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GRASSROOT; FOUNDATION OF SPORTS AND ATTRACTION OF – JOHN ENOH..

Published

1 year ago

December 3, 2023

Felicia Mammah Nwokorie

The Administration of the Honorable Minister of Sport’s Development Sen. John Owan Enoh has started rejuvenising the sport’s sector since his assumption of duty. He is a man whose wisdom is xtrayed from his gentle way of studying his environment and cases before execution of profitable projects that are business oriented and beneficial to both sports and the government. Senator Enoh has already commenced the inspection of Zonal Stadia facilities and familiarization visits to State’s Governors.

His interest to make the grassroots his priority and most developed with the replacement of aging athletes and trained substitutes in all the sports federations is already attracting the needed professionalism in sports practicality and continuity. He has seen the dear need for more supportive atheletes in all the sports feilds that will at anytime, answer the clarion call of the government for representation during championships. He is also, scouting for managers of sports activities that will readily produce qualified and wanted atheletes.

Above all his hopeful vitalization of the sports sector for transparent administration, the Minister’s signature pointer gears towards involving stakeholders that will be highly independent on the government and are both idea oriented and selflessness in their contribution to youth development. His body language could also, be interpreted to mean engaging organisations that can be reckoned with or personalities that are realistic naturally and not political.

   Sen. Enoh sees most youths who are particularly his case study, as being motivated by characters that made sports highly acceptable globally and envious to other professions. Sports is now a dream profession whose growth spreads like the Corona-Virus and AIDS. It has become the love of dwellers in both the urban and rural communities that even a nonentity knows, speaks and plays sports no matter the hunger in the land.

However, the love of sports is so significant that it can bind two together and at the same time, tear two apart. Not only is it a binding unit for peace and harmony, it’s strong love from people can also course divorce among two binding forces If not properly managed. The strength of sports does not easily accept character of a person but it rather changes a person’s character. It is not only an area that promotes quick fame but one of the easiest avenue to be enriched despite the physique. Sports is a very natural hidden central bank where talents are seen to the glory of nature.

Senator Enoh even though not s footballer or athlete, hopes to be a discoverer of this natures own Divine talented field where success spreads to families especially the less privileged that have the ability and needs only an opportunity to be among the privileged. His profession as a teacher, is for-seen probably as the reason that necessitated nature’s choice for his placement where youths abilities are domiciled. Senator Enoh may look short sighted in appearance but honestly, his comportment and analogy in interaction exposes his in built long sightedness; in life ahead of tomorrow’s dream.

A marvelous and good commending step he has taken since assumptions of duty to understand the Terrain of sporting background and requirements needed for success in the sector unlike other power drunk past ministers that on assumption of duty immediately, starts with allocation of funds to unfore seen projects, and quick quest to acquire blue passport that will take them around the world for both unqualified and qualifying trails of sporting events.

The Honorable Minister whose body gesture, steps, spoken words, respected personality, relaxation and smile sums richness, can not be described as an unfortunate millionaire of doom. Presidents of Sports Federations, Stake Holders, Business Partners and Governors in particular who have come in contact with him, have seen in him a true representation of Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu as well as a detribalized and selfless politician. Sports involves youth that cut across sex, tribe , religion, faith and destinies thus, the need for a neutral heart minded leader that will collaborate with all other party leaders to sponsor sporting activities and support the need to disengage youths from destructive involvements.

All the political parties belong to Nigeria and all the youths are from the homes of different political leaders. They have at different periods given to politicians and need politicians to oil their excelling hope.

Felicia Mammah Nwokorie
Press – Sports

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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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