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Workers’ Day: You Are Engine That drives Development Akobundu Salutes Nigerian workers

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Joel Ajayi

As Nigerian workers join their counterparts all over the world to celebrate workers day, the National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer AUDA-NEPAD/ APRM Nigeria Boss, princess Gloria Akobundu fsi have described workers as the engine that can propel the country in achieving its developmental objectives.

In a statement issued by the Media Assistant to  National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer AUDA-NEPAD/ APRM Nigeria on Sunday in Abuja Akobundu saluted the Nigerian workers for their contribution to the growth of the country.

According to the statement, the combination of workers input both at the public and private sectors when properly harnessed will no doubt promote the desired development in country considering that the objective and mandate of every Ministry, Department and Agency (MDAs) as well as the private sector is improve the lot of the Nation

“The Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in the public sector have their mandates  targeting the development of the nation, but they can be better attained through renewed commitment by the entire workforce.

“Similarly, for the growth of the nation, economic growth and societal development should not be left for the public sector alone. The private sectors should equally look beyond their incomes or profits only but should also show commitment towards the development of the common good of the nation.

“Nigeria and other nations around the world are facing challenges from the impact of COVID-19 Pandemic, economic meltdown, terrorism among others, but with  patriotic zeal of the labour force, we can turn our challenges to opportunities for the nation.

“It doesn’t matter whether you are self-employed, private or public employee or employer, the task to uplift the nation is the responsibility of all citizens, ’’ she said.

Akobundu further added that patriotic labour by all workforce would fast track economic development and deepen good governance in the nation.

The AUDA-NEPAD Boss rejoices with the Country’s workforce in commemorating the 2022 Worker’s Day, urging them to continue to put the nation above any other interests.

She also  commended the efforts of pensioners who have served with dignity and have now passed the baton of service to the current workers, while calling for greater commitment to duty by the current workforce.

It will be recalled that Akobundu-led AUDA-NEPAD/APRM Nigeria has been championing domestication and implementation of AU Agenda 2063`Africa We Want’ and Sustainable Development Goals 2030 of the United Nations, in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s Roadmap for a greater Nigeria.

The Agency is championing implementation of AUDA-NEPAD Initiative to Strengthen Smallholder Farmers Capabilities for land restoration amid COVID-19 Pandemic, also the Conduct of APRM Second Peer Review of Nigeria, leading to the compilation of Nigeria’s Second  National Programme of Action (NPoA) to be launched by President Muhammadu Buhari.

 However, the United Nations has set aside 1st of May every year as workers Day to celebrate dignity of labour among its member states.

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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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