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Deepening Fight Against Pandemic COVID-19:NYSC On Focus

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Feature: Deepening Fight Against Pandemic COVID-19 : NYSC On Focus

By Christopher Lot

The fight against the existence of mankind which COVID-19 portends has taken a new dimension in Nigeria, as confirmed cases of community infections have been on the upward swing across the States and Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

This unfortunate development has assumed grave danger to the wellbeing of the entire population, and a potential set back to the earlier perceived gains recorded in the fight against the pandemic by the country.

Doubtlessly, the situation at hand requires urgent and coordinated approach to contain.

In response to this critical challenge posed by the scourge, which has decimated scores of lives in Nigeria, members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) who have been in the frontline of the national effort to stem the tide of the pandemic have rejigged their campaign efforts against the hydra – headed monster – extending the battle line to the rural areas, a move in tandem with the community development strides which the Scheme has espoused in over 46 years of its existence.

Unarguably endowed with a reservoir of talented and educated virile – youths, exuding great energy, with specialisations cutting across diverse fields of study, the Corps through its members has continued to initiate and execute a number of interventions nationwide in support of the national aspirations to flatten the COVID – 19 curve.

For instance, as part of their responsibilities in respect of the Health Initiative for Rural Dwellers(HIRD); a Community Development Service programme of the Scheme, Corps Medical Personnel run mobile clinics, traversing the nooks and crannies of the country, providing essential and quality free medicare to the people, especially the less privileged in the society.

The programme serves as a platform for addressing the health challenges of the rural communities, particularly those that experience difficulties in accessing healthcare.

Under the programme, a periodic medical outreach to the rural communities is carried out, and usually lasts for one week. Apart from the centrally coordinated outreaches conducted simultaneously nationwide, each NYSC State/FCT Secretariats also mobilises the Corps medical teams to conduct outreaches in the various communities on quarterly basis.

In addition, Corps members in different localities work out a schedule, where they move from one community to another, within their host communities to sensitise the populace on the safety protocols of COVID – 19.

This structure is available, functional and playing a critical role in complementing government’s efforts to curb the rising cases of COVID-19 through community infection in Nigeria.

During the sensitisation programme, Corps members preach and demonstrate social distancing, regular hand washing, use of surface and hand sanitisers, as well as wearing of face masks which have proven to be effective in curtailing the spread of the highly infectious virus.

It is heartwarming to note that these Nigerians, burning with youthful energy and zest, always ready to impact positively on the nation also produced and donated to the Federal and State Governments, in addition to some communities NYSC customised face masks, hand sanitisers and liquid soap.

The sensitisation campaign equally involved advocacy visits to prominent traditional rulers in their respective communities, police stations, worship centres, and other public places where community theatre; drama, stand – up comedy and film shows are utilised by the Corps members as veritable tools to educate the public on the pandemic, while observing social distancing.

It is imperative to state that the theatre outreach equally affords the Corps members the platform to donate cartons of hand sanitisers, liquid soap and facemasks to the institutions, while the materials are also placed at some strategic locations for public use.

To make the message more penetrating, banners, billboards on the raging issue are strategically positioned, while radio and television programmes on COVID-19 are anchored by Corps members periodically in English language, pidgin English and other indigenous languages in the various media organisations across the country to drive home the message on COVID – 19 preventive measures.

In order to cushion the adverse effects of the quarantine order imposed across the nation, and encourage people to abide by COVID-19 protocols, Corps members distributed free of charge, food items and other essential palliatives to different households in some of the communities they visited for the advocacy.

Other areas of intervention include; enlightenment campaigns on environmental sanitation, refuse – disposal management, drug abuse, general hygiene and regular check of blood pressure and many others.

Corps members in the course of their assignments have also on several occasions identified disease – infested animals with a view to stopping the rural communities from consuming such animals that can be vectors of harmful bacteria and virus.

Interestingly, the Corps Pharmacists and Nurses posted to the rural areas assist in dispensing drugs effectively, as well as checking fake drugs in the Health Centres, and taking proper care of the patients in accordance with standard medical practice in conformity with COVID-19 protocols.

The gains derived from these campaigns are no doubt numerous, and cannot be quantified in monetary terms. Feedbacks across communities in the country indicate that the level of consciousness on COVID-19 is encouraging and reassuring.The rural dwellers do reach out to Corps members after the sensitisation exercises to seek further clarification on some emerging issues, or misconceptions about COVID-19. Such issues are promptly addressed by Corps members to the satisfaction of the people. For some of the rural dwellers, it is during such advocacy visits that they have the opportunity to interface with qualified medical doctors for the first time in their lives.

These interventions are increasingly consolidating and deepening government efforts in stemming the tide of community infections and effectively addressing COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria.

Still in support of the battle against the scourge and going down to the specifics, a Corps member serving in Kano, Abdullahi Sani fabricated an automated hand wash machine that dispenses water and liquid soap. Similarly, in Oyo State, a group of Corps members comprising; Adeyanju Adeyemi, Afolabi Victor and Ogunmoye Victor jointly fabricated a hand wash machine for the same purpose. In Kwara State Corps members Abdulsalam Abubakar and Obiefuna Ebuka constructed dual – faced hand wash dispenser.

In Ondo State, Corps member Israel Arogbonlo donated his one month stipend to the State Government in support of the Government’s effort to raise funds for the fight against the pandemic

In Lagos State, Corps members have been engaged by the State Government in the distribution of palliatives. In addition to that, Corps members in Lagos Island and Eti-Osa 1 Local Government Areas, donated food items and other palliatives to cushion the effect of the lockdown imposed in the State to check the pandemic.

In the same vein, Corps members in Abua/Odual Local Government Area of Rivers State donated cartons of food packs and hand sanitisers to the Local Government Council to support the Government’s efforts in the war against the virus.

In Arewa Local Government Area of Kebbi State, Corps members focused on fumigation of the Local Government Council Secretariat Complex, Staff Quarters, Police Station and Corps Lodges in the area, so as to rid them of Coronavirus and harmful microscopic organisms.

In Osogbo, Osun State, a Corps member, Omolara Kolawole donated cartons of food items to the State Government, While, Kingsley Dimkpa of Ebonyi State Secretariat produced and donated sanitisers and antiseptic soaps to the Afikpo Local Government Council in support of the national effort to curb the pandemic.

In Zamfara State, Corps members under the Charity Community Development Service Group donated cartons of food, detergents and other sanitary items to Gusau Motherless Orphanage Home.

Also, in Niger State Corps member Wonah Sunday Owuche donated food packs and sanitary items to the Niger State Orphanage Home Minna.

In Jos the Plateau State Capital, Corps member Joy Chioma Anyaegbu produced and donated to the State Government sanitisers and liquid soap in support of the effort to check the spread of the virus.

It is interesting to note that Corps members in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Gombe and Delta States were requested by their respective governments to mass produce face masks to meet the growing demand by the people.

In other states of the federation, several interventions by Corps members, tailored towards the battle are ongoing, ranging from the production and donation of hand sanitisers, liquid soap, face masks to strategic advocacy visits.

Over the years, the NYSC has served as a reliable stand – by partner of government at all levels, arising from its vantage position as a repository of sophisticated manpower, available across the length and breadth of communities in the country year-round. Notably, they are sufficiently detached from local local politics and prejudices. As such, they are the most suitable change agents driving the process of nation building.

Therefore, to develop the spirit of discipline and patriotism in the Corps members is not the duty of government alone. It should be a shared responsibility.

Consequently, the Scheme needs the concerted efforts and cooperation of all the tiers of government, in addition to host communities, corporate bodies and public – spirited individuals in order to sustain its steady growth and pivotal roles in national affairs.

Indeed, the NYSC remains a strategic institution and great asset to the nation. There is no gainsaying the fact that with the Scheme, the nation has put in place an enduring instrument of national cohesion and development, reckoned with, within and beyond the shores of Nigeria.

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Business

Tax Reform Bills: The Verdict of Nigerians

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Ismaila Ahmad Abdullahi Ph.D

The public hearings conducted recently by the two Chambers of the National Assembly have elicited positive responses from a broad spectrum of Nigerians, cutting across regional interest groups, government agencies, civil society groups, concerned individuals, the academia, and Labour Unions, among diverse others. Contrary to a few dissensions hitherto expressed in the media, almost all the stakeholders who spoke during the week-long sessions were unanimous in their declaration that the hallowed Chambers should pass the tax reform bills after a clean-up of the grey areas.

The public hearings were auspicious for all Nigerians desirous of economic growth and fiscal responsibility. They were also a watershed moment for the Federal Inland Revenue Service, which had been upbeat about the tax reforms. Indeed, the public hearings had rekindled hope in the tenets of democracy that guarantee freedom of expression and equitable space for cross-fertilisation of ideas. Without gainsaying the fact, the tax reform bills have been unarguably about the most thought-provoking issues in Nigeria today, drawing variegated perspectives and commentaries from even unlikely quarters such as the faith-based leaders, student bodies, and trade unions, which speaks much about the importance of the bills.

In the build-up to the public hearings, not many people believed that the bills would make it to the second reading, much less the public hearings. Even the Northern stakeholders who seemed unlikely to support the passage of the bills have softened their stance and have given valuable suggestions that would enrich the substance of the bills. The Arewa Consultative Forum came to the public hearings well-prepared with a printed booklet that addressed their concerns. It concluded with an advisory that the bills should be “Well planned, properly communicated, strategically implemented and ample dialogue and political consensus allowed for the reforms to be accepted.”

The concerns of ACF ranged from the composition of the proposed Nigeria Revenue Service Board as contained in Part 111, Section 7 of the bill, the unlimited Presidential power to exempt/wave tax payment as proposed in Section 75(1) of the bill, the family income or inheritance tax as contained in Part 1, Section 4(3) of the bill, to the issues around development levy and VAT. On the development levy, the ACF stated that unless the Federal Government is considering budgetary funding for TETFUND, NASENI and NITDA, it does not see the “wisdom behind the plan to replace (them) with NELFUND”.

The position of the North was equally reinforced by the Supreme Council for Shariah in Nigeria, Northern Elders Forum, Kano State Government, Professor Auwalu Yadudu, and the FCT Imams. Like the ACF, these stakeholders lent their respective voices to the Section on the Inheritance Tax in Part 1 of the bill and the use of the term ‘ecclesiastical’, which, in their views, undermines certain religious rights and beliefs. The Kano State Government, represented by Mahmud Sagagi, affirmed that “we support tax modernisation” but cautioned that “we must ensure that this process does not come at the expense of states’ constitutional rights and economic stability”. Professor Auwalu Yadudu, a constitutional law professor, drew attention to the use of the ‘supremacy clause’ and cautioned that the repeated use of “notwithstanding” in the bills would undermine the supremacy of the Nigerian constitution if passed as such.

Other stakeholders that made contributions at the sessions included the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas, Fiscal Responsibility Commission, Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria, Nigeria Customs Service, and a host of others. While most of their concerns bordered on technical issues requiring fine-tuning, they were unanimous in their support for the bills. They aligned with the position of the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Zacch Adedeji, Ph.D. and the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Mr Taiwo Oyedele, which is that the extant tax laws and fiscal regulations are obsolete necessitating reforms aimed at creating a fair and equitable tax and fiscal space to grow Nigeria’s economy.

In one of the sessions, Dr Zaach Adedeji expounded on the criss-cross of trade activities in the Free Trade Zone whereby companies misuse tax waivers as exporters to sell their goods or services in the Customs Area at an amount usually less than the price the operators in the Customs Area who pay VAT and other taxes sell theirs thereby disrupting business transactions. This way, the operators in the Free Trade Zone shortchange the government in paying their due taxes by circumventing extant regulations, which are inimical to the economy’s growth.

Overall, the presentations were forthright, foresighted, and helpful in elucidating the issues contained in the bills. According to the statistics read out at the end of the hearings at the Senate, 75 stakeholders were invited, 65 made submissions, and 61 made presentations. At the House of Representatives 53 stakeholders made presentations. By all means, this is a fair representation. Given the presentations, it is evident that the National Assembly has gathered enough materials to guide its deliberations on the bills. As we look forward to the passage of the bills, we commend the leadership of the National Assembly for their unwavering commitment to making the bills see the light of the day.

Abdullahi is the Director of the Communications and Liaison Department, FIRS.

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