The Court of Appeal in Abuja has voided the election of the lawmaker representing Adamawa North Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Ishaku Abbo. Channels Television reports that Senator Abbo, of the All Progressives Congress (APC), said the court voided his election in favour of the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Amos Yohanna. More details….
The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has announced that it will embark on a nationwide Value Added Tax (VAT) and Withholding Tax (WHT) compliance monitoring exercise. FIRS Executive Chairman, Zacch Adedeji, disclosed this in a statement on Monday, stating that the exercise will commence on Monday, October 23. Adedeji said the exercise is aimed at ensuring that taxpayers are complying with their tax obligations and remitting the correct amount of VAT and WHT to the government. According to him, the exercise is under “Sections 2, 8, 26 and 29 of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (Establishment) Act 2007 (as amended), notice is hereby given to all taxable persons or tax agents including Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of governments at the Federal, State and Local levels.” He stated that a team of officers from the service shall visit selected taxpayers and taxable persons (including companies, NGOs or MDAs) to review their VAT and WHT records. Adedeji noted that the exercise would cover 2019 to 2022 accounting years for taxable persons whose records have been audited by the Service up to 2018 accounting year. He added that taxpayers whose records have been audited by the service up to the 2018 accounting year will be covered by the exercise, while those whose records have not been audited up to 2018 will have their prior years that have not been tax audited included in the exercise. “All taxable persons or tax agents who have made deductions of VAT or WHT on behalf of the Service are required to immediately remit all such deductions to the FIRS within two weeks of this publication.” The FIRS Chairman added that taxable persons or tax agents who shall be visited for the VAT and WHT compliance monitoring exercise will be notified by the FIRS and the documents required for the exercise will be listed in the letter to selected entities.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says election disinformation is now a major strategy to manipulate the public. Kunle Ajayi, INEC national commissioner and member, information and voter education committee, spoke on Monday at a two-day capacity building workshop. The workshop was put together to enhance the capacity of the INEC press corps on ethical and safe practices ahead of the off-cycle elections in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi. The workshop is holding at Kini Country Guest Inn, Akwanga, Nasarawa state. Ajayi said the commission’s experience with fake news in the 2023 general elections has shown that, if not nipped in the bud, disinformation can become the bane of election management in Nigeria. “Disinformation is used to provoke religious, political, and tribal sentiments in an already polarised society such as ours, especially, during election season, which is often the leading cause of electoral violence and uprisings,” he said. “Election-related disinformation has become a major strategy used by nefarious individuals and groups in the political space to manipulate the general public to their advantage, regardless of the consequential effect such propaganda may have on the peace and stability of the electoral process and the country at large.” The commissioner appealed to the media to be objective and unbiased in their reporting and avoid fake, inflammatory, and sensational news. He said this would enshrine an environment where the electorate feel safe and free to come out to exercise their franchise on election day. “The press must commit to delivering thorough, verified, and unbiased information, pulled from credible sources to the public,” he said. “At the same time, they must refrain from reporting information that encourages divisions or antagonistic discussions, which are likely to incite violence or endanger social life. “On our part as an electoral body, we will remain transparent in all our activities and consequently communicate all relevant information to the media.”
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has disclosed that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) collected approximately 3.2 trillion Naira from various sources but had only printed 402 billion Naira when it tried to phase out the old N200, N500 and N100 notes with new ones. Speaking on Monday’s edition of Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, Falana berated former central bank governor, Godwin Emefiele, for the currency redesign earlier in the year which led to a scarcity of the naira currency at the time. In response to these distressing events that followed the naira redesign policy, Falana said he took legal action by invoking the Freedom of Information Act, submitting a request to the Central Bank to disclose the exact amount of money that had been printed. “I had to write to the central bank under the Freedom of Information Act to know how much was printed. “To my utter dismay the central bank collected about 3.2 trillion from customers and others the bank only printed 402 billion naira,” he said. The human rights lawyer emphasised the urgency of utilizing the law to combat corruption and gather essential information to protect the interests of the people. “We must take advantage of the law and use the law to enforce corruption and get information to defend our people,” he said. Also speaking on the programme, Falana said it is against the federal character principle for the chairmen of the two anti-graft federal agencies in Nigeria, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to come from the same geopolitical zone. The senior lawyer said that if the EFCC chairman is from the northern region, the southern region should produce the chairman of the ICPC. “If you are going to have the EFCC and the ICPC, the heads cannot come from the same zone,” he said
The Nigerian Army has announced the commencement of the 86 Regular Recruits Intake for trades, non-tradesmen and women. The Army Headquarters made the announcement via a publication on The PUNCH on Monday. The publication partly reads, “The Nigerian Army wishes to inform the general public and all interested qualified candidates of the commencement of online registration for 86 Regular Recruits Intake for trades/non-tradesmen and women.” According to the Army, the recruitment starts with an online registration, which commenced on September 25 and is billed to end on October 27, 2023. It also added that selected candidates would participate in a state recruitment scheduled for the 6th – 19th of November 2023. In this report, PUNCH Online highlights the step-by-step guide to applying for the Nigerian Army 86 Regular Recruits Intake for trades, non-tradesmen and women. 1. Apply online at the recruitment portal http://recruitment.army.mil.ng. 2. Log on to the above-mentioned link using the username and password. 3. Complete the application form, submit it online and print a copy. Then print and complete the Guarantor’s form as appropriate. 4. Ensure you bring duly signed copies of the application and guarantor’s forms to the designated state recruitment centres. 5. The Army Headquarters further announced that applicants must be single and Nigerian citizens by birth, must possess a National Identity Card/NIN, must be free of any criminal conviction by the court of law; must possess at least a minimum of 4 passes in not more than two sittings in WASCE/GCE/NECO/NABTEB, and must be medically, physically and psychologically fit in accordance with Nigerian Army Standards. 6. Also, applicants must not be less than 18 years or more than 22 years for non-trades men/women, while tradesmen/women must not be more than 26 years as of 18 December 2023, those applying as tradesmen/women must also possess Trade Test/City Guild Certificate. 7. Applicants must not be less than 1.68 metres and 1.65 metres tall for male and female candidates respectively, must possess a valid birth certificate/age declaration endorsed by the National Population Commission, Hospital or Local Government Council, and must possess a valid state of origin. 8. Registered Nurses and Midwives not above 30 years old may also apply.
Nigeria’s inflation rate has climbed to 26.72 per cent, marking a 0.92 per cent increase from the previous month’s 25.80 per cent. The National Bureau of Statistics disclosed this on Monday via its latest Consumer Price Index report for September 2023. It was shared on the X handle of NBS. The upsurge in inflation is mainly linked to the removal of petrol subsidies and the devaluation of the official exchange rate, both exerting substantial impacts on consumer prices. It said, “September 2023, the headline inflation rate increased to 26.72 per cent relative to the August 2023 headline inflation rate which was 25.80 per cent. “ Looking at the movement, the September 2023 headline inflation rate showed an increase of 0.92 percentage points when compared to the August 2023 headline inflation rate. “On a year-on-year basis, the headline inflation rate was 5.94 per cent points higher compared to the rate recorded in September 2022, which was 20.77 per cent. ” This shows that the headline inflation rate (year-on-year basis) increased in September 2023 when compared to the same month in the preceding year (i.e., September 2022).”
President Bola Tinubu swore in three additional ministers into his 48-person cabinet at noon on Monday. Jamila Bio Ibrahim, Ayodele Olawande and Balarabe Lawal took the oath of office at 12:15 pm at the Council Chamber of the State House before the start of the Federal Executive Council meeting which Tinubu is presiding. This comes nearly two weeks after the Senate cleared the trio after screening on October 4, 2023. On September 17, 2023, President Tinubu nominated Ibrahim and Olawande as Minister of Youth and Minister of State for Youth, respectively. He also requested the Senate to screen Balarabe Lawal as minister from Kaduna. Lawal, who served as secretary to the government under former Governor Nasir El-Rufai, replaces his principal in Tinubu’s cabinet as minister of environment. Ibrahim, 37, hails from Kwara State. She is a medical doctor, politician and development expert and advocate of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Before her recent appointment, she served as the National President of the APC Young Women Forum. Olawande, 34, is a community development expert and youth leader within the All Progressives Congress. Before his nomination, Olawande served as the special adviser on innovation to the former president, Muhammadu Buhari, and office of the vice president Prof. Yemi Osinbajo. He occupied the role from 2019 to 2023. Before the meeting began, the Council observed a minute’s silence in honour of Mobolaji Ajose-Adeogun, who passed on July 1, 2023. Ajose-Adeogun who died at the age of 96 was appointed the Minister of Federal Capital in 1976 by the Murtala Mohammed military regime and served in the position till 1979. Monday’s meeting is the second council gathering since President Tinubu assumed office on May 29, 2-23. It comes after a 48-day hiatus. The PUNCH reports that the Council has not convened since its inaugural meeting on August 28. A week earlier, on August 21, Tinubu swore in 45 ministers who then attended the maiden cabinet meeting at the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa in Abuja on August 28. Article 144 (5) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) recognises the “Executive Council of the Federation” (the Federal Executive Council) as the “body of Ministers of the Government of the Federation, howsoever called, established by the President and charged with such responsibilities for the functions of government as the President may direct.” The Council’s purpose is to formulate policies, execute government projects, and, more broadly, aid the President in discharging his executive functions. Domiciled in the Cabinet Affairs Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Council primarily comprises the President, Vice President, and the appointed ministers. As Article 148 (2) of the Constitution states, the President is required to seek advice or act on the recommendations of other constitutionally mandated advisory bodies such as the Council of State, the National Security Council, and the Nigeria Police Council, among others, each of which meets occasionally to offer such advice and recommendations. According to the CAO, “the FEC meets weekly to discuss scheduled items and take decisions.” Present are the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume; the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila; The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Folashade Yemi-Esan and all Ministers and Ministers of State.
The President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, has transferred all the election petition cases pending before the court in the 36 states of the federation to the Abuja and Lagos divisions of the court. POLITICS NIGERIA reports that the order, which affects governorship, national, and state assembly elections, was reportedly made in response to petitions and protests by political parties and their candidates, who allege that the judges of the tribunals at the state divisions were compromised by the governors during the trial stage. The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the Labour Party (LP), and their aggrieved candidates in their various petitions and protests to the leadership of the appellate court had alleged that the judges of the tribunals became vulnerable as governors generously provided logistics and other support for them. The aggrieved parties and their candidates protested that various judgments pronounced by some of the tribunal judges were not only fraudulent but were “purchased” outright by the governors in favour of their parties and candidates in the election. Sources reportedly said that the appellants in the various cases expressed apprehension that the same fate might befall them if their cases were allowed to be determined by the other divisions of the Court of Appeal in states under the watch of the governors. A source said the leadership of the appellate court was persuaded to move against the governors by relocating the cases to Abuja and Lagos, where the judges could be effectively monitored by the president of the appeal court. The source said Dongban-Mensem had reportedly launched discreet enquiries into the allegations against the governors and the judges of the trial tribunal, and it was gathered that enquiries established the veracity of the allegations to the extent that a compromised alliance was established between some governors and judges of the tribunals. Some judges of the tribunals were reportedly indicted and might face trial by the National Judicial Council (NJC).
In a report by Journalist101, only Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) stations were noticeably opened in parts of Lagos and Abuja during the weekend, raising concerns that petrol scarcity may have resurfaced as several oil marketers have closed their outlets to motorists and other buyers. Abuja and its environs had slightly witnessed fuel scarcity in the previous week, which oil marketers attributed to poor road conditions and the high cost of diesel for distribution. Vanguard, however, revealed in a recent publication that many independent and prominent oil marketers were not open for business over the weekend. It was discovered that NNPC Limited has supply because it remains the sole importer of the product. Despite the recent deregulation announced by the federal government, other operators have not been able to import petrol because of market uncertainty and lack of foreign exchange, currently standing at more than N1,000/dollar in the informal market. In a recent interview with journalists, the President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Chinedu Okoronkwo, said actions had been taken to address the situation. “Stakeholders have been meeting, and measures have been taken to enable oil marketers to access foreign exchange at a rate that will not disturb the current price of the product,” Okoronkwo told Vanguard. It was, however, reported that most major marketers which were opened had hiked their pump price from N615 per litre to N625 per litre. Similarly, the Public Relations Officer, of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, Chief Chinedu Ukadike, had said: “The issue we have is that most of the private depots have gone out of stock because they get supply from NNPCL. Since NNPC is the sole importer, these private depots that independents buy products from also depend on the NNPC for their supplies. This arrangement is also encouraging profiteering. “We have been finding it very difficult to pick products from NNPC in the past five days, and that is why you are seeing the skeletal scarcity. It is not major yet. The important point here is that despite the deregulation, NNPC is still the sole importer of PMS, and no other depot is importing. “Some of the portals owned by NNPC have shut down and are no longer issuing authority to lift to marketers in some of their portals. This significantly shows that there is a gap in the chain of supply. But I was reassured by the MD of NNPC that they are expecting products and they will feed us very soon. “I want to state that NNPC prices have not changed and they are still selling at N577.6/litre as ex-depot price,” he added, In a separate interview, the President of the Natural Oil and Gas Suppliers Association of Nigeria (NOGASA), Benneth Korie, expressed concern regarding the challenging operational circumstances faced by the downstream sector in our country. He emphasized that the closure of stations is a direct consequence of these unfavourable conditions. Korie pointed out that “depot owners are so terribly affected by the increasing cost of the crude and exchange rate to the extent that many depots are practically deserted as their owners are unable to secure bank loans to fund their business due to high-interest rates.”
Workers of the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) have shut down the head office of the service in Abuja, protesting against the appointment of Tola Odeyemi as Chief Executive Officer/Post Master General. Chief Ajuri Ngelale, Presidential spokesman, had announced last week that President Bola Tinubu made some changes in the leadership of communication agencies, including NIPOST. However, moments after the news of Odeyemi’s appointment broke, there were reports that Adeyemi Adepoju, the sacked Post Master-General had been reinstated. In a viral video, Adepoju was seen addressing some workers who claimed Tinubu had reappointed him. But on Monday, the protesting workers denied entry to the newly appointed NIPOST CEO, saying her appointment was against their wish. The workers, who said they preferred Adepoju, chanted solidarity songs and wielded placards.
