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I know the problem of Nigeria, I will deal with it – Amaechi to Niger State Governor, APC Delegates

Published

3 years ago

May 20, 2022

Former Minister of Transportation and Presidential Aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Rt Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has stated that he is aware of the challenges of Nigeria, including the problem of insecurity, and that he is capable and ready to solve them.

Amaechi made the statement during his consultative meeting with the Governor and delegates of the APC in Niger State, Thursday.

He noted that he had governed a State that was as bad as what Niger suffers today, and that he is ready to tackle the security problems if elected.

“I know what you’re suffering, I was governor of Rivers State when they were kidnapping two months old children, and I never slept until everybody slept. Gen. Buratai is not here today, he would have told you the story. Buratai, myself the former Inspector General of Police (Suleiman Abba) ask them, we used to chase criminals in the bush. I remember one day I was chasing criminals with Gen Sarkin Yaki Bello (then Commander of the Joint Task Force in the Niger Delta), we were running and he stopped and asked me, ‘Your Excellency, are you wearing bullet proof vest?’ I said why are you asking, he said ‘what if they shoot you,’ I said ‘are you wearing one?’ He said no, and I asked ‘what if they shoot you.’

“But in six months, we brought down insecurity in Rivers State,” Amaechi said.

Talking about his contribution to Niger State when he was the Minister of Transportation, Amaechi said, “As Minister for Transport, today, the contract for Baro (Port) awarded, the contract for rail line to go from Baro to Minna also awarded. The Emir told me that the contractor has visited him to say he wants to start work.”

Amaechi further stated that apart from his vast experience, having served and delivered as Speaker, Governor, Minister and Director General of two successful Presidential campaigns, there exist a difference between him and other aspirants, a fact that he is a better experienced politician and a people person.

“Another difference between me and them, is that I am a politician, they’re not. The difference is that I can walk to you and I’ll talk, discuss with you. I can connect easily with the people. I wasn’t born into a rich family. My father was a poor man, the only English my mother knows how to speak is pidgin english. I ate garri three times a day, and I still eat garri three times a day till today, so I know poverty”, he said.

He opined that now is the time for the people of the North and all Nigerians to stand by him, as he did for the country when he supported the emergence of President Buhari, without looking at whether he comes from the North or South.

“When everybody was fighting me, saying ‘he’s supporting a Northern candidate, he’s supporting a Hausa/Fulani candidate,’ I remained steadfast that I was supporting a Nigerian candidate. Now is your turn to?”

“Payback,” The delegates chorused in response.

The Niger State Governor, Sani Bello who welcomed Amaechi to the State, asked the delegates if they were satisfied with Amaechi and his submission, and they all responded, “Yes!”

Earlier, Amaechi paid a courtesy visit to the Emir of Minna, Alhaji Umar Farouq Bahago, who expressed satisfaction with Amaechi’s performance as Minister of Transportation, thanking him for the Baro seaport and rail project he brought to Niger State, affirming that the contractor, CCECC had contacted him that they are ready to commence work.

The Emir also stated that Amaechi’s immense experience qualifies him for the job of the President of the country.

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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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