VAT INCREMENT WILL SLOW DOWN NIGERIA ECONOMY — ACTIONAID

Actionaid Nigeria has called on the Federal Government to forget the idea of increasing Value Added Tax, VAT, warning that it will slow down the economy, urging government to discontinue payment of subsidy on petroleum products instead.

In a statement by its Country Communication Coordinator, Niniola Ayanda, yesterday, the group said: ”Rather than an increase in VAT at this time, other avenues could be explored in the short term such as the removal of petroleum subsidy, which many have argued does not benefit the Nigerian populace.

“The plugging of fiscal leakages, a move which is currently being enforced by the present administration, can also be further strengthened. 

”If VAT increase were to be implemented by the government, several measures should be taken to ensure that the objective of the increase is realised. “An instance is the provision of the relevant technology to ensure proper monitoring, collection and elimination of leakages.

“The VAT increase could be varied relative to the kind of goods/services being purchased, since the effect on the poor would be greater than on the rich.”

Ayanda further commended the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for its efforts in the elections, noting that the Electoral Act and other related laws needed a total review ahead the 2023 general elections.

She stated that as much as possible, the country’s electoral process needed to be automated.

BIKE THIEF PULLED OUT OF POLICE STATION, BURNT TO DEATH BY MOB OVER MURDER (GRAPHIC PHOTOS)

A suspect killer and robber met his end today at the hands of angry youths in Ugep community, Cross River state. According to reports, the slain suspect allegedly killed a motorcyclist otherwise known as Okada rider while trying to steal his bike. 

The said bike thief while trying to steal the bike from its owner, set the rider ablaze. He first threatened the young man to release the bike keys to him, but the owner refused and fought back.

The bike thief fought the young man harder and allegedly emptied the small gallon of fuel he was with on the guy and set him ablaze. He took off with the bike afterwards. The victim was found minutes after by sympathizers who took him to the hospital. The thief was later arrested by the police.

Unfortunately, the young man who was set ablaze passed away this morning. So, angry youths went to the police station, brought out the thief and burnt him by the road side in front of the station as can be seen in a video posted online.

YOU ARE JITTERY, PDP TELLS APC OVER INEC SERVER HACKING ALLEGATIONS

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has asked President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to stop their unnecessary fabrications, smear campaign and prepare to face its legal team at the Presidential election tribunal. 

The party says President Buhari is overweighed by the burden of illegitimacy, following overwhelming evidence before the tribunal that he stole the Presidential mandate, hence this lame attempt at blackmailing the tribunal by engaging in clear acts of subjudice.

The PDP states that the facts and issues touching on the INEC server are already within the public domain and Nigerians are already at home with them. By resorting to shadow-boxing outside the tribunal, President Buhari and the APC have shown that they have no defence to present to the court against PDP’s submission that they stole our mandate.

It is even more appalling that Festus Keyamo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and a member of Buhari’s legal team, who should know better, would engage in this act of subjudice designed to distort facts already known to Nigerians, that our Presidential Candidate and former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, clearly won the February 23 Presidential election.

Since it has become clear that President Buhari has no defence to present to the court, we counsel him to save the nation further stress by surrendering our mandate, which was freely given by majority of Nigerians to Atiku Abubakar.

Signed:

Kola Ologbondiyan
National Publicity Secretary

BAUCHI GUBER ELECTION 2019: INEC RESUMES COLLATION OF BAUCHI GOV ELECTION RESULTS, TO NAME WINNER TODAY

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has resumed collation of results of the supplementary governorship election in Bauchi State.

The resumption comes hours after a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja dismissed the suit of Mohammed Abubakar, incumbent Governor of the state and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), challenging INEC's decision to conclude, collate and announce the governorship election result from Tafawa Balewa Local Government in Bauch State.

Festus Okoye, National Commissioner of INEC who disclosed the resumption on Monday evening, said "the collation has commenced, and the suspended process will be cncluded today".

FG BEGINS HARMONISATION OF SALARY DISPARITY AMONG CIVIL SERVANTS

The Federal Government  has mandated the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) to begin implementation of  a project to harmonise salary disparity among Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).       

Speaking while defending the Commission’s budget before the National Assembly, Executive Chairman, NSIWC, Dr. Richard Onwuka Egbule, said to achieve an enduring harmonisation, efforts are being made to have a comprehensive review of grading system.

Egbule explained that the Commission achieved a 74 per cent implementation of the 2018 budget, which he hoped will be surpassed in 2019.

He said the greatest problem bedevilling the Commission was the issue of office accommodation after 25 years of its existence.

The Chairman said it was due to the lack of office space that the Commission could not recruit in the last 10 years, adding that the need for more office space has become more pressing.

He noted that NSIWC operates from six  different locations which, according to him, would not enhance the building of a distinct organisational culture, adding that necessary contacts had been made to ameliorate the situation, including a courtesy visit to the Minister of Federal Capital Territory  (FCT).

In his remarks, the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs, Alhaji Husseini Kangiwa, called on the Commission to make the issue of office space a priority and build it into its budget and bring in the National Assembly to back it up.

He noted that an important agency like NSIWC that is at the heart of workers’ welfare should have a befitting building of its own.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has concluded process leading to the disbursement of subsidies to the six licensed Infrastructure Companies (InfraCos) as part of its plans to boost broadband penetration and make it pervasive nationwide.

This was part of the digital transformation agenda, which NCC has put in place for actualisation. The subsidy will augment the InfraCos’ capital expenditure (CAPEX).

Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, dropped the hint at the weekend when he received a delegation from the United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

The USTDA team, led by its Acting Country Director, Mr. Thomas Hardy, was received at the instance of the NCC Board members and senior management of the Commission.

LOOMING ANARCHY IN RIVERS STATE AS CSOs CRY OUT

Members of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Port Harcourt, Rivers state on Monday took to the streets to protest against the continuous stay in office of the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Obo Effanga.

The groups, identified as the “International Society of Social Justice and “Human Rights and Advocate for Justice International”, were led by Dr. Jackson Omenazu and Young Bassey.

The duo led their supporters in a joint protest to the operational offices of some security agencies in the state urging them to appeal to  INEC to redeploy Effanga to avert looming crisis.

The CSOs took their protests to the Director for Security Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police.

They accused the INEC in the state of partisanship, insisting that his continuous stay in the state will spark anarchy and further deaths in the state.

Addressing their hosts at different offices, the leader of the protest, Dr. Omenazu said, “We are here to present a letter of protest to the Police Commissioner on what we have observed as civil society organization, about the conduct of the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), in the state.

“As law enforcement Officers, we believe you are saddled with responsibility of prosecuting any erring government agent that has compromised his or her office.

“Our findings have indicated that the state REC, Obo Affanga’s actions and inactions may throw the state into unimaginable crisis, Anarchy looms in the state because of his conducts and we are calling on the CP to please for the sake of peace, avert the anarchy that is looming in the state by calling the REC to order.

“When an electoral umpire becomes bias, it is a catalyst to anarchy and we don’t want anarchy in this state any more. Rivers state has had engulfed in crisis, enough blood has been shed.

“We don’t want to see him; Rivers people don’t want to have anything to do with him anymore. INEC headquarter should please send in another REC that will conduct free and fair elections so that Rivers people can have peace.

“His continuous stay and presiding and superintending over elections in this state is a call to anarchy and the only way to avert it, is for him to leave the state in peace,” he insisted.

PRESIDENT BUHARI RECEIVES REPORT ON IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NEW NATIONAL MINIMUM WAGE

President Muhamamdu Buhari on Monday received the report of the Technical Advisory Committee on the implementation of the new National Minimum Wage at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

President Buhari had on Jan. 9 inaugurated the advisory committee chaired by an economist and financial expert, Mr Bismarck Rewane, where he reiterated his commitment to an upward review of the minimum wage.

The president had on Dec. 19, 2018 while presenting the 2019 Appropriation Bill at the joint session of the National Assembly announced his intention to constitute the committee.

He said the committee would recommend “modalities for the implementation of the new minimum wage in such a manner as to minimise its inflationary impact as well as ensure that its introduction does not lead to job losses’’.

NAN reports already the two chambers of the National Assembly had deliberated and approved the bill on N30,000 as new national minimum wage. 

(NAN) 

PDP AGENT'S HAND PICTURED ON THE GROUND AFTER BEING HACKED OFF IN KANO (GRAPHIC)

An agent of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), lost his hand following the widespread violence and unchecked intimidation of voters during Saturday’s supplementary governorship election in Kano state.

It was gathered that the agent was attacked by thugs and had his hand cut off for reportedly supporting the opposition party. He was rushed to the hospital where he is recovering from the injury sustained. 

Meanwhile, violence erupted in Kano as can be seen in the videos below, following the declaration of incumbent governor, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, as winner of the governorship election in Kano State, thereby returning him for a second term in office. 

Aggrieved people turned out in large numbers and were desperate to force their way into the state INEC office, but for the timely intervention of the police, who had also positioned themselves in some places around the state INEC office.

EXCLUSIVE: EFCC TRACES LAWYER’S ‘CAR GIFT’ TO CJN ONNOGHEN

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has traced a car owned by Walter Onnoghen, the embattled chief justice of Nigeria (CJN), to Joe Agi, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN).

The anti-graft agency believes the car is a gift from the lawyer, who had cases before Onnoghen at the time of purchase.

But Agi has told the EFCC that aside being a senior lawyer, he is also a car dealer and Onnoghen bought the Mercedes GL 450 series from him for N7 million in 2010, sources told press.

However, when he was asked to produce receipts of purchase and other documentation relating to the transaction, he could not do so.

Previously, the EFCC traced a deposit of $30,000 by Agi into Onnoghen’s bank account dating back to 2009.

He was also said to have had cases before the judge when he made the deposits.

Agi denied the allegation that the $30,000 was a bribe.

In a press statement, he said the money was from allowances paid to Onnoghen on seminars, holidays, conferences or medical trips abroad.

Agi said: “I have been acquainted with Justice Onnoghen, JSC in our days as Lawyers in Calabar, Cross Rivers State from the 1980s before he was appointed a High Court Judge.

“My Lord Justice Onnoghen said he had no idea since opening of foreign account was forbidden for Public Officers. I informed him that domiciliary account is not a foreign bank account as it is opened and operated within the local banks in Nigeria.

“It was on this note that I went to my banker Standard Chartered Bank and obtained Account Opening Forms for him as a friend and Senior Brother. He completed the Forms and I refereed him. He gave me $30,000 being left over of his allowances for overseas seminars, holidays, conferences or medical trips to deposit for him as the first deposit. This I did in 2009 i.e 10 years ago. After that, he operated the account himself without me paying even a cent into that account till date.

“Now 10 years after, I am again being vilified and accused of giving Justice Onnoghen bribe. If I may ask; bribe for which case? In the Supreme Court panel they sit in 5 or 7 persons, was the $30,000 for the 5 or 7 Justices? And for which case? This is another huge joke aimed at vilifying my person by the same cabal who are hell bent on tarnishing my image as an aftermath of the exposure of the Paris Club fraud.”

Agi is one of the lawyers defending Onnoghen in his asset declaration case before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).

Onnoghen is currently being tried by the CCT over allegations of non-declaration of some of his assets, although he said it was an oversight.

In a previous case, which was eventually dismissed, a foreign firm owned by Agi’s friend paid N30 million into the account of the wife of Adeniyi Adetokunbo Ademola, a justice of the federal high court, for their daughter’s wedding.

He was also said to have bought a car for Ademola’s son.

The case filed against him for “gratification” was dismissed on technical grounds, although many lawyers argued that it was a professional misconduct which should have been punished by the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee.

Efforts to reach Agi were unsuccessful as his phone rang out. He has also not responded to text messages.

INEC DECLARES APC's LALONG WINNER Of PLATEAU GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION

Gov. Lalong

Governor Simon Lalong of the All Progressives Congress has won the Plateau State governorship election, following the supplementary poll held on Saturday.

Lalong was declared the winner by the Returning Officer in the state, Prof Richard Kimbir, after scoring 595,582 votes to defeat 23 other candidates, including the Peoples Democratic Party standard-bearer, Jeremiah Useni, who garnered 546,813.

Kimbir stated that a total of 1,159,954 valid votes were recorded while 16,188 were rejected, saying 1,176,142 was the total number of votes cast.

The results for the nine LGAs that took part in the supplementary poll, including Barkin Ladi, Bassa, Bokkos, Jos North, Kanam, Langtang South, Mangu, Pankshin and Shendam, showed that Lalong scored 12,327 new votes, while the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Jeremiah Useni, earned 8,487. There was no cancellation of results recorded.