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Basketball: Sam Oguche/Bullet Energy Drink Tourney Begins In Grand Style in Abuja
….FCT Hard Rockers beats Bulldogs 80-75 in the opening Game
Joel Ajayi
MO Basketball Arena Zone 5 in Nigeria’s Capital City came alive on Monday as the third edition in the year 2023 of the Sam Oguche/Bullet Energy Drink Invitational Tournament will tip off basketball dunks in grand style.
In a fierce opening game played on Monday, FCT Hard Rockers beat Bulldogs 80.
While speaking initiator of Sam Oguche basketball tournaments Sam Oguche vowed to leave no stone unturned to ensure more growth and development of basketball in the country and beyond.
According to him, this is what we do every year I had this same edition in Lagos last year but this year we decided to come to Abuja we are just coming back to give back to the youth through basketball
“This is the third edition this year and so far we have eight elite teams from outside and within Abuja.
“What keeps me going is the passion I and many others who have been supporting the growth of basketball in Nigeria and beyond and that is what keeps me going.
“And I am impressed about the progress made so far, I have seen some of the kids who attended this tournament playing in the league team, and for me, that is really good that means they are growing and the game is growing in the country.”
He, however, charged the Basketball stakeholders in the country not to relent on the development of basketball in the country saying the future is bright for the basketball game.
“Honestly my take and how I feel for the growth of basketball in the country is that we can do better, there are a lot of things we are lacking ranging from facilities to grassroots initiatives I think we can do better.
“The future is bright for Nigerian basketballer because there is a lot of guys from the diaspora that come back and do what we do and I think keeping league consistency by federation can actually make basketball do better.”
“Meanwhile the winner of this event will smile home with 1 million as runners up will go home with 500,000.
Featured
Tax Reform Bill Passage: New Tax Laws, Better Nigeria
By Arabinrin Aderonke
Nigeria must work; this is the vision we have held onto for so long. When the news came that the Senate had passed all four tax reform bills, it was one of those moments you stop and ask yourself, is this really happening? For years, Nigeria’s tax system has been a source of frustration, something we all got used to criticizing. Truthfully, it was not just tax. From electricity to education to healthcare, we have long complained about the failure of government systems.
On top of that, Nigeria remained tied to the unstable global oil market, leaving us with unpredictable revenue and a shrinking ability to fund our future. That is exactly why we must keep believing in the idea of a new Nigeria. And this time, it is not just another round of promises, this is action.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu understood that to truly rebuild Nigeria, we needed a tax system that would create sustainable revenue, spread the burden fairly, and give every Nigerian, rich or poor, north or south, a reason to trust government again. That is what led to the introduction of the tax reform bills in 2024. It has taken months of serious policy work, consultation, and courage. Now, with the National Assembly passing all four bills, the Nigeria Tax Bill 2024, the Nigeria Tax Administration (Procedure) Bill 2024, the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill 2024, and the Joint Tax Board (Establishment) Bill 2024, we are seeing decisions that could finally loosen Nigeria’s dependence on oil and give states the resources they need to grow.
One of the features is the new VAT sharing formula. Under the proposed structure, 50 percent of Value Added Tax revenue will be shared equally among all states, 20 percent will be distributed based on population, and 30 percent will be distributed according to actual consumption. It is a formula designed to balance fairness with performance, giving each state a stake while also encouraging economic activity and good governance.
The Senate also made it known that the VAT rate will remain at 7.5 percent, resisting pressure to increase it. For Nigerians, that means no new burden added to goods and services. But more importantly, the bills approved also provided for the continued funding of development agencies such as the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA). These are the institutions that support learning, research, and innovation across the country, and their survival is necessary for the future of the Nigeria we all want.
Another part of the bill is the plan to turn the Federal Inland Revenue Service into the Nigeria Revenue Service (Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill). But this is not just a name change. It is a coordinated effort to build a system that supports states, strengthens local government revenue, and makes tax collection more transparent.
Dr. Zacch Adedeji, Executive Chairman of FIRS, has led the redesign of the agency and introduced many measures aimed at improving tax collection across the country, and even these Tax Reform Bills are one. If anyone has earned respect in this space, it is him. His work shows that reforms are possible when people in charge are ready to do better.
As it stands, all four tax reform bills have been passed, and these laws are now in place. This means Nigeria has completed what many consider the most needed tax reform in years.
The process now moves to the harmonization stage, where both the Senate and House of Representatives will come together to resolve any differences in their versions of the bills. Once they reach an agreement, the bills will be sent to the President for his final approval. After the President signs them into law, they will be published in the official gazette, making them official. From there, the Federal Inland Revenue Service, which will be renamed the Nigeria Revenue Service, will take the lead in implementation. With the capable Tax Boss, Dr. Zacch, we can be sure that the results will exceed expectations.
This is the Renewed Hope Nigerians have been waiting for. The changes are here, these reforms give us the chance to do things right!
Arabinrin Aderonke Atoyebi is the technical assistant on broadcast media to the executive chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service
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