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GOV. UGWUANYI’S UNCOMMON BENEVOLENCE AND MAGNANIMITY TO THE VICTIMS OF EndSARS VIOLENCE

Published

4 years ago

November 13, 2020

By Jeff Ejiofor

It is popularly said that when the righteous is on the throne, the people rejoice. The recent setting up of a judicial panel of enquiry to ascertain the level of damage and losses from the EndSARS violence with a view to adequately compensating the victims is highly commendable and an act of benevolence by the Government of Enugu State.

This is about the first governor to initiate this bold step in the wake of the unfortunate EndSARS violence that rocked many states. His proactive and benevolent nature is immesurable and should be commended by all men of goodwill to serve as an encouragement to others.

When we say Enugu is in the hands of God, it is because we’re enjoying a purposeful and people oriented leadership. A leadership with its primary focus on the wellbeing and welfare of citizens.

Apparently, cynics and self styled critics of government will certainly not see any big deal in the prompt manner with which the governor responded to this issue, but objective and rational reasoning acknowledge this lofty efforts.

Whether anybody likes it or not, Enugu State is lucky to have a godly man at the helm of affairs. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi is godly and nobody can take it away from him, even his detractors know that. It’s a well known fact that most states affected by this problem have not made any tangible efforts at addressing the plight of the victims as Ugwuanyi has done. This is indeed a responsible leadership from a benevolent man with a very large heart.

In addition to instituting a framework to address the affected victims of the violence, Gov. Ugwuanyi has also proactively taken steps to repair and replace damaged infrastructure.

Rural Electrification Agency has been directed by the governor to immediately restore the traffic and street lights damaged in the process of the violence. It’s my pleasure to note here that they have swung into action and some of them are now functional again. Even the temporary bus stops destroyed are now being replaced by more quality and durable ones.

The city monuments errected at some strategic places such as Otigba Roundabout are being fixed to restore the beauty of Enugu. Even some road demarcating protectors installed to enhance traffic control in busy areas destroyed by hoodlums during the crisis are also receiving prompt attention.

His Excellency has equally taken steps to address some of the issues affecting the youths which were raised during the protest. In the area of empowernment, the governor has stepped up efforts to provide more funds and opportunities to boost SME in the state.

A lot of new policies and schemes have been introduced in this regard and many people are availing themselves of the opportunity presented by that. Recall also that at the begining of the protest, Ugwuanyi set up a panel of enquiry with quality membership which included the youths, to look into the issues raised and profer solution.

The committee have since commensed sitting and are contributing immensely in providing policy framework that will address most of the grievances tabled by the youths during the EndSARS protest. Only few governors in Nigeria have been able to articulate this line of action. It takes a governor with the interest of the people at heart to do that and Ugwuanyi is the man.

Incidentally, this display of magnanimity and call to duty by the governor is not trending because naysayers and self acclaimed social media critics are only interested in his perceived shortcomings. They are not always comfortable with the popular and people oriented policies which have become the hallmark of his administration.

The work as designated by their paymasters is to continually scoop social media space and evening beer palour gatherings in search of unfounded and damaging criticisms to deceive the public. They can never report issues of critical importance addressed by the governor. His Excellency’s inroads in social and educational sectors do not matter to them. His upward adjustment of Enugu workers’ salary to be at par with national average which has put on him a huge wage bill for the first time in the history of Enugu State mean nothing to them. Even the award of scholarships to Enugu students for further studies in both foreign and local institutions of higher learning is of no significance to such group of people.

The provision of road and health infrastructure in the rural areas to enhance the quality of lives of rural dwellers as is being aggressively pursued by this administration is of no use to them. The only thing that matters in their world of illusion is construction of flyovers around Enugu whether such is necessay or not. Most of them complain of not being settled with appointment after campaigning for the governor. Some even said he has not addressed the overall problems of Enugu State people including providing daily bread for every citizen.

Only God knows if any government in this world, including the ones of advanced societies have ever been able to satisfy human and societal needs or wants. I personally see such critics as dubiously mischevious. They manipulate the obtainable realities to confuse the gullible into believing in the existence of an utopian perfection.

In conclusion, let me succinctly advise us to appreciate good works so as to expect more. An Igbo adage taught us that whenever we appreciate and commend goodwill, we have chances of receiving more, ‘ eto dike n’ nke omelu, omekwa ozo’. It is explicit that Ugwuanyi is irrevocably committed to good and responsible governance geared towards uplifting the living standard of Enugu people. What we owe him as a people is our support, as well as prayers to continue serving us better. Dalu ezigbo onye ndu chukwu kwadolu, we are solidly behind you.

Enugu is in the hands of God.

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Business

Tax Reform Bills: The Verdict of Nigerians

Published

1 week 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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