Education has set the deadline for all teachers in Nigerian classrooms to get registered, qualified and licensed by the TRCN.

The Federal Ministry of Education had on June 7, 2019, sent a circular to all school principals declaring December 31, 2019, as the deadline for unqualified teachers to leave Nigerian classrooms.

Ajiboye said Nigeria needs quality teachers to deliver quality education and not ‘cheaters’.

He pointed out that the ultimate goal of the notice was to remove quackery from the teaching profession in order to ensure that only those with required competencies give Nigerian children quality education.

He said, “You need quality teachers to deliver quality education. The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria’s mandate is to determine those who are teachers in terms of their qualifications and registration with the agency.”

He urged those yet to be registered to take the opportunity of the qualifying tests and get registered by the council before the deadline.

“There is still time to be registered. The window of opportunity is still open. Yes, we are not backing down on the December 31, 2019, deadline given by the National Council on Education for all teachers in Nigeria to get qualified, registered and licensed by the TRCN. The FME is supporting TRCN in every way possible to achieve this target.”

Ajiboye added that teacher professionalism has become very imperative through appropriate regulatory standards as prescribed by the teaching regulatory authority in the country.

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A Brazilian air force officer travelling with President Jair Bolsonaro’s G20 team has been arrested after being caught with 39 kilograms of cocaine.

The officer was detained in Seville, Spain, when the back-up plane travelling to Osaka made a stop-over, a statement released by the Brazilian defence ministry said.

It said: “The defence ministry informs that, on Tuesday 25 June, an air force officer suspected of transporting narcotic substances was detained in Seville airport in Spain.

“The military man is detained at the disposal of the Spanish authorities. The aeronautics command established a military police inquiry (IPM) to determine all the circumstances of the case.

“Measures to prevent such illicit acts are adopted on a regular basis. In view of this, these measures will be strengthened.”

Mr. Bolsonaro was travelling on a separate plane and reacted to the arrest on Tuesday on Twitter, saying he had asked the defence ministry to cooperate with Spanish authorities.

He said: “I immediately ordered the defence minister to cooperate with Spanish police to establish the facts and cooperate with every stage of the investigation, and to launch an investigation by the military police.

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A Brazilian air force officer travelling with President Jair Bolsonaro’s G20 team has been arrested after being caught with 39 kilograms of cocaine.

The officer was detained in Seville, Spain, when the back-up plane travelling to Osaka made a stop-over, a statement released by the Brazilian defence ministry said.

It said: “The defence ministry informs that, on Tuesday 25 June, an air force officer suspected of transporting narcotic substances was detained in Seville airport in Spain.

“The military man is detained at the disposal of the Spanish authorities. The aeronautics command established a military police inquiry (IPM) to determine all the circumstances of the case.

“Measures to prevent such illicit acts are adopted on a regular basis. In view of this, these measures will be strengthened.”

Mr. Bolsonaro was travelling on a separate plane and reacted to the arrest on Tuesday on Twitter, saying he had asked the defence ministry to cooperate with Spanish authorities.

He said: “I immediately ordered the defence minister to cooperate with Spanish police to establish the facts and cooperate with every stage of the investigation, and to launch an investigation by the military police.

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Following the statement made by Muhammad Sanusi II, the Emir of Kano, over unfavourable economic policies leading the country to bankruptcy, the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) and the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) have joined the call for the President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government to scrap the fuel subsidy regime

On Tuesday, Sanusi, a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, had urged President Muhammadu Buhari to remove the subsidy regime.

In its reaction to the Emir’s call, NECA stated it had always maintained that the fuel subsidy should be scrapped as it is a conduit for corruption. 

The Director General of NECA, Mr. Timothy Olawale, stated this to Punch.

Olawale explained: “As far as we are concerned, fuel subsidy is a conduit for corruption. It is a means of enriching certain individuals. 

Such money going into fuel subsidy should be channelled into a productive sector of the economy and not consumption.”

The President of CIBN, Dr. Uche Olowu, stated that the Nigerian government must find a way to cushion the effect when subsidy isremoved. 

“There will be pain in the short term. But in the long term, they will use the money from that subsidy to upgrade infrastructure that will encourage wealth creation activities, which will increase employment,” he said.

The Lead Director, Centre for Social Justice, CSJ, Mr. Eze Onyekpere, said the continuation of the subsidy would compound the woes of Nigerians. 

“Continuing subsidies on petrol will compound our funding crisis. So, I support the Emir of Kano that the fuel subsidy should be removed because it is in line with what we have been talking about.

“We are worried that despite the price of crude oil selling above the benchmark price in the last couple of years, we have hardly met the production target of 2.3 million barrels a day. The recent disclosure that the country produces less than two million barrels a day falls in line with the trajectory of this challenge.

“The dominance of oil in the revenue profile, as well as the relatively meagre revenue expected from the non-oil sector, compounds the revenue challenge. Increasing recurrent expenditure accruing from the increased public minimum wage will imply that we have to partly fund salaries with borrowed money which is not sustainable either in the short, medium or long term,” he said.

 

The Corporate Affairs Director, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Mr. Ambrose Oruche, maintained that the official position of the body remains the stance it took in 2014 when it called for the removal of fuel subsidy.

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Nigeria's National Pension Commission says state governments operating the contributory pension scheme have refused to remit about N3.4 billion pension contributions deducted from their workers' monthly salaries into their retirement savings accounts with their pension fund administrators.

The acting Director General of the pension commission, Aisha Dahir-Umar, made this revelation during the second quarter consultative forum for states in Lagos on Wednesday.

She pointed out that N8.09 billion was remitted as pension contributions in the first quarter of 2019.

“Based on PFAs’ returns, over N3.4 billion pension contributions are uncredited into state employees’ RSAs as of May 31, 2019, and the age analysis showed that over 38 percent of this amount had been outstanding for over one year," Dahir-Umar revealed to the forum.

The pension commission boss, noted further that a major item, which should occupy a pride of place during deliberations, was the recurring issue of uncredited remittances, which denied concerned employees the investment income that should have accrued to them.

She added that it was heart-warming to observe the steady progress of the implementation of the CPS in the states, especially with regards to the remittance of pension contributions. 

The PenCom boss explained: “Returns submitted to the commission by the PFAs showed that over N8.09bn was remitted to them as pension contributions of state employees in the first quarter of 2019."

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