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Ondo Polls: NYSC Director-General Seeks Protection For Corps Members

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Joel Ajayi

The Director-General of National Youth Service Corps NYSC Brigadier General Shuaibu Ibrahim has appealed to all stakeholders in Ondo State to provide adequate security for Corps Members that will be engaged as polling officials in the forthcoming the gubernatorial election in the state.

He said Corps Members were apolitical and focused on contributing their quota towards national development.

General Ibrahim stated these today during a courtesy visit to the Deji of Akure, His Imperial Majesty Oba Aladetoyinbo Ogunlade Aladelusi, and also the Olowo of the Owo Kingdom, His Royal Majesty Oba Ajibade Gbadegesin Ogunoye III in their palaces.

He assured that the youth on national service would perform the election duties with a high sense of responsibility and neutrality, but added that all stakeholders must contribute towards giving them maximum protection.

The NYSC boss, who appreciated the monarch for his support for NYSC, stressed that the Scheme placed a high premium on the welfare and security of the  Corps Members.

“I want to plead with the good people of Ondo State to protect my Corps Members.

“We want to ensure that our Corps Members are safe as we look forward to a hitch-free election”, the DG added.

Ibrahim further urged residents of the State to tap from the potentials of Corps Members for socio-economic development, adding that their knowledge, loyalty, and dedication to duty were of immense benefit.

Responding, the Deji of Akure commended the NYSC Scheme for its role in mentoring of the nation’s youth.

 

He added that residents of Ondo State were looking up to the Corps Members’ credible conduct of the Governorship Election.

 

“We believe in them because they are up to the task and residents of the Ondo State trust them”, the monarch said.

 

Also the Olowo of Owo Kingdom, Oba Ajibade Gbadegesin Ogunoye commended General Ibrahim for his efforts in mentoring graduate youths.

 

He lauded the NYSC for its roles in adding more credibility to the electoral assignments in the country

 

“Corps Members are treasures that must be protected and no matter what, nothing will happen to Corps Members in this kingdom, and even in Ondo State l can assure you of their safety.

 

The NYSC Scheme has to be a pride of the nation because it is uniting us”, he said

 

During separate visits to the 32 Artillery Brigade Nigerian Army, Owena, Akure; Ondo State Command of the Department of State Services, and the State Police Command, the Director-General appealed to the agencies to provide adequate security for all Corps Members before, during, and after the election.

In their responses, the Brigade Commander, 32 Artillery Brigade Nigerian Army, Brigadier General Zakari Abubakar; Director, Department of State Services, Mr. Emmanuel Esomonu, and State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Salami Amidu Bolaji all assured that measures had been put for the protection of all Corps Members during the election.

Earlier in the day, the Director-General addressed the Corps members that will serve as election officials urging them to abide by the electoral laws, be security conscious, and avoid infractions.

“You must abide by the electoral laws. If you run a foul of the law, NYSC will not be there for you.

Be security conscious, don’t cut corners, and use only the vehicles accredited by INEC”, General Ibrahim said.

 

 

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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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