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CSO Storms NHRC Over Alleged Abuse of Nigerian Youths

Published

4 years ago

February 25, 2021

Joel Ajayi

In its determination to get justice for many Nigerian youths who suffered human rights abuse from two Chinese companies based in Kogi state, a non-governmental organization called Pan-Africa United Youth Developments Network has approached the National Human Right Commission NHRC to demand justice for the victims.

The justice, if achieved, will serve as a lesson to any employer of labour that has solace in human rights violation.

It will be recalled that the NGO, two weeks ago, stormed Public Complaint Commission to complain about alleged injustice and other irregularities visited on Nigerian youths, who were engaged as factory workers, by BN ceramics Nigeria Limited and West Africa ceramics in Kogi state.

Pan-Africa United Youth Developments Network, under the leadership of its President, Mr. Habib Muhammed, visited the Commission’s head office on Thursday in Abuja saying that, the organization will not rest until justice is properly served.

Habib expressed that the essence of coming to human right commission is to alert all the relevant stakeholders and authorities involved in allowing foreigners or foreign investors.

According to him, the essence of our coming to the commission is to alert all the relevant stakeholders and authorities, the Public Complaint Commission PCC, National Human Right Commission NHRC, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of labour and other relevant authorities involved in allowing foreigners and foreign investors.

“We are happy we are getting a result because, Complaint Commission welcomed us, Human Right Commission did the same thing, we are very pleased with what they are doing, they assured us of getting to the root of the matter so, I think there is light at the end of the tunnel.

When asked if there are further issues of human rights abuse at the companies since the complaint against those companies? He replied: “so far, so good, no report has reached us, even though there are changes, we have not acknowledged report of any abuse.”

Also, in his address, the President of Nigerian Youth Organization, Hon. Abdulahi Abubarkar Wali, lamented the ill-treatment of young Nigerians in their own country and demand justice.

We are here just to present our issue to human rights based on the human right violation of Nigerians, received from those Chinese companies and we are pleased with the human rights commission’s response.

“What makes me happy about this is, we met the Director in charge of the unit and he assured us that they are going to meet top management of those companies to come to term with the employees to address the issue.

“We are not asking anything from them, but what we are asking for, is to address this issue because no Nigerian will do that for a Chinese in their country.

“We are getting a positive result because the chairman of the Public Complaint Commission has actually addressed his staff and are making preparation to go to those companies on an investigative mission. So also, all the relevant stakeholders we have actually cried to, have done the same thing.” He said.

In his remark, the Director of Economic-Socio and Cultural Right of National Human Right Commission, Mr. Musa Salihu while speaking after the meeting, thanked the organization and promised them that the commission will not spare any effort to ensure justice is done.

“We have listened to their complaints and we asked them to put it in writing before we follow the normal procedure to get to the root of the matter, but we need to hear from the other side before the complaint will be determined finally, we shall submit their complaints to the Executive Secretary, NHRC, and I can assure you, he will act on it.”

However, what is happening in BN ceramics Nigeria Limited and West Africa ceramics is a drop of ocean of what is happening to many Nigerians across the country.

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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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