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NWFL Premiership Week 4 Preview: Team News, Analysis, Stats And Players To Watch.

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NWFL Premiership returns to action this Wednesday following the Christmas break with several sides hoping the fortnight’s inactivity could change their fortunes, while others will be hoping the few days off would have done nothing to interrupt their form.

Seven Matches will be played across seven centers on Wednesday.

Leaders Bayelsa Queens will be at home to Confluence Queens, while Nasarawa Amazons face Delta Queens in a must-win encounter, Sunshine Queens welcomes second-placed Edo Queens to Akure, Abia Angels travels to Port Harcourt to face defending Champions Rivers Angels.

In Warri, Royal Queens will be hoping to record their second victory at home this season, DreamStar Ladies have another tough test in Ibom Angels at the Agege Township Stadium, while Pelican Stars of Calabar will battle FC Robo Queens in Lagos.

The action is incessant and persistent. Here is a short preview of the 2021 NWFL Premiership week 4 from www.thenwfl.com.

Rivers Angels 🆚 Abia Angels (Adokiye Anesiemaka Stadium)

Rivers Angels have recorded two away draws in their last three matches and will welcome Abia Angels on Wednesday.

Abia Angels have won two games, losing only narrowly to Royal Queens in Warri two weeks ago.

Rivers Angels Manager Edwin Okon knows how important it is to get their second victory at home as they target qualification for the Champions League.

Maryann Ezeanagu, Vivian Ikechukwu, Brume Ikhekua, and Damilola Koku, Christopher Precious are all available for selection upfront.

#Nasarawa Amazons 🆚 Delta Queens. (Lafia City Stadium)

A must-win game for Nasarawa Amazons, having lost their first three games in December.

Christopher Danjuma is expectant the same as the teeming fans of the ‘Solid Babes’ as they have a date to keep with  Delta Queens on Wednesday evening.

One goal in three matches compared to Delta Queens seven goals in three, shows that Nasarawa Amazons have a lot of work to do against the ‘Okowa Ladies’ at the Lafia City Stadium.

Experienced Kafayat Ajani is back to the squad after some time out, Adejoke Ejalonibu, Amarachi Okoronkwo, Dooshima Tarnum, and others are all available for this encounter.

#Bayelsa Queens 🆚 Confluence Queens (Samson Siasia Stadium, Yenagoa)

Will Bayelsa Queens make it four wins in four games after Wednesday’s encounter with Confluence Queens? That is the question on every lip of the NWFL Premiership followers.

Confluence Queens under Whyte Ogbonda are seen as a team that can spring out surprises when least expected. Moses Aduku and his girls are confident and are raring to go into the game o Wednesday. In-form Anjor Mary, Joy Jerry, Ruben Charity will be looking at extending their unbeaten run in the league.

#DreamStar Ladies 🆚 Ibom Angels. (Agege Township Stadium)

Heading into the Wednesday game, Coach Anya Ugochi must be thinking about getting her first victory of the season as she faces Ibom Angels on Wednesday at the Agege Township Stadium.

Both teams didn’t start the season on a good note and Moruf Adeyemo must be aiming at getting a positive result against the ‘Galactica’s’.

Ayatsea Hembafen, Anuoluwapo Salisu, Juliet Iroele, and others will have to work hard to win against the very determined ‘Orange Ladies’.

#Royal Queens 🆚 Osun Babes (Warri Township Stadium)

Coach Yinka Adunola has spoken of the importance of keeping the momentum generated against Pelican Stars ahead of the tie in Warri against Royal Queens.

Royal Queens are a very difficult team to beat and Coach Paul Mene will be in the dugout without his faifhful assistant Ifunanya Patricia who controversially resigned from her position some days ago.

Both sides play free-flow attacking football and create a lot of chances on the flanks. Yemisi Samuel, Habibat Agbaji, Sarah Iloduba, and others will be hoping for a great result in Delta, while Bukola Oni, Chioma Olise, Chika Idika, Rosemary Adesina will all want a comprehensive victory against the Omoluabi Queens.

#Sunshine Queens 🆚 Edo Queens (Ondo State Sports Complex, Akure)

A big test for Rowlandson Odeh and his players.  Sunshine Queens hardly lose at home and thus have a good team and an experienced Manager in Wemimo Matthew.

Odeh leads his players to their second away game this season and it’s against a side well known for their superb style of play.

Elizabeth Zirike and Sandra Chichi will be going back to Akure, where the fans still cherish them, having dorned the Orange jersey of Sunshine Queens in the past.

 

Patricia Innocent, Seun Fakunle, Goodness Ihuoma and others will be seeking for nothing but victory when the battle gets off on Wednesday.

#FC Robo Queens 🆚 Pelican Stars (Legacy Football Pitch, National Stadium, Surulere)

Osahon Emmanuel is a manager who has a great connection with his players on the pitch of play. The charismatic coach will be playing against a Pelican Stars team who lost 3-0 to Osun Babes in December.

Charismatic captain Gift Monday scored a hat-trick in their last home game against Osun Babes, the December player of the month will be hoping to increase her goal tally on Wednesday.

Pelican Stars have some experienced players in their Squad, Chinenye Okafor, Gladys Abasi, Hannah Amos, Love Okon and a host of others will be optimistic in picking a positive result in Lagos.

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Business

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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