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2023; NORTH EAST GROUP CAUTTIONS MEDIA, CIVIL SOCIETY AGAINST BLACKMAIL

Published

2 years ago

October 23, 2022

BY Abdul lateef Bamgbose

Group of North East pressure and rescue group and Arewa youth has called on the media and the Civil Society not to allow themselves being used as an instrument and weapon of blackmail by desperate politicians who would want to use them to cover up their inefficiencies and woeful performance in office.

The group led by the coordinator of the North East pressure group and chieftain of the All progressive Congress ( APC), Dr. Garus Gololo, gave the advice in Abuja on Sunday at a press conference while reacting to a statement credited to a self-styled Corruption Track Network( CTN) On an alleged ultimatum given to the former Chief of Air staff Air marshal Sadique Abubakar and his wife sadiya Umar Farouq , the minister of Humanitarian Affairs , Disaster management and social Development over an alleged allegations of various forms of corruption practices and human right abuses.

The CTN in a statement signed by the Country Director of CTN, Idris Inusa which had gone viral on the social media “demanded that the duo respond to the allegations within two weeks within which without which they will be sued for criminal prosecution and also face public actions”

The CTN claimed in its statement that “ The organization is is in receipt of several allegations leveled againf the retired military officer which include corruption , human right abuses , unlawful recruitment and arming of Youths in Bauchi state as well as extra judicial killings that took place under his watch”

The North East Pressure and rescue group at a joint press conference with Arewa youth said that “These allegations coming at the time the ex – chief of staff, Sadiq is focused on delivery of the dividend of democracy and working with the leadership of the All progressive Congress, ( APC) , in the state and the Federal to deliver Bauchi state from the yoke of four years of locust and misrule by the opposition is based on the figment of the imaginations of the writers and their sponsors”

Gololo said that “ It is not for the group to speak for the military and the Humanitarian office, but gullible Nigerians may believe the serial lies concocted to cast wrinkles on the achievements of the former Chief of Air staff, sadiq and his wife Sadyiya. The military did not need a Civil society in its investigation and prosecution if Marshal Sadiq , the APC candidate has committed any financial infractions or extra judicial killing while in office.”

“The military has its own internal mechanism to check excesses and if it is s because he is contesting election in Bauchi state is what has qualified him and he is being singled out among the service chiefs, then it is left for the public to judge”

“ Before this press briefing we have checked records of his performance in office and since he joined the governorship race in Bauchi state, there is nothing that suggest his under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission( EFCC ), or any other anti – graft agents or even the police authority for a heinous crime as arming youth in Bauchi state”

He further stated that” while the former chief Air staff may not dignify the author of this libelous statement, the media should verify their facts using available network and the freedom of Information Act. To verify their facts before going to press to avoid redress that may jeopardize the relationship he has built over the years as officer and until recently his foray into politics”

The group challenge the CTN to make its findings public otherwise after the two weeks ultimatum they have no other option to drag them before competent court of jurisdiction.

Gololo said that “ Like biblical story of voice of Easu and the hand of Jacob, we believe the opposition in Bauchi state are behind the statement, but urged the public to dismiss any allegation against the former chief of air staff whose contributions to the fight against insurgency in the entire North East has been applauded . In Bauchi state the youth through his NGO has benefitted more than any group in the North East. He built an Airstrip in Bauchi state, facilitated the recruitment of youth into the Air force and that is person somebody is accusing of sponsoring crisis in the state” the group stated

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Business

Tax Reform Bills: The Verdict of Nigerians

Published

2 weeks ago

March 6, 2025

The Gleamer

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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