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Beautification Of Enugu And Mechanization Of Median Strips/Road Verge Maintenance

Published

4 years ago

October 7, 2020

By Jeff Ejiofor

The saying that cleanliness is the next to godliness perfectly fits into the situation in Enugu State where a mechanized approach has been employed by the state government in maintaining median strips, road sidewalks, and central reservations across the state. Residents of the coal city will not forget in a hurry the manual method of median strips and road verge maintenance before 2015 when Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi took over the reign of leadership. In line with its technological approach to issues, the administration adopted a mechanized system of maintenance which has clearly given Enugu a scenic outlook befitting of a ranking state capital known for serene outlook.

Roundabouts, footways, road verges, and all other beautiful green areas in the city now wear the looks of a neat and clean environment. This is a sharp departure from their half hazard and unkempt condition in the past. A quick glance at this method where machines do the work will reveal a conspicuous difference from their previous rough looks and current carpet level. The introduction of this mechanized approach by Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi also explains his meticulous disposition to leave no stone unturned in his quest to making Enugu a modern and beautiful city.

Ironically, people tend to have a short memory in this part of the world to the extent of forgetting their previous experiences whenever succor comes their way. It is appalling that some people do not realize the tourist potentials of a serene environment and its economic benefits. Enugu is a city with natural and fascinating features, hence, the policy of economic reinvigoration through harnessing of its existing tourist potentials by the current administration. It is a well-known fact that the tourist attraction of such an organized environment cannot be overstressed.

Unarguably, in the past, precisely before 2015, the state government, through the ministry of environment engaged the services of labourers, mostly women to clear these sidewalks manually. This method often left the surfaces haggard and rough, such that it made nonsense of the beautiful looks conferred on Enugu city by those consciously designed green areas and median strips.

Apparently, areas such as New Haven, Abakiliki Road, Okpara Avenue, GRA, Okpara Square, and Independence Layout now look more dignifying with this mechanized cutting and trimming process of the sidewalks/road verges. I know some ingrates and cynics may want to question the relevance or significance of this observation, forgetting to acknowledge its immense contributions to the beauty and tourism potentials of the city as stated earlier. Nobody will deny the fact that the machines used in carrying out this duty and their professional operators provide the best result on the environment which represents Enugu’s natural serenity.

Another interesting and commendable aspect is the sustained urgency with which the government always responds each time there is a need to carry out the maintenance, unlike in the past when weeds usually overgrew the streets in utter neglect. Of course, before assembling labourers for manual approach, the places will be taken over by bushes, making Enugu lose its glamour.

In addition, the governor also recruited over one thousand youths to open up all blocked water channels in the streets of Enugu. A policy that has served dual purposes, providing employment and sanitizing the city. We all know what the situation was before and its devastating effect on the health of the residents. The problem no doubt had far-reaching implications to the wellbeing of the citizens who had to spend money on hospital bills at times as a result of sicknesses arising from a dirty environment. All that is now history because Enugu has regained its original glory as a clean and organized city.

Finally, I implore lovers of tourism all over the world to avail themselves of this opportunity presented by the beautiful serenity of Enugu and visit the state. Apart from ensuring the preservation of the city’s natural features, the state government has equally enhanced the environment by beautifying strategic locations of the city with meaningful artworks and sculptors to tell the story of the people. New recreational outlets have also been created and old ones are given a facelift. Unity Fountain Park located behind the famous Okpara Square at Independence Layout is one of such outlets that will attend to the recreational needs of Enugu residents and promote tourism in the state.

The popular 3-star hotel, Nike Lake Resort, on the outskirt of the city is receiving proactive attention to play a pivotal role in the current tourist revolution of the city. These and many other measures that guarantee adequate security of lives and property have made Enugu State a place to be. Gburugburu is a gift to the Igbo nation at large and Enugu in particular.

Enugu is obviously in the safe hands of God with Gburus at the helms

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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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