National Assembly Building Leaks Rain Water After Spending N30.2 Billion To Renovate It

July 6, 2023

Two years after budgeting N30.2 Billion for the renovation of National Assembly Complex, the building is leaking water whenever it rains in Abuja.
It was observed that, as it rained yesterday, July 5th; many parts of the White House leaked water, including one of the offices of the Senate President.
It’s on record that the federal government of had approved the renovation of the National Assembly complex which will gulp N30.2 billion.
The Former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, during one of the oversight tour of some projects by the Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory, said that a sum of N37 billion was appropriated for the rehabilitation work in the 2020 budget.
He said that the amount was slashed to N9.25 billion when the budget was reviewed mid year.
The Minister told the Senate committee that the contract sum for the project is N30. 2 billion of which N9.2 billion had been paid to the contractors.
He said that the contract, which commenced on April 16, 2022, would be completed on August 15, 2023.
However, almost one month to the completion period, the project is yet to see the light of the day.
He said that the National Assembly Phase II, popularly known as “the White House” has not undergone any renovation work since it was constructed in 1999. That is why the National Assembly requested for the renovation and Former President, Muhammadu Buhari graciously approved it.
As a result of heavy down pour, many parts of the White House leaked water, especially the passage ways linking the White House with two Chambers of the National Assembly.
Efforts to find out the reasons behind the delay in completion of the renovation of the National Assembly Complex proved abortive as Principle Officer in authority to speak could not be reached because of frequent meetings.
Source: Viewfinder

Stakeholders Express Concerns As FIRS Moves To Recover N553 Billion Unremitted Shipping Taxes

Greenbarge Reporters

July 6, 2023

Stakeholders have expressed concern on the move by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to recover over N553 billion in unremitted taxes from international petroleum shipping companies operating in Nigeria.
The Director of International Tax in the FIRS, Abdullahi Aliyu, said that recovering the amount, which accrued from 2010 to 2019 would help address the nation’s budget deficits.
He said that with the country’s overall budget deficit of N11.34 trillion, the N553 billion unremitted taxes represents 5.03 per cent and would be an alternative to addressing Nigeria’s economic woes instead of borrowing.
Aliyu spoke yesterday, July 5, at a virtual summit, organized by the Nigerian Chamber of Shipping (NCS), with the theme: “Sensitising the Nigerian Maritime Industry on the New Tax Policy and Objectives.”
He acknowledged however, that shipping companies involved in dry cargo activities in Nigeria and foreign airlines have been complying with the tax laws that most operators in the oil sector had neglected.
“The onus is on global businesses to understand the local laws and taxation in the countries where they transact business, and these specific laws have been in place in the nation for decades.
“Nigerian taxes are more favourable to non-residents compared to indigenous companies, thereby creating an unfair business environment for local operators,” he said.
Presenting a paper, Assistant Director, Tax, FIRS, Oluwole Oni, pointed out that the agency had advertised the planned taxation exercise in December 2021 to prevent disruptions in the essential global shipping business.
“Non-resident vessels earn freight income from transportation services provided in transporting petroleum products crude oil and gas products from Nigeria to the agreed location, outside of Nigeria.
“Irrespective of the commercial arrangement adopted by the non-resident vessels to lift crude oil from Nigeria, freight income attributable to Nigeria is taxable in line with the Companies Income Tax Act CITA,” he said.
Oni said that the FIRS had written officially to operators who owed taxes for the period between 2010 and 2019, adding that the companies were expected to send in their responses within 30 days.
“Those who received the letters are expected to send in their responses which aren’t only about payment. The response can be an acknowledgement of receipt, a demand for clarification, payment.
“The first step to compliance is registration with FIRS and most operators are yet to register,” he added.
The Senior Advisor for Shipping Policy at the ICS, Georgia Spencer-Rowland, stated that communication on tax regime was not properly carried out as most members of ICS were oblivious of tax framework.
She noted that members of ICS comprised over 80 per cent of the world’s merchant ships and 40 national ship-owners associations. Oni, however, encouraged FIRS to clearly communicate in an official document, the period allotted as grace period for the tax implementation.
“Do these taxes affect inbound or outbound ships? Are the taxes payables on freight, income or profits?
“Will ICS members as stakeholders be allowed to participate in the Presidential Technical Committee ahead of the implementation of these taxes?” Georgia asked.
Meanwhile, the Legal Counsel to INTERTANKO, Ms Selena Challacombe, said that the figures and volumes quoted by FIRS for taxation are not the actual figures in the transactions carried out by INTERTANKO members.
Challacombe said that there could be challenges in recouping taxes with the figures for 2010 to 2019 as ship charterers are unlikely to provide the vital information seen as germane to their businesses.
She said that the situation should not be termed tax evasion when the alleged violators had not profited from the negligence of taxes they never knew existed. She added that Australia had a similar law enacted since 1936 and members of INTERTANKO factored in the taxes when undertaking contracts for Australia.
In his welcome remarks, the President of NCS, Aminu Umar, stressed the need for collaboration among stakeholders and government agencies for a smooth implementation of taxation.
Umar said that the chamber is willing to partner with government to collect revenue for national sustainability, adding that there must be collective input to rightly shape the shipping sector and encourage investments.
He described the Presidential Technical Committee for the implementation of taxation as an ideal avenue for collaborations between local and global shipping operators and government agencies to advance the nation’s maritime sector.
Stakeholders at the summit, the International Association of Independent Tanker Owners, INTERTANKO, ICS, indigenous ship-owners, tax experts, among others called for more clarity and time for operators to understand the Nigerian tax regime.
The global bodies also claimed that their members are not aware of the tax provisions and public notice given by FIRS, and expressed fears on Nigeria’s insistence on recouping taxes on previous transactions between 2010 and 2019.
Other dignitaries at the summit included the President of Ship Owners Association of Nigeria, SOAN, Dr. Mkgeorge Onyung; Vice President of NCS, Ify Akerele; President, Nigerian Shipowners Association, NISA, Sola Adewumi; among others.

Telecoms Investment In Nigeria Hits $75.6 Billion – Prof Danbatta

Editorial staff

July 5, 2023

The Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Professor Umar Garba Danbatta, has officially announced that the investment profile in the nation’s telecommunications sector, comprising foreign direct investment (FDI) and local investment, has reached $75.6 billion as of 2021.

Danbatta said this at an interactive session with stakeholders in the communications media ecosystem, in Lagos on Wednesday where he provided his scorecards and landmark developments that have shaped the trajectory of growth in the telecoms sector since he became the chief telecom regulator in August 2015.

According to Danbatta, in 2018, investment profile in the sector stood at $68 billion. This increased to $70.5 billion in 2019 and $72 billion in 2020. At the end of 2021, the figure rose to $75,560,563,417.79 ($75.6 billion). The latest figure is the current official investment profile computed in the industry up from the initial $70 billion investment in the last few years.

Investment in the telecommunications sector in Nigeria is computed from two sources: the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and the financial data obtained from service providers by the Commission.

While the CBN collects and calculates an element of the telecoms sector to include FDI, portfolio and others, the Commission collects investment figures from telecom licensees described as domestic investment arising from capital expenditure (CAPEX) which form part of the total investment in the industry.

The NCC CEO said through effective regulatory environment put in place by the Commission, the telecom sector has recorded tremendous growth from an initial investment profile of $500 million as at 2001, when the sector was fully liberalised.

Similarly, Danbatta said the telecom sector has continued to be a major contributor to the Nigeria’s economy through an impressive the sectoral contribution to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) quarterly, up from about 8.5 per cent in third quarter of 2015, contributing N10.126 trillion to the nation’s GDP in 2022 alone.

Citing data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Danbatta said the telecoms sector contributed N10.126 trillion as an aggregate quarterly contribution to GDP in 2022.

“In the first quarter, the sector contributed 12.94 per cent equivalent to N2.246 trillion while the second quarter witnessed an all-time high GDP contribution by the telecom sector to the nation’s economy, standing at 15 per cent and valued at N2.593 trillion. The sector’s contribution to GDP in the third was 12.85 per cent and in the fourth quarter, it grew to 13.55 per cent, which are valued at N2.436 trillion and N2.851 trillion respectively.

“The growth trajectory continued this year as telecommunications and Information Services sector in Nigeria delivered a handsome N2.508 trillion in terms of financial value contribution to the nation’s gross domestic product, GDP, representing 14.13% in the first quarter 2023,” he said.

Telecoms contribution to national GDP has grown significantly since assumption of Prof. Danbatta as the EVC of NCC in August, 2015, according to available data from NBS.

From 8.50 per cent in 2015, it grew to 9.13 per cent in 2016 and to 8.66 per cent in 2017. In the last quarter of 2018, telecoms contributed 9.85 per cent to national GDP while it added 10.60 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2019.

Also in the second quarter of 2010, it added 14.30 per cent to GDP; 14.42 per cent in the second quarter of 2021. The highest quarterly contribution to GDP by the sector to the economy was 15 per cent in the second quarter of 2022.

Overall, Danbatta said the sector has become a major enabler of economic development in Nigeria, as it continues to positively impact all the facets of the Nigerian economy. “As the regulatory authority for the telecom sector in Nigeria, we are happy that the sector has recorded phenomenal growth statistics in the past two decades of the liberalization of the telecoms sector. However, we will not rest on our oars. We will continue to push upward to greater heights by encouraging expansion of frontiers to put Nigeria’s imprint on the global map of digital economy,” he said.

In addition to the growth in investment and GDP contribution, Danbatta said, “As of May, 2023, active voice subscriptions reached 221.3 million, equivalent of 115.91 per cent teledensity, while Internet subscriptions rose to 159.6 million.

According to the CEO of NCC, broadband subscriptions on Third Generation (3G) and Fourth Generation (4G) networks increased to 92.2 million, representing a 48.28 per cent broadband penetration in the country.

Also, following the issuance of 3.5GHz spectrum licences for the deployment of Fifth Generation (5G) networks in Nigeria, marked by ultra-high speed internet, low latency and high capacity, and the subsequent commercial launch by two of the three licence holders, 5G subscriptions have grown to over 60,000 in many cities in at least 12 states of the Federation.

Danbatta assured of the Commission’s commitment to always give concrete expression to the Federal Government Executive Order 001 focused on Ease of Doing Business and other digital economy-oriented policies, by embarking on various regulatory initiatives that support a friendly investment climate for investors in Nigeria and enhance value for money for telecom consumers.

The EVC particularly commended the media as a strategic partner and enabler of growth in the telecom sector “through accurate, adequate and timely reporting of all regulatory activities of the Commission.”

Abuja Civil Servants Lament None Payment Of June Salary

Editorial staff

July 5, 2023

Civil servants in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja and some other federal civil servants are lamenting the none payment of June Salary as at today, July 5.

This is even as the office of the Accountant General of the Federation said that the delay in the payment of salary is as a result of technical challenges in the Government Integrated Financial Management System.

The Director of Press in Office of the Accountant-General, Bawa Mokwa, said in a statement, assured that the Office is working round the clock to ensure that the problem is resolved.

Mokwa said the delay was caused by technical challenges with the Government Integrated Financial Management System (GIFMIS), one of the salary platforms.

“As we speak, the directors and the consultant in charge of the platforms are in a crucial meeting, working round the clock to resolve the problem.

“Anytime from now, the salaries will start to drop.”

A civil servant, Uloma Offor, who said the salary is overdue, said: “I depend on this monthly salary to survive; I pay my debts and buy food items, but with the delay all these are not possible.

“I plead with the Federal Government to pay up so I can restock my home, my children are crying at home.”

Another civil servant, Jones Tolu, said the delay in the payment of salary, coupled with the removal of petrol subsidy, has made life difficult for the masses.

“My friends in some parastatal and ministries received their June salaries, but not all of them.

“My children cannot go to school because I have outstanding payment to make and their examination comes up soon.

“The government is not even saying anything. They should take urgent steps to address the situation so that civil servants can meet their financial needs.”

On his part, a trader in Wuse market, Ibrahim Umar, said he experienced low patronage over the delay in payment of salary to workers.

“The market has been experiencing low patronage in recent times, and this is connected to the delay in payment of June salary to civil servants,” Umar said.

Source: Conclave.

President Tinubu Pledges Support For Completion Of Africa’s Largest Gas Project

Editorial staff

July 5, 2023

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said that the his government will support Nigerian firm, UTM Floating Liquefied Natural Gas Limited, and it’s foreign partners for the timely actualisation of their gas project.

Speaking today, July 5 at the Presidential villa, Abuja, during an audience with the management of the company and its foreign partners, President Tinubu pledged to remove all impediments to the timely completion of the facility.

President Tinubu commended UTM FLNG Limited as well as its technical partners, Technip Energies of France, and its Japanese counterpart, JGC, for the initiative and partnership.

“Yes, we have abundance of gas on the ground. However, the extractive industry needs the injection of your kind of partnership to be able to promote growth.

“It is a must for any government to support. Let me know if there are any bottlecks, we will break them.”

The President applauded the conglomerate for the massive investment which, he said, would promote growth and protection of the environment.

Briefing the President earlier, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of UTM Offshore Limited, Mr. Julius Rone, said the project aligns with President Tinubu’s promise to develop Nigerian gas resources as a source of sustainable energy and economic development for the country.

He said that when the facility gets upstream by the Fourth Quarter of 2026, it would process 1.5 million meterric tonnes of Liquefied Natural Gas for foreign market, and produce 300,000 metric tonnes of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) for domestic use.

Rome said the company would cater for 25 percent of domestic demand for LPG.

He therefore solicited for President Tinubu’s support to eliminate any encumbrances that may endanger the delivery of the project by the targeted date.

In her remarks, the French Ambassador to Nigeria, Emmanuelle Blatmann, described the project as a milestone, cementing the French presence in Nigeria’s economic space.

The facility, she said, would advance the economic diversification agenda of the Federal Government by tapping into the country’s abundant gas deposit.

When delivered, she said, the gas from Nigeria would be viable as an alternative source of gas for Europe.

Also in the delegation were the Japanese Deputy Ambassador to Nigeria, Ms Hiromi Otuski, Managing Director of JGC, Mr. Naoki Noguchi, and Project Advisor, Sadeeq Mai Bornu.

Anti Corruption Agency Drags Assistant Director, Other Before Court Over Employment Scam

Editorial staff

July 5, 2023

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), has dragged an Assistant Director in the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF), Yildiyel Musa Takat and an Administration Officer at the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), Nankpat Dukbong to court over alleged fraud, employment scam and conspiracy.

The duo were brought before Justice O. A. Musa of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court 7, sitting in Jabi, Abuja, on a Charge No: CR/151/2022.

In a 6-count charge, ICPC accused the defendants of conspiracy, abuse of office and defrauding unsuspecting job seekers to the tune of N2,900,000.

The Commission, led by its counsel, told the Court of how the accused persons solicited and collected on separate occasions the sums of N500,000 and N2,400,000 from their victims in the guise of securing employment for them in the Federal Civil Service.

A statement today, July 5, by the spokesperson of the ICPC, Mrs. Azuka Ogugua said that while the first defendant (Takat) was charged on counts 1, 2, 4, and 5, the second defendant (Dukbong) was charged on count 1, 3, 4, and 6 respectively.

It said that their actions are contrary to Section 26 and punishable under Section 18 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.

The accused persons pleaded not guilty to all the charges when they were read to them.

In two separate “Motions on Notice” and pursuant to sections 34 and 36 of the 1999 Constitution as amended as well as sections 162 and 163 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, both counsel to the first and second defendants moved for bail application on behalf of their clients.

They both sought the relief of the Court to use its discretionary powers to grant the bail in the most liberal of conditions.

In a swift reaction, counsel to ICPC in a counter motion, opposed the prayers sought by counsel to first defendant, saying that he had been evading trial, describing him as a serial offender who had multiple court cases against him, and therefore urged the Court to deny him the prayers sought by his lawyer, while the bail application of the second defendant was not opposed.

The trial judge, after listening to both parties, admitted the first accused person to bail in the sum of N4,000,000 and a surety in like sum, who must be a civil servant on grade level 08 and above.

The surety was also ordered to surrender his letter of first appointment and last promotion as well as identity card.

The second accused person was also granted bail in the sum of N2,000,000 and a surety in like sum.

Justice Musa also ruled that the sureties must show evidence of residency within the FCT with clear address and snap themselves in front of their residents and submit to court. He equally asked them to undertake a bond to compel the defendants to attend their trial, failure of which will not only result to the revocation of the bails, but the prosecution of the sureties.

The case was adjourned to the 19th of October 2023 for hearing.

International Anti-Corruption Academy Boss, Stelzer, Visits Nigeria

Greenbarge Reporters

July 5, 2023

The Dean and Executive Secretary of the International Anti-Corruption Academy (IACA), Thomas Stelzer (left) in handshake with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume while the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Professor Bolaji Owasanoye (middle) looks on, during the visit of Thomas Stelzer to Nigeria today, July 5, from Vienna, Austria.

Mr. Stelzer in a group picture with chairman and top operatives of the ICPC.

Embattled Ejikeme Joy Finally Admits She Scored 249 In JAMB, Not 362

Greenbarge Reporters

July 5, 2023

“After all said and done, I now saw that I got 249. I sent them a text message there to know what really happened — the JAMB Support System. If they go to their system, they will see it there.”
These were the words of the embattled candidate Mmesoma Ejikeme Joy on the controversy raging between her and the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) in the last couple of days.
Ejikeme, who ppeared with her father, on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, today, July 5, said that she ought not to be blamed for the controversy.
“It’s not my fault that I printed my result like that and they said that I forged my result. It’s not my fault. So, them banning it is not fair.”
She said that she sent an SMS to JAMB through its support system but got no response.
“That’s the only SMS I sent there. They didn’t reply. If they check their JAMB Support System, they would see that I sent a text message. They didn’t reply.
JAMB) had in a statement issued by its spokesman, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, accused Ejikeme for claiming scored 362 out of the total mark of 400.
Benjamin said that JAMB records indicated the candidate had sent a series of messages to the board’s automated telecoms system, including the results showing an aggregate of 362.
JAMB subsequently slammed a 3-year ban on the pupil from Anambra State, a move that triggered mixed reactions.
Benjamin had described the result being displayed by Ejikeme as obsolete.
“The board would like to reassure Nigerians that its system was neither tampered with nor compromised as the candidate simply falsified a copy of a result slip of a candidate named ‘Asimiyu Mariam Omobolanle,’ who sat the UTME in 2021 and scored 138.
“It is also instructive to note that the candidate, in her statement, has inadvertently revealed the rightful owner of the result she is parading when she pointed out that the QR code on the result slip showed the actual owner of the said result before she peddled a lie in an attempt to obfuscate the truth.”
Commenting on a video which Ejikeme released in an attempt to defend herself amid the raging controversy, the JAMB spokesman said: “If you look at her posture—look at the video very well—if you look at the video critically, you will see that somebody is coaching her on what to say. Just sit down and look at the video she posted.”
Source: Daily Trust.

Telecom Operators To NCC Boss: You Have Provided Wonderful Leadership

Greenbarge Reporters

July 5, 2023

Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), have commended the Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Professor Umar Garba Danbatta for the wonderful leadership he has provided in the sector.
The chairman of the Association, Gbenga Adebayo, who spoke at a meeting with mobile network operators on the implementation of the Expanded Revenue Assurance Solution (ERAS) in the telecommunications industry, in Lagos, also commended the NCC’s commitment to quality regulation, attributing the success of the telecom industry in the country to the regulatory environment it enjoys.
Adebayo expressed his pride in Danbatta’s remarkable administrative skills, challenging the notion that engineers are not good administrators.
He described Danbatta as an excellent administrator, highlighting his instrumental role in the growth and development of the industry.
Addressing the audience, Danbatta shared details about the implementation of the ERAS project. He emphasized the collaboration between the NCC and the Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission (ICRC), saying the ERAS project is being carried out through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement, following the DFDDOT model (Design, Finance, Develop, Deploy, Operate, and Transfer), as recommended by the ICRC.

Danbatta acknowledged the efforts of the NCC in transforming the dream of the ERAS project, conceived in 2007, into a reality. He also underscored the project’s alignment with the Federal Government’s directive to enhance revenue collection and prevent leakages within ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs).
By deploying the Revenue Assurance Solution, Danbatta said the NCC aims to optimize the revenue payable by licensed telecommunications service providers, thereby bolstering revenue generation for the government.
Initially designed to focus on telecom operators, who have not only become major industry players but have also expanded their services into the digital services ecosystem, the ERAS project underwent a significant expansion.
In June 2022, following a presidential approval, the NCC was directed to broaden the scope of the project to encompass the activities of Digital Economy stakeholders. Consequently, the project was renamed the Expanded Revenue Assurance Solution (ERAS).
The implementation of the ERAS demonstrates the NCC’s commitment to fostering transparency, accountability, and financial efficiency within the Nigerian telecom and digital services sectors. Through the utilisation of accurate data and information, the ERAS aims to eradicate wrong computations, faulty data, and information leakages.
With the telecom industry playing a critical role in driving economic growth and enabling digital transformation, the ALTON Chairman’s commendation and the ongoing efforts of the NCC under Danbatta’s leadership highlight the commitment to creating an enabling regulatory environment that fosters innovation and sustainable development.
As the implementation of the Expanded Revenue Assurance Solution progresses, stakeholders within the telecom and digital services sectors eagerly anticipate its positive impact on revenue generation and the overall growth of the Nigerian economy.

Opeyemi Becomes Senate Majority Leader, Other Principal Officers Emerge

Editorial staff

July 4, 2023

Senator Opeyemi Bamidele from Ekiti State has emerged as the Senate Majority Leader in the 10th Senate.

Senator Opeyemi was picked through consensus the same way other principal officers of the red chamber.

Also, a new comer and immediate past Governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi from Ebonyi State emerged as the Deputy Senate Leader while Ali Ndume from Borno State grabbed the position of Chief Whip with Lola Ashiru from Kwara State as the Deputy Chief Whip.

The Senate President, Godswin Akpabio similarly announced the names of the minority principal officers.

They are Senator Simon Davou (Plateau North – PDP, Minority Leader), Oyewunmi Olarere (Osun West – PDP, Deputy Minority Leader), Darlington Nwokeocha (Abia Central – LP, Minority Whip), and Rufai Hanga (Kano Central – NNPP, Deputy Minority Whip).

Also, Tajudeen Abbas, speaker of the House of Representatives, announced the new principal officers of the 10th House of Representatives.

They are Julius Ihonvbere (APC – Edo, House Majority Leader), Halima Abdullahi (APC – Kogi, Deputy Majority Leader), Bello Kumo (APC – Gombe, Chief Whip), and Adewunmi Onanuga (APC – Ogun, Deputy Chief Whip).

Speaker Abbas read a letter from the Minority Caucus, which presented the names of the minority principal officers: Kingsley Chinda (PDP, Minority Leader), Aliya Madaki (NNPP, Deputy Minority Leader), Ali Isah (PDP, Minority Whip), and George Ebizimawo (Labour Party, Deputy Minority Whip).

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