Featured
Kebbi State Beach Soccer Rolls Out Donations
Admin.
In their bid to support the fight against Covid-19, the Kebbi Beach Soccer Association through its Foundation has set up a series of initiatives to support different stakeholders from the Kebbi State Government, Medicaid Cancer Foundation, Kebbi State Football Association and also local communities in the State.
The delegation’s first point of call was a visit to their medical partner (Medicaid Cancer Foundation) by a few of its members under the stewardship of their General Secretary, Mr Abdullahi Yahaya. They were warmly received by the Founder/CEO of the Foundation, Her Excellency Dr. Zainab Shinkafi Bagudu in the Government House, Birnin Kebbi to donate health essentials including hand Sanitizers and soaps.
In accepting the donations, the First Lady of Kebbi State commended the efforts of Nigerians led by the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Rtd General Muhammadu Buhari GCFR; the State Governors including Kebbi State Governor, His Excellency, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu and Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) for their able response to this pandemic which has affected every facet of our lives. She also acknowledged the unfortunate suspension of the Kebbi Beach Soccer Sallah Tournament this year, but pledged to continue supporting Kebbi Beach Soccer, especially in their efforts to reach out to host communities with palliatives during these trying times.
She further advised that members of Kebbi Beach Soccer continue being model citizens and ambassadors of Kebbi State both locally and Internationally. She said with all sense of purpose that “Kebbi State’s history will not be complete without acknowledging the achievements of Kebbi Beach Soccer”. Dr Zainab also presented them a gift of a historic book showcasing the Kebbi Culture which featured Kebbi Beach Soccer’s journey from humble beginnings to becoming an International Beach Soccer team.
The team delegation also in partnership with the Kebbi State Ministry of Youth and Sports donated health items to the State’s Covid-19 Task Force Committee which was graciously received by the Chairman of the Task Force, Alhaji Ja’afaru Muhammad Zuru (Honourable Commissioner of Health).
He expressed his appreciation of the initiative to support the State Government’s efforts in curtailing the Covid-19 pandemic. He also lauded the achievements of Kebbi Beach Soccer in the State and Nigeria as a whole.
The team’s final call was to the Kebbi State Football Association (KBFA) office in Birnin Kebbi to make further donations.
On hand to receive the items was non other than the Chairman Kebbi State FA, Honourable Abubakar Chika Ladan who doubles as the State’s Commissioner of Works and Transport expressed special gratitude for the concern showed and encouraged the Kebbi Beach Soccer Association to continue working together with the State FA while praying for everyone to get through the pandemic unharmed.
In his remark also the Chairman Kebbi Beach Soccer, Mr Mahmud Hadejia who was unavoidably absent commended the delegation for their efforts and promised that the Foundation will continue to give their support to help curtail the pandemic.
The Chairman also appreciated the praises from all their esteemed stakeholders and look forward to the future partnerships and support for a better society.
He welcomed with open arms the request by the Medicaid Cancer Foundation to partner with Kebbi Beach Soccer Foundation to support the host communities with paliatives and sensitization activities.
The Chairman said the Association and the Beach Soccer Club would not have been what it is today without support from all stakeholders and he is glad the donations are being appreciated. Mr Hadejia further said “that during these hard times, we had to look inward and appreciate our players and officials also by aiding them with palliatives to help them stay safe”.
He finally prayed to almighty God to bring an end to this pandemic and hoped lives are returned back to normal.
Business
Tax Reform Bills: The Verdict of Nigerians

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.
-
Featured6 years ago
Lampard Names New Chelsea Manager
-
Featured5 years ago
FG To Extends Lockdown In FCT, Lagos Ogun states For 7days
-
Featured6 years ago
NYSC Dismisses Report Of DG’s Plan To Islamize Benue Orientation Camp
-
Featured5 years ago
Children Custody: Court Adjourns Mike Ezuruonye, Wife’s Case To April 7
-
Featured3 years ago
Transfer Saga: How Mikel Obi Refused to compensate me After I Linked Him Worth $4m Deal In Kuwait SC – Okafor
-
Sports2 years ago
TINUBU LAMBAST DELE MOMODU
-
News3 months ago
Zulu to Super Eagles B team, President Tinubu is happy with you
-
Featured5 years ago
Board urges FG to establish one-stop rehabilitation centres in 6 geopolitical zones