Featured

Sports Minister Visits NYSC Delta Camp

Published

2 years ago

December 11, 2022

….lauds State Govt for supporting Scheme

The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare has commended Delta State Government for providing a befitting Orientation Camp for NYSC in the State.

He lauded the spate of infrastructural development at the Orientation Camp in Issele-Uku, describing it as a good template for all NYSC Orientation Camps across the country.

The Minister disclosed this during his visit to NYSC Delta State Orientation Camp in Issele-Uku to assess the level of work at the on-going 700 capacity Corps Members hostel, NYSC South-South Area Office Warehouse and internal roads, courtesy the State Government.

The Minister, who added that the Scheme would be marking its fifty years anniversary next year, added that there must be functional NYSC Orientation Camps in the country with necessary facilities.
He urged other State Governments to emulate Delta State in performing their statutory responsibilities as stated in the NYSC Act.

“When you come to NYSC Camp in Delta and you see the layout template and the completed on-going projects, l think this is the model we want in all NYSC Orientation Camps”, Dare said.

He said the innovation of having six area offices in NYSC is a laudable idea, adding that it would ensure a stronger collaboration between the National Directorate Headquarters, NYSC formations and other stakeholders for national development.

Speaking on behalf of Delta State Government, the Commissioner for Youths, Hon. Ifeanyi Egwuyenga said the State Government is committed to human capital development, thereby giving priority to youth development in order to enable them lend their support to nation building.
He added that youths should be given the opportunity to express themselves and develop their potentials.

“The collaboration between Delta State Government and Federal Government through NYSC is very necessary, because the youth population in Nigeria should be given adequate opportunity and space to be able to express themselves and develop their potentials, to also lend their support for nation building”, he said.

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, Alhaji Ismail Abubakar also commended the Delta State Government for providing a conducive Orientation Camp and other logistics support for NYSC in the State.

The Acting Director General of National Youth Service Corps, Mrs Christy lfeyinwa Uba, said the Scheme has been empowering Corps Members with vocational skills that has made many Ex-Corps Members self employed in different business endeavours across the country.

She added that the proposed NYSC Trust Fund would make start-up capitals available for Corps Members to start their businesses, and also create jobs for others.
She commended the Delta State Government for providing the Orientation Camp with necessary facilities, urging other stakeholders to also contribute their quota for the benefit of Corps Members.

The Project Manager, Architect James Ade Okuli said the NYSC South-South Area Office warehouse, domiciled inside Delta State Orientation Camp in Issele Uku houses 4 shops, 6 large storage halls for each of the states in the South-South among other facilities.

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Featured

Tax Reform Bill Passage: New Tax Laws, Better Nigeria

Published

7 hours ago

May 9, 2025

The Gleamer

By Arabinrin Aderonke

Nigeria must work; this is the vision we have held onto for so long. When the news came that the Senate had passed all four tax reform bills, it was one of those moments you stop and ask yourself, is this really happening? For years, Nigeria’s tax system has been a source of frustration, something we all got used to criticizing. Truthfully, it was not just tax. From electricity to education to healthcare, we have long complained about the failure of government systems.

On top of that, Nigeria remained tied to the unstable global oil market, leaving us with unpredictable revenue and a shrinking ability to fund our future. That is exactly why we must keep believing in the idea of a new Nigeria. And this time, it is not just another round of promises, this is action.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu understood that to truly rebuild Nigeria, we needed a tax system that would create sustainable revenue, spread the burden fairly, and give every Nigerian, rich or poor, north or south, a reason to trust government again. That is what led to the introduction of the tax reform bills in 2024. It has taken months of serious policy work, consultation, and courage. Now, with the National Assembly passing all four bills, the Nigeria Tax Bill 2024, the Nigeria Tax Administration (Procedure) Bill 2024, the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill 2024, and the Joint Tax Board (Establishment) Bill 2024, we are seeing decisions that could finally loosen Nigeria’s dependence on oil and give states the resources they need to grow.

One of the features is the new VAT sharing formula. Under the proposed structure, 50 percent of Value Added Tax revenue will be shared equally among all states, 20 percent will be distributed based on population, and 30 percent will be distributed according to actual consumption. It is a formula designed to balance fairness with performance, giving each state a stake while also encouraging economic activity and good governance.

The Senate also made it known that the VAT rate will remain at 7.5 percent, resisting pressure to increase it. For Nigerians, that means no new burden added to goods and services. But more importantly, the bills approved also provided for the continued funding of development agencies such as the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA). These are the institutions that support learning, research, and innovation across the country, and their survival is necessary for the future of the Nigeria we all want.

Another part of the bill is the plan to turn the Federal Inland Revenue Service into the Nigeria Revenue Service (Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill). But this is not just a name change. It is a coordinated effort to build a system that supports states, strengthens local government revenue, and makes tax collection more transparent.

Dr. Zacch Adedeji, Executive Chairman of FIRS, has led the redesign of the agency and introduced many measures aimed at improving tax collection across the country, and even these Tax Reform Bills are one. If anyone has earned respect in this space, it is him. His work shows that reforms are possible when people in charge are ready to do better.

As it stands, all four tax reform bills have been passed, and these laws are now in place. This means Nigeria has completed what many consider the most needed tax reform in years.

The process now moves to the harmonization stage, where both the Senate and House of Representatives will come together to resolve any differences in their versions of the bills. Once they reach an agreement, the bills will be sent to the President for his final approval. After the President signs them into law, they will be published in the official gazette, making them official. From there, the Federal Inland Revenue Service, which will be renamed the Nigeria Revenue Service, will take the lead in implementation. With the capable Tax Boss, Dr. Zacch, we can be sure that the results will exceed expectations.

This is the Renewed Hope Nigerians have been waiting for. The changes are here, these reforms give us the chance to do things right!

Arabinrin Aderonke Atoyebi is the technical assistant on broadcast media to the executive chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service

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