Featured

35 Days After Lockdown, FCT Edges Back To Life

Published

5 years ago

May 4, 2020

…Resident throngs Banks, Private owners business open, Hustling Soar

Joel Ajayi

Resident, Government offices, Banks, Private owner business, and some activities is gradually come alives in the Capital City of Nigeria after a 35 days of lockdown in the city.

Though, Educational Institutions, recreation centers, Churches, Mosques, Markets amongst amongst other were seen closed.

Restrictions on movement in the last 5 weeks are tentatively being relaxed now in FCTas life begins to return to normal.

The consensus is that the worst has passed in FCT after 5 weeks of widespread quarantine people are able to catch up with friends again.

Major streets in the city were seen busy, as movement of vehicles is second to none transporters in their numbers resumed work earnestly, Private owner business were equally seen opening their businesses.

Not only that, Hustlers in the city littered everywhere to commence the hustling, Artsian, such as car wash operators, food vendors, Mechnics, sellers were everywhere ekeing for the living.

Though Customers were not allow to enter banks en mass because of social distancing, residents in the FCT on Monday thronged various banks to do one transaction or the others.

Like a fury fire, the rates of new infections of COVID-19 continue to soar in Nigeria from data released by Nigerian Center for Diseases Control NCDC as at the 3rd of May 2020. 278 persons were affected, in the FCT as the cases of affected persons in the country rises to 2558, 400 discharged while 87 death recorded so far.

It with be recalled that on 27th of April President Muhammadu Buhari in his Nationwide broadcast anounced gradual ease of lockdown in FCT, Lagos and Ogun States effective from Saturday, 2nd May, 2020 at 9am.

According to Buhari, Based on the recommendations of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, the various Federal Government committees that have reviewed socio-economic matters and the Nigeria Governors Forum, I have approved for a phased and gradual easing of lockdown measures in FCT, Lagos and Ogun States effective from Saturday, 2nd May, 2020 at 9am.

“However, this will be followed strictly with aggressive reinforcement of testing and contact tracing measures while allowing the restoration of some economic and business activities in certain sectors.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the lockdown in the FCT, Lagos & Ogun States shall subsist remain in place until these new ones come into effect on Saturday, 2nd May 2020 at 9am.” Part of the speech read.

Also, the office of the Head of Service of the federation under the leadership of Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan, stated the readiness of civil servant to resume duty in a memo dated April 30 and addressed to the Chief of Staff to the President, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, all ministers and MDAs.

The circular read: “Further to Mr. President‘s broadcast on a phased and gradual easing of the Iockdown measures occasioned by COVID-19, officers on GL. 14 and above and those on essential services are hereby directed to resume work with effect from Monday 4th May, 2020 in the first instance

“Offices are to open three times a week Monday, Wednesday and Friday and close at 2.00pm on each day. In resuming, the concerned officers are to ensure full compliance with the directives and advice on the COVID-19 pandemic preventive measures including maintenance of social distancing, regular washing and/ or sanitizing of hands and wearing of face masks.

“Officers are advised to limit the number of visitors they receive to the barest minimum and such visitors should also comply with safety and health advice/directives.

“As you are aware, the Federal Secretariat Complexes have been decontaminated while efforts are ongoing to do some in other public offices.”

The Gleamer Online News who take a short trip within the FCT On Monday reported that life is returning to FCT as some busineses, offices open their business for their day to day activities.

Federal Secretariat witnessed low turn out as only Senior and essential staff were gaining entrance while old Federal Secretariat in Area 1 follow the suit.

At the Area 7 Garki popularly known as the home of banks, Various banks has reopened all previously declared closed as the virus spread rapidly, resident besieged the banks either to withdraw or do other transaction.

Though market management FCT did not open the gate of UTC a Popular business place in Area 10, the place indeed, come back to life, as traders and hustlers in their numbers positioned themselves outside the gate to start their business while some are eargerly looking for customers.

At Area 2 Market, only fruits shops were allow to open while others shops still remain closed.

Almost all the Major roads in FCT were busy with millions of vichular movement as resident are happy to gain freedom after 35 days in Captivity.

However, the effects on livelihoods could last for many years, with lots of businesses facing bankruptcy, unemployment, losing means of livelihood, inflation jumped, and economic output in one of the Africas fastest economies was at its lowest level
in the period of quarantine.

It may be too early to do a victory lap just yet, but for anyone around the world looking for signs of positivity and hope, Nigeria would be a good place to turn to.

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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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