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COVID 19 Second Wave: FCTA To Embark On Rigorous Enforcement Of Health Guidelines

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Joel Ajayi

The FCTA will embark on rigorous enforcement of all extant COVID-19 health and safety protocols to stop the spread of the disease in the FCT.

This was disclosed by the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello in a press briefing on the second wave of COVID-19 in the Territory held on Friday, 18th December 2020.

Malam Bello said that the fight against the virus in the FCT had been mostly effective as had been attested to by stakeholders including members of the National Assembly, the Presidential Task force on Covid-19 and members of the public. He also said that the FCT had maintained a high testing ratio and recorded relatively few mortalities.

He however decried the rising number of positive cases in the Territory which he said were unacceptably high adding that this was mainly because residents of the Territory had ceased to comply with recommended health guidelines put in place to curb the spread of the virus.

In his words “our recorded figures over the last 3 weeks have been unacceptably high and there is an urgent need to contain it as much and as fast as possible”.

Malam Bello disclosed that the enforcement teams will step up their activities and return to the streets of the FCT working very closely with the judiciary through the mobile court system under existing laws.

The Minister also disclosed that the Administration will re-enforce it’s communication and public enlightenment strategies that will involve the active participation of local youth groups and non-governmental organizations adding that “it is our intention that they drive these campaign processes to reach the nooks and crannies of the Territory”

He urged residents of the Territory to play their roles if the FCT is to overcome the second wave of the pandemic.

Malam Bello called on residents of the Territory not to be carried away by the euphoria of the festive season and let down their guard against the virus which he said had not lost its potency or capacity to make the afflicted very ill.

The Minister also revealed guidelines to curb the spread of the virus which are based on resolutions reached during a stakeholders meeting held earlier in the week, the Public Health Advisory of the NCDC, and the Federal Executive council meeting

The guidelines as released are;

“The Abuja Market Management Limited and the various market associations should work together to carry out sensitization activities and also ensure compliance of all extant health protocols.

“All extant regulations issued as conditions for re-opening of places of worship on the 4th of June 2020 still subsist and heads of the various congregations are to ensure compliance.

“All extant regulations guiding the operations of entertainment and recreational centers still subsist and operators of such places are enjoined to ensure strict compliance.

“Public transportation facilities such as buses taxis and tricycles must also obey all already established protocols.”

However, other COVID -19 guidelines in offices and business premises are; Mandatory temperature checks must be carried out on all employees and customers entering office and business premises in the FCT

“ No mask, No entry, No service – all staff members, visitors, and customers entering workplaces, shops, or business premises must wear a face mask that should cover the mouth and nose.

“All office and business premises must have a handwashing station with running water and soap or hand sanitizer

“Restrict all physical meetings and instead opt for virtual meetings, whenever possible..

“Office, shops and business premises must be well-ventilated and cleaned regularly throughout the day.

“Employees, who are feeling unwell or have COVID-19 symptoms, should notify their supervisor immediately, or stay at home and seek medical attention to confirm diagnosis, by doing a COVID19 test.”

Malam Bello also expressed the appreciation of the Administration to all medical and other frontline personnel in the fight against COVID-19.

 

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Business

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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