The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has appointed some commercial banks as agents to recover N1.8 trillion from accounts of Messrs MultiChoice Nigeria Limited (MCN) And MultiChoice Africa (MCA). This was contained in a statement signed by FIRS Executive Chairman, Muhammad Nami. The statement confirmed the decision to appoint the banks as agents and freeze the accounts was as a result of the group’s continued refusal to grant FIRS access to its servers for audit. The FIRS said: “The companies persistently breached all agreements and undertakings with the Service, they would not promptly respond to correspondences, they lack data integrity and are not transparent as they continually deny FIRS access to their records”. MCN in particular was said to have “avoided giving the FIRS accurate information on the number of its subscribers and income”. The FIRS added:”The companies are involved in the under-remittance of taxes which necessitated a critical review of the tax-compliance level of the company. “The group’s performance does not reflect in its tax obligations and compliance level in Nigeria. The level of non-compliance by Multi-Choice Africa (MCA), the parent Company of Multi-Choice Nigeria (MCN) is very alarming. The parent company, which provides services to MCN has never paid Value Added Tax (VAT) since its inception” the service said. The FIRS lamented: “The issue with Tax collection in Nigeria, especially from foreign-based Companies conducting businesses in Nigeria and making massive profits is frustrating and infuriating to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS)”. “Regrettably, Companies come into Nigeria just to infringe on our tax laws by indulging in tax evasion. ” There is no doubt that broadcasting, telecommunications and the cable-satellite industries have changed the face of communication in Nigeria. However, when it comes to tax compliance, some companies are found wanting. They do with impunity in Nigeria what they dare not try in their countries of origin”. The statement further confirmed that Nigeria contributes 34 percent of total revenue for the Multi-Choice group. The next to Nigeria from intelligence gathering is Kenya with 11 percent, and Zambia is in third place with 10 percent. The rest of Africa where they have presence accounts for 45 percent of the group’s total revenue. The FIRS noted that information at its disposal “revealed a tax liability for relevant years of assessment for ₦1,822,923,909,313.94 (One trillion, eight hundred and twenty-two billion, nine hundred and twenty-three million, nine hundred and nine thousand, three hundred and thirteen naira, ninety-four kobo only) and $342,531,206 (Three hundred and forty-two million, five hundred and thirty-one thousand, two hundred and six dollars only). “All bankers to MCA and MCN in Nigeria have been appointed as Collecting Agents for the full recovery of the aforesaid tax debt”. “In this regard, the affected banks are required to sweep balances in each of the above-mentioned entities’ accounts and pay the same in full or part settlement of the companies’ respective tax debts until FULL recovery” the statement read. It was stated that “this should be done before the execution of any transaction involving the companies or any of their subsidiaries. It is further requested that the Federal Inland Revenue Service be informed of any transactions before execution on the account, especially transfers of funds to any of their subsidiaries”.

Airline operators in the country must refund the full cost of travel tickets to passengers after a two-hour delay, the Federal Government has said. Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, made this known on Thursday at the weekly State House Briefing in Aso Villa, Abuja. He read some of the rights of aviation passengers at the briefing and charged them to demand their rights whenever they are being trampled upon by airlines. “On domestic flights, delay beyond one hour, carrier should provide refreshment, and one telephone call, or one SMS, or one e-mail. They should send you an SMS or email or call you to say, ‘I am sorry, I am delaying for one hour’. “Delay for two hours and beyond, the carrier shall reimburse passengers the full volume of their tickets. “Delay between 10pm and 4am, carrier shall provide hotel accommodation, refreshment, meal, two free calls, SMS, email and transport to-and-fro airport,” Sirika said, adding that the same rules apply for international flights. The minister, who said his ministry has started sanctioning some airlines who default on consumer rights, however, urged passengers not to be unruly at airports. Of late, flight cancellations and delays have characterised inter-city air transportation in Nigeria, with many passengers scolding the about 10 commercial airlines operating scheduled flights for keeping them waiting at airports for hours after their scheduled departure time. The PUNCH had earlier reported that operators of airlines in Nigeria justified the delay and cancellations of domestic flights in the country. The operators hinged the reason on non-availability and rising cost of aviation fuel, also known as JetA1 and inadequate parking spaces at airports. The operators, led by the Chairman of Air Peace, Allen Onyema, on Tuesday, stated this when they appeared before the Senate Committee on Aviation chaired by Senator Smart Adeyemi. He also demanded the prosecution of unruly passengers at the Airports. Other reasons cited by Onyema were non-availability of forex for spare parts and maintenance, sudden change of weather, delay due to VIP movement, inefficient passenger access and facilitation, delay clearance of spare parts from Customs and inadequate screening and exit points at departure.

Ifeanyi Ejiofor, lawyer of detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has assured he would be released soon. He said there was no strong allegations to convict him, urging Biafrans to be patient and prayerful. “We’re in high spirit that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu will soon come out of detention sooner than expected, and better too. It’s one thing for allegations to be made, it’s another thing to establish it. But I don’t think there’s anything strong enough to convict him,” he said. Ejiofor disclosed that there was great improvement in Kanu’s health condition, despite the inhuman treatment he was subjected to while in Kenya. “There’s no cause for worry. His health is improving. Only that he has not been allowed access to his family, particularly his wife and children, which I see as another level of mental torture. “But we’re doing all we can to ensure he’s transferred to appropriate custodian pending when his trial commences. We’re also making efforts to get medical experts to ensure his health gets stable,” he added. While reaffirming alleged threats to his life, Ejiofor warning those after him to desist forthwith, describing such venture as exercise in futility. “There’s no amount of intimidation or threats that can stop me from defending Nnamdi Kanu. I advise those after me to have a rethink because no body can kill me. “I’m a man of destiny and on a divine assignment. God has appointed me to be Kanu and IPOB’s lawyer. I’ll stand by him till victory is guaranteed. All we need from Biafrans is prayers and patience. Pray for him, and for us his lawyers too.” On the expectations ahead of the July 26 court hearing, the IPOB lawyer said: “Nothing extraordinary will happen that day. That I can assure you. We’ll be there as usual to entertain applications. If there’s any amendment, we’ll take it up from there. “What we have is still the 3-count charge. We also have application overdue for hearing, that is the invasion of his house where 28 persons were killed. “We have all the pictorial evidences. We’ll tender them before the court so the court will look at them to ensure justice.”

The corpse of TB Joshua, the late founder of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), has arrived at the church premises in the Ikotun area of Lagos state. The pastor passed away on June 5 at the age of 57. A special burial service in honour of Joshua has commenced since Monday. On Thursday, the remains of the deceased arrived at the church premises in line with the laying-in-state service organised in honour of the late founder. Joshua’s corpse was taken into the church through its fourth gate while escorted by a number of security operatives. Before arriving the church premises, the corpse was taken to the church’s prayer ground in Ikotun. The late founder of the church will be buried within the church premises on Friday.

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has accused the police and the Imo State government of allegedly parading innocent youths as members of the Eastern Security Network (ESN), insisting that the people being exhibited were not involved in ESN or IPOB activities. It said the youths were being paraded based on trumped up charges in a bid to incriminate IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu. The group disclosed this yesterday in a statement signed by its media and publicity secretary, Comrade Emma Powerful. The statement reads: “We, the IPOB, under the leadership of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, have noted with great amusement, the desperation of the Imo State Commissioner of Police (CP), Abudu Yaro, in collaboration with Imo State government, to implicate the ESN and IPOB through trumped up and laughable allegations. “This desperation, smear campaign and media propaganda are part of their agenda to blackmail IPOB and possibly establish grounds to indict our leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, currently in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS). But they will not succeed because the world already knows the truth. “We therefore wish to refute the claims by the Imo CP that the four persons paraded by the police in Imo were ESN operatives arrested while attempting to plant explosives in the state. There is no element of truth in such claims aimed at demonising ESN and portraying the gallant security outfit as a terrorist organisation, which it is not. “We wish to put it on record that no ESN operative was involved in any attempt to plant bombs anywhere. What is the essence of planting such explosives? Who will be the victims? ESN can never engage in the killing of the same people it was created to defend. It doesn’t add up!” “Importantly, ESN operatives are not missing in action. They have been on their duty posts dealing with the bandits and killer herdsmen in our forests and communities pursuing the Fulanisation agenda. “Their mandate is to stop the wicked Fulanisation and Islamisation agenda, and that they have lived up to. The purported ESN members being paraded almost everyday by security agents don’t even know the meaning of ESN because they are not ESN members. These are innocent persons. “The Nigeria security agents must stop arresting innocent Biafrans and tagging them ESN operatives. ESN operatives are human beings with conscience. They are not animals like bandits who bathe with human blood. “Nigeria police and sister agencies must also stop linking ESN with their atrocities which they think they can smartly blame on ESN. They must stop wasting lives and public property in their desperation to nail ESN. “We are aware that they are looking for ways to implicate our leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, during his court proceedings but they will fail. ESN does not kill those they exist to protect. Members of the public should realise that the Nigeria security agencies are destroying Biafra land only to turn around and point accusing fingers at ESN and IPOB.”

The Imo State House of Assembly yesterday said that it has passed into law the Imo debt management bill, in order to provide an office for a data base to regulate Government’s borrowing. The Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly, Rt Hon. Amara Iwuanyanwu, disclosed this to newsmen in Owerri, while commenting on the reasons behind the passage of the bill into law. According to him, through this law, “We want to Establish a Debt Management Office to provide a data base to regulate Government’s borrowing, and ensure proper management and administration of the State Government debt loan and related facilities by the Government. “Even till this moment, we cannot say how much loan has been taken by the past governments. We cannot account for facilities taken by past administrations talk more of where they had been applied. Management Office would help curb the unnecessary application for loans and misapplication of the funds when released.” Also, he said that another bill that was passed into law by the House, was the law to provide for Audit Service Board in the offices of the State Auditor General, and Auditor General for Local Government and other related matters. According to him, “The law Is for the purpose of guaranteeing accountability and transparency in the use of public funds. The Bill also captured the autonomy, independence and neutrality in the conduct of audit in Imo State.” However, the Imo state governor, Hope Uzodimma, is expected to sign into law the two executive bills passed by the state House of Assembly.