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Council Meeting will Cart Way Forward For Minerals And Metals Sector- Ogbe

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Joel Ajayi
The Permanent Secretary overseeing both Ministries of Solid Minerals Development and Steel Development, Dr. Mary Ogbe has described the  National Council on Mining and Mineral Resources Development ( NCMMRD) meeting as an invaluable platform  to chart a way forward for a sustainable development of the minerals and metal  sector.


The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Solid Minerals Development/Steel Development, Dr. Mary Ogbe  asserted during a sideline interview session with newsmen at the opening ceremony of the 5th Edition of the National Council On Mining and Minerals Resources Development meeting, which commenced today Monday 15 January 2024 at the Banquet Hall, Opposite Government House Ilorin, Kwara State (State of Harmony).


In her opening remarks, the Permanent Secretary who  affirmed the importance of the Council meeting as a milestone in our collective efforts to ensure the sustainable development of Nigeria’s solid Minerals sector, averred  that the theme ” Minerals and Metals sector: a panacea for economic growth and Diversity” is apt with the relevant sub-themes that will be discussed during the technical session.


According to her, we are here as Stakeholders in the sector to deliberate on best way forward, so that we get the blessings of what God has given to us in the minerals and metal sector. That is my expectation.


“There is no better time to have such a topic as now, the nation is depending on the Solid mineral and Metals sector for it’s economic prosperity for two reasons: Fossil fuel is gradually being phased out with the advent of electric cars …we may not get buyers for our fuel . Secondly, the world is going green and we must not be left behind . And for us, we are highly blessed with the energy minerals as well”.


To this end, Dr Ogbe expressed her profound appreciation to representatives from various government agencies, private sector players, and other Stakeholders who attended , stressing, their presence demonstrates commitment to the growth and advancement of the mineral and Metal resources sector. 


While extolling the importance of the meeting to realizing the renewed hope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the sector for the benefits of the people; the Permanent Secretary affirmed that this edition of the NCMMRD  affords stakeholders in the sector and invaluable platform to deliver on key issues affecting the sector and chart a way forward.   


She said: ” Our Agenda for today includes discussions on policy reforms, investment opportunities, community engagement, environmental sustainability, and fostering innovation in the sector”


 The Permanent Secretary, Kwara State Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, Mrs Funke Sokoya, in her welcome address, seized the opportunity  of the occasion to make  a passionate appeal to the Honourable Ministers and Council members of today’s occasion, stressing,  the yearly resolutions agreed upon should be judiciously utilized. If  done, the participants would be solving most of the challenges facing them in their respective states- as evident in the sub-themes of this event, issues such as illegal mining and community development agreements ( CDA)… Mrs Sokoya emphasized .


Amongst the  participants who graced the opening ceremony were the Kwara State Commissioner for Ministry of Solid Mineral Development, Alhaji AbdulQuawiy Olododo, who represented the Executive Governor of Kwara State; Directors of the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development/Steel Development, Director-General/ CEOs of Agencies of the two Ministries.

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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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