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Dr Ifeanyi Ubah Emerges YPP National Party Leader

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…Says Nigeria needs YPP now more than ever
Joel Ajayi
Senator, Dr.  Ifeanyi Patrick Ubah on Saturday emerged the new National Chairman of theYoung Progressives Party
 YPP at the party’s National Executive Committee(NEC) and National Working Committee meeting in Abuja.
APC and PDP senators dominated the 9th National Assembly but YPP beat all other parties having produced a Senator.
The founder of Ifeanyi Ubah football club of Anambra, who has been working very hard to put smile on the faces of many Nigerians was on Saturday rewarded by his party for his good job to steer the ship of the party.
According to Senator Ubah, today, the National Executive Committee(NEC) and National Working Committee (NWC) of my great party; the Young Progressives Party (YPP) officially conferred on me with honour, the position of “National Party Leader”.
“As the pioneer Senator of our party, nothing gives me greater joy than the opportunity  to serve the party and our great country, Nigeria. I wish to state in unambiguous terms that I am deeply humbled by this honour as well as the unflinching trust reposed on me, and with the deepest sense of humility, I wholeheartedly accept this responsibility with profound gratitude.
“Given our formidable antecedents as a party with an unblemished record and principle of participatory democracy that lays emphasis on the welfare of the people, social justice and equal opportunities for all citizens, I believe that there is no better time than now to build and consolidate on our party’s core values, vision and mission.
“As an emerging third force, Nigeria needs the Young Progressives Party now more than ever. Fact! Therefore, we must seek to entrench solid pillars of internal democracy that will not succumb to nepotism, injustice, insincerity and corruption. The time is ripe, the hour has come and we are ready. We must forge ahead! We must take action! We must build!
“Conclusively, I charge our members and supporters at all levels of our structure to remain focused and steadfast to the course and cause of our great party. Once again, I thank you all and promise to creditably justify the confidence reposed on me.
“May God in his infinite mercy crown our efforts with resounding success as we gallantly embark on the journey of repositioning our dear party for greater heights with the hope of a better Nigeria.
“Long live the Young Progressives Party! Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!”
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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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