Flood: Nigeria receives 50 tonnes of relief materials from UAE

Published

2 months ago

September 17, 2024

The aid is to support internally displaced persons affected by the flood disaster in parts of the country.

The reports have it that the relief items arrived at the Cargo wing of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, at about 2.40 pm.

The items were received by officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), and the Office of the National Security Adviser to the President (NSA).

The UAE Ambassador, Salem Alshamsi, presented the relief items to the Nigerian government.

Alshamsi said that the donation was in line with the UAE’s gesture to support countries affected by natural disasters.

He said that the donation was done at the directive of the President of the UAE, Sheikh Mohamed Al Nahyan, to cushion the effect of the hardship caused by the floods.

“This urgent humanitarian aid of 50 tonnes of basic supplies has been provided to our friendly people of Nigeria, to support areas affected by the recent floods.

“The UAE, as usual, is always helping nations affected by natural disasters. So we are happy to be here,” Alshamsi said.

Receiving the items, Dr Ahmed Dunoma, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, commended the government and people of UAE for supporting Nigeria at this crucial time.

Dunoma described the donation as unprecedented, adding that it showed the kind of excellent relationship Nigeria had with the UAE.

“We want to seize this opportunity on behalf of Mr President to convey the appreciation of the Nigerian government and her people, to the President and the people of UAE.

“We believe that this will go a long way in ameliorating the sufferings of the people affected by this recent flood,” he said.

Dunoma said that the items would be distributed to Nigerians affected by the floods.

The Director-General of NEMA, Mrs Zubaida Umar, said that the relief materials would immediately be distributed to Borno and other states affected by the flood, once cleared.

“This does not only symbolize our partnership but also support at this dire time when so many areas of Nigeria have been flooded.

“It could not have come at a better time.

“I want to assure Nigerians that once we take custody of these items, they will be shared accordingly with those affected by the flood. That is an assurance.

“This will not only stop in Maiduguri. As of yesterday, parts of Enugu State were also being flooded. So we are going to target all areas, even Kaduna was slightly flooded two days ago.

“So we are going to target the whole country. I am sure that is what the government of UAE also wants us to do,” she said.

According to NEMA, 29 states and 172 local government areas have been hit by flooding, affecting 1,048,312 people, displacing 625,239, and resulting in 259 deaths between April to September 2024

NAN

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Tax Reforms, Will Bring Prospeeity-Presidency

Published

1 day ago

November 11, 2024

The Gleamer

Special Adviser to the President on Public Communication and Orientation, Chief Sunday Dare have explained that President Bola Tinubu is determined to promote prosperity by protecting the vulnerable, while eliminating unnecessary financial strain on citizens and ensuring a more efficient revenue collection process.

Dare, in an opinion piece, titled “Tinubu’s People-Centric Tax Reforms and Ndume’s Threat“asserted that President Tinubu meant well for Nigerians as he encouraged people to study the bills and to mobilise support for them to be passed by the National Assembly.

He wrote that “The President’s vision and clear mandate is evident in what the Fiscal policy and tax reforms Committee delivered as recommendations to the government, and became a part of the Economic Stabilisation Bills (ESB) approved by the Federal Executive Council in September, as part of the Accelerated Stability and Advancement Plan (ASAP) of the government.

According to him, “It was in furtherance to a realisation of these objectives that President Bola Tinubu sent a letter to the two chambers of the National Assembly, requesting for the approval of four tax reform bills, which are: “The Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill”, “The Nigeria Tax Bill”, “The Nigeria Tax Administration Bill,” and “The Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Bill.”

He said “These Bills seek to provide a consolidated fiscal framework for taxation in Nigeria, a clear and concise legal framework for the fair, consistent and efficient administration of all the tax laws to facilitate ease of tax compliance, reduce tax disputes and optimize revenue, among others.

Dare urged people to familarise themselves with “What is driving the reforms and the proposals that have been laid out, which include consolidating the different ‘nuisance taxes’ taxes and levies, which some have put at 62 official and 200 unofficial taxes into a streamlined system of 8 taxes to eliminate unnecessary financial strain on citizens while ensuring a more efficient revenue collection process.

“The committee is also pushing for a constitutional amendment to limit the total number of taxes on individuals and businesses to a single-digit. The objective, it says, to provide greater financial stability and predictability for taxpayers, fostering a more conducive business environment. Apart from that are the amendments to the withholding tax regulation, with businesses earning below 50 million Naira exempted from this tax, to provide relief for small companies and reduce the tax burden on emerging enterprises to engender growth of SMES, which play a central role in providing employment and the development of the econo

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