The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has collected for the federation about N1.5 trillion from tax collections as at the end of April. Emboldened by the performance, it also announced a new revenue target of N6 trillion by December from the N5.72 trillion it hoped to generate by September.
The agency also thursday warned the public to be wary of fraudulent elements in the society who might be extorting money from unsuspecting Nigerians in order to offer them employment in the service, as it is not recruiting for now. However, the revenue agency said its optimism on increased tax revenue was hinged on the impressive outcomes of its modernisation and automation projects, particularly, the Integrated Tax Administration System (ITAS).
Speaking at its Regional Enlarged Management Meeting (REMM) in Lagos, acting FIRS Chairman, Alhaji Kabiru Mashi, said beginning from August, the agency would commence the implementation of various components of the ITAS project, which it has been working on. When completed, the ITAS project will enhance online real-time payment of taxes and automatic receipt of tax clearance certificates and real time generation of Withholding Tax Credit Notes.
ITAs is also expected to automate the raising and posting of assessments, filing of withholding tax credit/receipts, collation of arrears, risk analysis, production of reports and automated generation of demand letters to taxpayers. According to Mashi, the project would also eliminate paper file movement in the organisation and replace it with electronic systems. This, he said, would ease hiccups in procurement and payment system in organisations.
Mashi, in a statement by Director, Communications and Liaison Department, FIRS, Mr. Emmanuel Obeta, refuted the rumour that the agency had announced any job placement. He said: “At the moment, FIRS is not recruiting new staff. FIRS had a tradition of advertising widely its recruitment appeals and we will do that when it is prepared to have another batch of recruitment."
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
The Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has ruled that it has jurisdiction to entertain the suit filed by Rivers State Governor, Mr. Chibuike Amaechi, challenging his suspension from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP had on May 27, suspended Amaechi from the party over his alleged refusal to rescind the decision of the House of Assembly to suspend the chairman, vice-chairman and 17 councillors of Obio/Akpor Local Government Council. Amaechi had approached the court challenging his suspension and seeking an injunction restraining the PDP from taking further actions against him. At the resumed hearing of Amaechi’s suit against the PDP yesterday, Justice Emmanuel Ogbuji said the court had jurisdiction to entertain the matter and fixed July 8 for the commencement of hearing.
The ruling followed two different motions filed by counsel to the PDP and the state Chairman of the party, Chief Felix Obuah; Mr. Donald Wigwe and Mr. Emmanuel Okala respectively, challenging the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the matter. Both Wigwe and Okala insisted that whenever an issue of jurisdiction has been raised by respondent/applicants, the court must first determine it before entertaining any other issue before it. After hearing their arguments, Ogbuji said the court had jurisdiction to hear the matter. He also ordered both parties to maintain the status quo pending the determination of the motion on notice before the court.
The order came as counsel to Amaechi, Mr. Adeboye Adebogun, prayed the court to entertain his motion for interlocutory injunction, saying that he had served respondents on time and that respondents were summoned to reply to his motion and not to come up with a matter of jurisdiction, which he said was served him just the previous day. Adebogun had also prayed the court to give him an order for all parties to maintain status quo pending the determination of the issues pending in the Court.
Meanwhile, Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) governorship candidate in the 2011 election, Dr. Abiye Sekibo, has resigned his membership of the party. Sekibo in a June 5 letter, addressed to the national chairman of the party, said he was quitting the party for personal reasons. There had been speculations that Sekibo, who left the PDP to challenge Amaechi in the 2011 elections under the ACN, might return to the PDP.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Barely a week after the death of the erstwhile Deputy Chairman of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P), Major-General Mamman Kontagora (rtd), President Goodluck Jonathan thursday approved the appointment of General Martin Luther Agwai (rtd), as his replacement.
Agwai, an indigene of Kaduna State and a former Chief of Defence Staff and Chief of Army Staff respectively, was described in a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, as a “highly-decorated General, who also held other military appointments within and outside the country, including Deputy Force Commander of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone and Force Commander of the African Union Mission in Sudan, has been a member of the SURE-P Committee since its establishment by the Jonathan Administration in February last year.”
The SURE-P committee is charged with the responsibility of managing and reinvesting the federal government’s share of the savings from the partial removal of the subsidy on fuel in programmes and initiatives that will improve the living conditions of ordinary Nigerians.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Over 40 people have been killed in Rukubi, Doma Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, by men suspected to be Fulani herdsmen. Community leaders who conducted the Deputy Governor, Mr. Dameshi Barau Luka, round the crisis-hit area, said the people were killed when the herdsmen invaded the community on Wednesday night in a raid in which over 35 houses and four cars belonging to the Agatu people of the area were also torched. More bodies were being recovered when the deputy governor led a delegation of members of the State Security Council on an on-the-spot assessment of the extent of the damage.
The spokesman of the development area, Mustapha Danladi Ayaga, who was part of the team that conducted the delegation round the community, told them that the gunmen invaded the community and went after selected houses belonging to the Agatu people. He said the death toll might be higher as the search for bodies and missing persons was still ongoing. Ayaga said the gunmen, dressed in riot police uniform and armed with sophisticated weapons, including AK47 and explosives, also abducted two members of the community.
“Over 500 militants dressed in riot police uniforms and heavily armed with sophisticated weapons ranging from AK47 guns, sub-machine guns and explosives, shot sporadically as they were strategically positioned round the village to ensure that all inhabitants of the locality were consumed”, he said.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology, Senator Bukola Saraki, Thursday said it would take steps to ensure that adequate planning and interventions to check and mitigate the impact of flooding and desertification on the people this year. This came as residents of Demsa Local Government Area of Adamawa State appealed to President Goodluck Jonathan to adopt pragmatic approach in evaluating the funds disbursed by the federal government to cushion the effects of last year’s flood disasters on affected areas.
However, Saraki, who said this in Abuja, during an event organised by the management of the group, known as ‘Say It Loud Africa’ to mark this year’s World Environment Day celebration, said the resolve by the Senate to address the environmental problems facing the country was as a result of the problems it posed to food security. “We are working proactively with the Federal ministry of Environment to ensure planning and interventions to forestall and mitigate the impact of flooding on our people this year,” he said.
According to him, most of the country’s arable lands were being destroyed with severe impacts, adding that, “unless we reclaim these lands and stop them from further exacerbation, we stand little chance in our fight against poverty, malnutrition and insecurity.” The Project Director of the group, Mr. Femi Oyelade, lamented the damaging impact of flood and desertification, which he said, had induced more unemployment, poverty and compromised the achievements of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Meanwhile, residents of Demsa local government area of Adamawa State, who spoke to THISDAY, said the call had become imperative given the huge amount of money spent by the federal government to aid last year’s flood victims, despite the fact that it had been difficult probing the committees saddled with the responsibility of disbursing the funds in all the affected states across the nation. One of the victims, Mr. Musa Yakubu, told THISDAY that the President should evaluate the impact of the funds before going ahead to release another fund.
Yakubu said: “If not for the media, we wouldn’t know anything about the money. I know that government cannot do everything for us. For instance, lets say N50,000 was given to us, some of us would have channel the fund into our irrigation farming and by now we would have gotten more harvest than what we got.” Another victim, Yoila Ginam, said the N500 million released would have gone a long way to cushion the disaster if the money had been channelled through right sources. ” According to him, “the government keep saying we should relocate. Where do we should relocate to? The federal government should investigate this matter because people affected were not people benefitting from it.”
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Michael Jackson's 15-year-old daughter Paris has been taken to hospital in Los Angeles, according to reports.
The local fire department said they responded to a call of a possible overdose at 1.27am local time.
They say they transported a single person to a local medical centre.
There are several reports the person involved was Paris.
She is said to have been taken from the Jackson family home in Calabasas, California, on a stretcher and transported to hospital in an ambulance.
A statement on behalf of her mother, Debbie Rowe, said: "We appreciate everyone's thoughts for Paris at this time and their respect for the family's privacy."
The last message posted on Paris' official Twitter account was 12 hours ago.
It read: "Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away. Now it looks as though they're here to stay."
Paris is the only daughter of the late Michael, who died in 2009 aged 50.
In an interview in April, she spoke of her "incredible father" and defended her upbringing.
She said the King of Pop battled to give his children a "normal childhood"
"I have lots of memories of my father. He was an incredible father. We all loved him to death."
Paris and her siblings live with their grandmother Katherine following Jackson's sudden death.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
About six persons were Thursday crushed to death and several others left with varying degrees of injury in an accident, which occured at Ajayi Farm Bus stop, along the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.
Although the identities of the deceased persons were yet to be ascertained as at press time, it was however, gathered that one of the victims was identified as Samuel, a member of staff of Slot, a telecommunications company.
THISDAY gathered that the accident caused by a commercial motorcyclist, who lost control, while trying to evade arrest from policemen for contravening the Lagos State Government’s ban on commercial motorcycles on 495 roads in the state. His alleged reckless driving was said to have triggered off a chain of events, which resulted in a multiple crash, involving two heavy duty articulated trailers and an Eko Meat van.
At the scene of the crash, about five passersby and the occupant of the van, an initiative of the state government for transporting, distributing, and selling butchered meat, were killed on the spot. According to eyewitness account, the driver of the heavy duty truck had collided with the van because he was trying to avoid the commercial motorcyclist, who had swerved right in front of the truck without any prior notice.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has sanctioned 72 corps members who participated in the compulsory national scheme in Ondo, Edo, Rivers and Enugu States.
Thirty two of them, out of the 2,000 posted to Ondo, were disciplined for engaging in various misdemeanours during the service year while the three others who served in Enugu State had their service year extended indefinitely. Thirty seven others also have their service year extended in Rivers and Edo States.
The Edo State Government offered automatic employment in the public service to four of the corps members who distinguished themselves during the service year and other states gave cash awards to others. Details of the sanction and the reward were given out yesterday as members of the NYSC Batch B 2012/2013 passed out from various states.
In Ondo State, the NYSC directorate said 13 out of the 32 corps members sanctioned would repeat the service year for allegedly not reporting at their various places of primary assignment while 19 others have their service extended by at least one month depending on the degree of their offences. The State Coordinator, Mr Isiaka Kuoye, at the passing-out parade of the corps members deployed in the state, however, added that five were awarded with honours while certificates of commendation were presented to another five who distinguished themselves during the service year.
Mr. Adegoroye Ademola, who served in Owo Local Government Area of the state, was awarded the Best Corps Member of the batch. Speaking at the occasion, the state Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, said the outgoing corps members had shown diligence, commitment and patriotism during their stay in the state. Mimiko, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Mr Kola Ademujimi, said various communities and establishments in which they had served had benefited immensely from their services. In Enugu, at least three out of the 3, 096 corps members posted to the state were yesterday stopped from passing out while their service year was extended indefinitely. But 48 others who performed exceptionally well received special honours and recognition.
While the first 10 who received the state Governor’s NYSC Honours Award received cash awards of N100, 000 each, the remaining 11 who bagged the NYSC Governing Board Chairman’s Merit Award received cash rewards of N60, 000 each. The other 27 corps members received commendation letters for their various contributions to the development of their host communities. Coordinator of NYSC in the state, Hillary Nasamu, who announced the service extension for the three corps members at the passing-out ceremony yesterday, said the trio was penalised for violating the bye-laws of the NYSC scheme. He explained that in addition to providing quality service in their places of primary assignment, the corps members executed community development projects all over the state.
At the passing-out in Edo State, the state government announced the offer of automatic appointments in the state public service to four corps members who won the state government’s award. It also offered to employ 26 others through the state Information and Communications Technology (ICT) department. The Governor, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, broke the news to the corps members at their passing-out ceremony thursday. He also announced a cash gift of N25,000 each to those who did their primary assignments in the state public schools. He said the gesture was to appreciate of their contributions to the development of the state and by extension the nation. Earlier, the state NYSC Coordinator, Mr. Adebayo Somefun, said 20 corps members would be punished, with 14 of them repeating their service while six will have their service extended.
In Rivers State, the NYSC said it lost four of those deployed in the state while 17 others were sanctioned for various offences. Thirteen of the corps members who passed out yesterday received awards for outstanding performance. The Rivers Coordinator of the NYSC, Mrs. Josephine Okuonghae, made the disclosure thursday during the passing out of the 2012, Batch ‘B’ corps members in Port Harcourt. He said 3, 680 corps members were posted to the state for the one year programme, adding that those sanctioned include eight who absconded from service and would repeat the service, while nine would have their service year extended between two weeks and five months, in accordance with the subsisting provisions of the bye-law of the NYSC.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
The acting Comptroller-General of Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Rilwanu Bala Musa, Thursday admitted that porous borders presented a huge challenge to the agency, especially at the North-eastern part of the country through which Boko Haram insurgents infiltrate to wreak havoc on the country.
This came as the presidential committee on dialogue and peaceful resolution of security challenges in the northern part of the country thursday said the proscription of the Boko Haram sect would not affect the dialogue move by the committee. Musa stated this during the sensitisation briefing on the activities mapped out to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the NIS. He described the porous borders as problematic, adding that it was one of the major tasks he undertook on assumption of office. He, however, noted that the federal government had intensified effort to fortify these areas and ensure that further infiltration of terrorists into the country was stopped. He said: “NIS has acknowledged that capacity building is key to success at meeting our goals. Therefore, the NIS has continually trained and retrained its officers and men on the use of IT tools, intelligence gathering and analysis and other numerous fields to improve our capacity.
“However, we also acknowledge that the land borders have been our weakest link. On assumption of duty, I undertook a tour of our borders at the north-eastern part of the country. “I observed the environment, discussed with stakeholders in the region and have made my recommendations to the government. I am excited that government is handling the situation well.” The ongoing offensive by soldiers in parts of the North-east against Boko Haram had exposed many foreign elements within the ranks of the insurgents, who easily entered and exited the country to carry out their terror attacks. The immigration boss also announced that some NIS officers had been dismissed for indiscipline, including lateness to office and negligence to duties.
On the activities lined up for the NIS golden jubilee, Musa said it would be a week-long event comprising prayers at the National Mosque and Church, lectures, ceremonial parade, and a one-day interactive session with management of the service and staff, among others. Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges in the northern part of the country, Alhaji Taminu Turaki, while speaking in Jos, the Plateau State capital, during the committee’s visit to the state, said government had to take certain steps to ensure that lives and property of the citizens were protected.
Turaki, who is also the Minister of Special Duties, said: “Government had to take the decision to ensure that lawlessness would not be tolerated. But not withstanding, our constructive engagement and discussion will continue. “Now, we are in Jos, we have talked and made consultations with stakeholders, issues like disarmament would come after the dialogue. But first, we are trying to get the linkages and then discussion which would lead to dialogue after dialogue we would now arrive at agreeable terms that both parties would be faithful to and its at that time that disarmament would come in.
“For those who are willing to give peace a chance, the presidential peace committee is saying welcome to them. And for those who are not willing to give peace a chance, government is putting in place appropriate legislation to make sure that nobody is seen or allowed to live above the law.” Also speaking, the Chairman of Plateau State Council of Chiefs and the Gbong Gwom Jos, Da Jacob Gyang Buba, said that religion in the country has been commercialised.
He said most religion leaders claim to know God of creation but still they are the ones abusing the cardinal principles and teachings of God, saying “everybody has become a pastor, sheikh, man of God and are busy working for money rather than evangelism.
He also caution religious leaders against inciting preaching and called on religious leaders to take away criminality from religion.
While praising security operatives in the state for the role they played in restoring peace to the state, he however, said there was no amount of security personnel that can restore peace; “but they can only restore law and order as peace comes from our individual desire and we have to assist the security agencies in doing this.”
He called on the citizens of the country not to be involved in religious sentiments as this was killing the spirit of Nigerians
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) thursday issued a 14-day strike notice to the federal government over unresolved disputes with Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) Chevron Nigeria Limited and Agip Oil Company. President of NUPENG, Achese Igwe, who gave the notice of strike at a press briefing in Lagos, alerted on an indefinite nationwide strike should government fail to convey stakeholders’ national conference to address labour issues in the oil and gas industry at the expiration of the ultimatum.
Igwe lamented the worsening unfair labour practices by multinational oil companies operating in the country particularly SPDC, Chevron and Agip Oil, accusing them of inflicting inhuman treatment on Nigerians. He contended that if the agreement reached with the multinational companies at a meeting called by the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, in May 2012, was implemented, these issues would have been resolved. Specifically, Igwe accused Agip Oil of terminating the appointment of 93 contract workers that had worked between 25 and 35 years, without benefits despite a directive by the Ministry of Labour and Productivity. Igwe accused Chevron of not only converting workers from contract labour to service labour but refusing them the right to collective bargaining agreement and to unionise.
According to him, contract workers in Agip were presently on strike in Port Harcourt, adding that if the issue was not resolved as soon as possible, it would degenerate into national strike because of issues in SPDC and Chevron. “We can no longer fold our arms and allow fellow Nigerians to be enslaved in their country. Before now, Chevron had what was called the big six contractors paying over 1800 workers. Some of the workers had worked for over 30 years and were unionised. Suddenly, Chevron terminated their appointments and said it was rolling them over.
Before we knew what was happening, Chevron balkanised the six contractors into 16 contractors and brought back these workers under service labour, refusing them to be unionised and denying them other rights. “Under the service labour, their jobs are no longer safe, meaning they can be sacked any day without notice.”
For Agip, 93 contract workers were sacked without paying them terminal benefits. These workers were interviewed and employed by Agip and handed over to contractors to be paying them. Some of them had served the company for over 30 years. When the issue was reported to the Ministry of Labour in Port Harcourt, Agip was directed to pay their terminal benefits. As we speak, it has refused. Apart from that, Chevron also promoted 96 contract workers who were NUPENG members to PENGASSAN contract staff instead of converting them to permanent staff having spent over 15 years as contract workers.
“Presently, the contract staff are on strike, and any moment from now, it will snowball into a nationwide strike. We are giving the federal government, the Ministry of Petroleum, the National Assembly among other well meaning Nigerians and groups, a 14-day ultimatum to intervene and summon an all embracing stakeholders national conference to address all labour issues in the industry failing which, we will declare an indefinite nationwide strike,” he said.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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