The Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Muhammad Nami, has said that tax race has now overtaken arms race amongst the nations of the world.
“The well-known arms race among nations is gradually giving way to tax-race. The international struggle for, and against digital services tax is just the beginning of the tax race. It is a race for all nations – developed or developing. And for Nigeria, it is a must-win race.”
Nami, who spoke today, January 21, at the First Annual National Tax Dialogue organized by the FIRS at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said that the universal collapse of traditional government revenue sources and the consequential resort to tax is a testimony to the tax race that is merging.
He stressed that the FIRS would match on to digitalize the tax process fully and canvassed the cooperation of the three tiers of government, the citizens and corporate organizations in the country for the success of the digitalization drive.
“The FIRS started the journey to automation several years ago when it launched Project Fact. Several other initiatives were launched to further take advantage of evolving technology in taxpayer registration, online payment platforms, remote filing of returns, etc. However, there was very limited success with the various initiatives due to inadequate statutory framework.
“A quantum leap was achieved with the 2020 Finance Act which copiously provided legal grounds for deployment of technology in tax administration. The Service is grateful to the President, the leadership of the National Assembly, the Honourable Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning and all other stakeholders that worked together to enact the necessary laws.
“The Service is taking advantage of the new law to embark on studies (with the assistance of friendly tax authorities and international tax organisations) with a view to developing a robust digitalisation roadmap. The roadmap will enable the Service to digitalise its whole operations (end-to-end) in a systematic, coherent and efficient manner.
“There is so much to look forward to in the coming years. The FIRS is starting this decade with the resolve to leapfrog tax administration into the digital age. Ladies and gentlemen, we are banking on your continued support as we embark on this onerous journey.”
The event, which was declared opened by President Muhammadu Buhari, had as its theme: “Taxation in a post-Covid Economy.”
President Muhammadu Buhari has approved N6.45 billion for the setting up of gas plants in 38 locations nationwide in a bid to enhance the treatment of coronavirus patients who need oxygen. This was made known today, January 21 at the first National Economic Council (NEC) meeting of the year, presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, with State Governors, Federal Capital Territory Minister, Central Bank Governor and other senior government officials in attendance. The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed , who briefed the NEC on the release of the funds, said that the President’s approval for the release of the funds for the production of oxygen was necessitated by the increased number of patients who need oxygen due to the surge in coronavirus infections in the country. This was even as the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire informed the Council that sequel to President Buhari’s decision to activate the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund based on the National Health Act, N55.1 billion was approved in 2018 and that 50 percent of the sum has since been released to the States and the FCT. This was in addition to the government’s allocation of N35 billion for 2021 for the Fund. It would be recalled that the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF or “The Fund”) was established under Section 11 of the National Health Act (NHA Act), as the principal funding vehicle for the Basic Minimum Package of Health Services (BMPHS). The Fund serves to increase the fiscal space and overall financing to the health sector to assist Nigeria to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC). Funding of the BHCPF would be derived from contributions including — an annual grant from the Federal Government of Nigeria of not less than one per cent (1%) of its Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) — grants by international donor partners; and funds from any other source. Other updates at the NEC meeting include account balances as at 20th January, 2020 given by the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, as follows: Excess Crude Account (ECA), balance as at 20th January, 2021, $72,411,197.80; Stabilization Account, balance as at 19th January, 2021, N28, 800, 711,295.37; Natural Resources Development Fund Account, balance as at 19th January 2021, N95, 830,729,470.82. ANOTHER HIGHLIGHT Council also received an update from the Vice President who is the Chairman of Council’s Ad-Hoc Committee on Public Engagements regarding the fallouts of the EndSars protests of last year. In the update, the NEC engagements will focus mainly on: • Wealth creation, social safety nets and employment • Education, digital economy and sports development • Creative industry and hospitality • Security • Governance TARGET GROUPS AND AUDIENCE Participants of the NEC engagements will be drawn from the following groups • Young intellectuals and emerging industry leaders from diverse sectors, students of tertiary and other educational institutions, youths in the Diaspora who are interested in social-political developments, entertainers and social influencers, trained artisans etc. • Youth leaders in (a) civil Society Organization (b) Politics (c) religious organization (d) traditional institutions. • Young women and young people with disabilities. MODALITIES AND STAGES OF THE NEC ENGAGEMENTS The engagement will evolve in three stages: 1. Stage One: State Government (and FCT) facilitated youth engagements, guided by a panel of seasoned professionals (for comprehensiveness, practicability and effectiveness). This will essentially be a youth-driven engagement organized by each State Government or the FCT Administration. As the initial engagement, it will allow for streamlining of the thought processes of the youths’ interaction with State Officials and the selection of representatives, who will participate in subsequent engagements at Zonal and National levels. 2. Stage Two: This is the zonal-level engagement where the issues of concern and the consensus reform ideas developed from the State-level engagements are presented by the individual States’ representatives. This engagement is collaboration between the youths and the State Governments in the respective zones. 3. Stage Three: The national engagement, where select representatives from States and the Federal Capital Territory participate in an interactive session with Federal and other Government officials. The youth representatives present the consensus issues of concern and reform ideas developed from the first two stages. The session will be people-centric, providing a platform for the Government to listen to the youth and focus less on presenting its own achievements or defending its perspectives
President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS) and related government agencies to plug all revenue leakages by ensuring strict compliance of tax payments by foreign companies operating in Nigeria.
He also directed the deployment of more digital platforms and seamless connections.
Speaking, virtually, at the First National Tax Dialogue at the Conference Hall of the Presidential villa, Abuja today, January 21, the President ordered all government agencies to automate operations and ensure more synergy in advancing the interest of the nation in revenue generation.
“It is not enough that our citizens and local businesses pay their fair share of taxes. Equally, foreign businesses must also not be allowed to continue to exploit our markets and economy without paying appropriate taxes. Accordingly, the FIRS has my mandate to speedily put all measures in place to fully implement programmes to stamp out Base Erosion and Profit Shifting in all their ramifications and generally automate its tax processes.
“In line with this, I have directed all government agencies and business enterprises to grant FIRS access to their systems for seamless connection. FIRS must ensure that its deployment of technology for automation is done in line with international best practices. In particular, FIRS can borrow a leaf from other countries which have successfully automated their tax processes.’’
The President said that Nigeria will continue to work with the Inclusive Framework (on equal footing) to develop internationally acceptable rules for taxation of the digital economy, while hoping that “the Inclusive Framework would have evolved into an acceptable multilateral solution that will comprehensively address the tax challenges of the digitalised economy by the middle of 2021.’’
President Buhari assured citizens that the government will continue to pursue its mandate of improving lives through investments in infrastructural projects like railways, roads, electricity, healthcare and education, in spite of dwindling revenues and the challenge of coronavirus.
“Our government has continued to pursue all those projects despite massive decline in government revenues occasioned by a combination of factors among which is the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The devastating effect of COVID-19 on the health and economy of the world is evident across every strata of our society. It is obvious to every citizen of this country that our economy is not immune from the global economic downturn. As such, we have had to confront the conflicting situations of reflating the economy and at the same time raising revenue to meet our budgetary needs. It is within this context that the government undertook an expansive budgetary projection of over N13 trillion for 2021.’’
The President said the government had inevitably resorted to deficit budgeting as a result of declining revenues for some years, resulting to increase in Nigeria’s debt profile.
“As we might expect, this has led to increase in Nigeria’s debt profile which stood at about N32 trillion in September 2020. This funding gap created by the dwindling government revenue therefore underscores the importance of the national tax dialogue we are holding today.
“No nation has ever made progress without having to pay for it or make the necessary sacrifice. I therefore call on all Nigerians to be alive to their tax obligations. This government is strategically restructuring the tax revenue mix in favour of indirect taxes in accordance with our national tax policy document. To this end, FIRS is mandated to do all that is required in order to efficiently collect tax revenue due from transactions carried out using local and foreign online platforms. The government has made relevant statutory amendment to tax laws in the Finance Act 2020.’’
While urging all citizens to play more active roles in nation building by paying their taxes, the President said “the administration is, however, not seeking to increase the tax burden upon the citizens but to plug the existing tax loopholes or leakages and to ensure even and equitable application of the tax laws.’’
According to him, this was clearly demonstrated by the provisions in the Finance Act 2019 whereby government exempted small companies from tax and reduced the income tax rate for medium companies from 30% to 20%.
“In the Finance Act 2020 which I signed into law at the tail end of 2020, we went further to cushion the burden of tax on the low-wage workers by exempting minimum wage from personal income tax.’’
President Buhari said necessary amendments had been made to the FIRS Establishment Act in the Finance Act 2020 in order to provide the legislative framework for the adoption of technology in tax administration.
“Every Nigerian must see tax payment in its proper context, which is, as a solemn and patriotic obligation that is necessary for building a better society.’’
In his keynote presentation, President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr Akinwunmi Adesina, projected a rebound of the Nigerian economy from recession, with a 1.5 per cent growth rate in 2021, and 2 per cent growth in 2022.
Dr. Adesina said taxes should be employed as instruments for promoting development by encouraging private sector companies to take up responsibilities in infrastructure, and attracting Foreign Direct Investments, admonishing that prolonged tax holidays could be counterproductive.
He said youths should be incentivised to grow businesses with appropriate tax regimes, adding that Africa loses about 60 billion U S dollars annually from taxes.
Minister of Finance, Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed, said the government will improve its template for tax collection, especially in the face of dwindling revenues due to the coronavirus pandemic, describing 2021 as a year of recovery for the economy.
The minister noted that emphasis on tax collection will be shifted from income to spending and all multinational corporations in the country will be required to fully comply with new directives.
The FIRS Chairman, Muhammad Mamman Nami, called for a new, comprehensive tax payment culture.
“Folks, this is a time of testing. We face an attack on our democracy and on truth. A raging virus, growing inequity, the sting of systemic racism, a climate in crisis. America’s role in the world. Any one of these would be enough to challenge us in profound ways. But the fact is, we face them all at once. Presenting this nation with one of the gravest responsibilities we’ve had. Now we’re going to be tested.”
This part of the inaugural speech of the new President of the United States of America, Joe Biden today, January 20, 2021.
Read the full address under:
Chief Justice Roberts, Vice President Harris, Speaker Pelosi, Leader Schumer, Leader McConnell, Vice President Pence, and my distinguished guests, my fellow Americans, this is America’s day. This is democracy’s day, a day of history and hope, of renewal and resolve. Through a crucible for the ages, America has been tested anew.
And America has risen to the challenge. Today we celebrate the triumph, not of a candidate, but of a cause, the cause of democracy. The people, the will of the people, has been heard, and the will of the people has been heeded.
We’ve learned again that democracy is precious. Democracy is fragile. And at this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed.
So now, on this hallowed ground, where just a few days ago violence sought to shake the Capitol’s very foundation, we come together as one nation under God, indivisible, to carry out the peaceful transfer of power as we have for more than two centuries. As we look ahead in our uniquely American way, restless, bold, optimistic, and set our sights on the nation we know we can be and we must be.
I thank my predecessors of both parties for their presence here today. I thank them from the bottom of my heart. And I know — and I know the resilience of our constitution and the strength, the strength of our nation, as does President Carter who I spoke with last night, who cannot be with us today, but whom we salute for his lifetime in service.
I’ve just taken the sacred oath each of those patriots have taken. The oath first sworn by George Washington. But the American story depends not on any one of us, not on some of us, but on all of us, on we the people, who seek a more perfect union. This is a great nation. We are good people. And over the centuries, through storm and strife, in peace and in war, we’ve come so far, but we still have far to go.
We’ll press forward with speed and urgency, for we have much to do in this winter of peril and significant possibilities. Much to repair, much to restore, much to heal, much to build, and much to gain. Few people in our nation’s history have been more challenged or found a time more challenging or difficult than the time we’re in now.
Once in a century virus that silently stalks the country. It’s taken as many lives in one year as America lost in all of World War II. Millions of jobs have been lost, hundreds of thousands of businesses closed, a cry for racial justice some 400 years in the making moves us. The dream of justice for all will be deferred no longer.
A cry for survival comes from planet itself. A cry that can’t be any more desperate or any more clear, and now a rise of political extremism, white supremacy, domestic terrorism that we must confront and we will defeat.
To overcome these challenges, to restore the soul and secure the future of America, requires so much more than words. It requires the most elusive of all things in a democracy, unity. Unity. In another January, on New Year’s Day in 1863, Abraham Lincoln signed the emancipation proclamation. When he put pen to paper, the president said, and I quote, “if my name ever goes down into history, it’ll be for this act, and my whole soul is in it.”
Today, on this January day, my whole soul is in this: bringing America together, uniting our people, uniting our nation. And I ask every American to join me in this cause.
Uniting to fight the foes we face, anger, resentment and hatred, extremism, lawlessness, violence, disease, joblessness and hopelessness. With unity, we can do great things, important things.
We can right wrongs. We can put people to work in good jobs. We can teach our children in safe schools. We can overcome the deadly virus. We can reward — reward work and rebuild the middle class and make health care secure for all. We can deliver racial justice and we can make America once again the leading force for good in the world.
I know speaking of unity can sound to some like a foolish fantasy these days. I know that the forces that divide us are deep and they are real. But I also know they are not new. Our history has been a constant struggle between the American ideal that we all are created equal, and the harsh ugly reality that racism, nativism, fear, demonization have long torn us apart.
The battle is perennial, and victory is never assured. Through civil war, the great depression, World War, 9/11, through struggle, sacrifices, and setbacks, our better angels have always prevailed. In each of these moments, enough of us — enough of us — have come together to carry all of us forward, and we can do that now.
History, faith, and reason show the way, the way of unity. We can see each other, not as adversaries, but as neighbors. We can treat each other with dignity and respect. We can join forces, stop the shouting, and lower the temperature. For without unity, there is no peace, only bitterness and fury.
No progress, only exhausting outrage. No nation, only a state of chaos. This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge, and unity is the path forward. And we must meet this moment as the United States of America. If we do that, I guarantee you, we will not fail. We have never, ever, ever, ever failed in America when we’ve acted together.
And so today, at this time, in this place, let’s start afresh, all of us. Let’s begin to listen to one another again.
Hear one another. See one another. Show respect to one another. Politics doesn’t have to be a raging fire, destroying everything in its path. Every disagreement doesn’t have to be a cause for total war. And we must reject the culture in which facts themselves are manipulated, and even manufactured.
My fellow Americans, we have to be different than this. America has to be better than this, and I believe America is so much better than this. Just look around. Here we stand, in the shadow of the Capitol dome, as it was mentioned earlier, completed amid the civil war, when the union itself was literally hanging in the balance. Yet, we endured. We prevailed.
Here we stand, looking out on the great mall where Dr. King spoke of his dream. Here we stand where, 108 years ago at another inaugural, thousands of protesters tried to block brave women marching for the right to vote. And today, we mark the swearing of the first woman in American history elected to national office, Vice President Kamala Harris.
Don’t tell me things can’t change!
Here we stand, across the Potomac, from Arlington Cemetery, where heroes who gave the last full measure of devotion, rest in eternal peace. And here we stand, just days after a riotous mob thought they could use violence to silence the will of the people, to stop the work of our democracy, to drive us from this sacred ground. It did not happen. It will never happen. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever.
Not ever. To all those who supported our campaign, I’m humbled by the faith you’ve placed in us. To all of those who did not support us, let me say this. Hear me out as we move forward. Take a measure of me and my heart.
If you still disagree, so be it. That’s democracy. That’s America. The right to dissent peaceably. Within the guardrails of our republic it’s perhaps this nation’s greatest strength. Yet hear me clearly, disagreement must not lead to disunion. And I pledge this to you, I will be a president for all Americans, all Americans.
And I promise you, I will fight as hard for those who did not support me as for those who did. Many centuries ago, St. Augustine, a saint in my church, wrote that a people was a multitude defined by the common objects of their love. Defined by the common objects of their love. What are the common objects we as Americans love, that define us as Americans?
I think we know. Opportunity, security, liberty, dignity, respect, honor and, yes, the truth. The recent weeks and months have taught us a painful lesson. There is truth and there are lies, lies told for power and for profit.
And each of us has a duty and a responsibility as citizens, as Americans, and especially as leaders, leaders who have pledged to honor our Constitution and protect our nation, to defend the truth and defeat the lies.
Look — I understand that many of my fellow Americans view the future with fear and trepidation. I understand they worry about their jobs. I understand like my dad, they lay in bed wondering, can I keep my health care, can I pay my mortgage. Thinking about their families, about what comes next. I promise you.
But the answer is not to turn inward, to retreat into competing factions, distrusting those who don’t look like — look like you or worship the way you do or don’t get their news from the same source as you do. We must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue, rural versus — rural versus urban, conservative versus liberal. We can do this if we open our souls instead of hardening our hearts.
If we show a little tolerance and humility, and if we are willing to stand in the other person’s shoes — as my mom would say — just for a moment, stand in their shoes. Because here’s the thing about life: there’s no accounting for what fate will deal you.
Some days, when you need a hand. There are other days when we’re called to lend a hand. That’s how it has to be. That’s what we do for one another.
And if we are this way, our country will be stronger, more prosperous, more ready for the future. And we can still disagree. My fellow Americans, in the work ahead of us, we’re going to need each other. We need all our strength to preserve — to persevere through this dark winter. We’re entering what may be the toughest and deadliest period of the virus.
We must set aside politics and finally face this pandemic as one nation, one nation. And I promise you this. As the Bible says, “Weep, ye may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” We will get through this together. Together. Look, folks, all my colleagues that I served with in the house and the senate up here, we all understand, the world is watching, watching all of us today. So here’s my message to those beyond our borders.
America has been tested, and we’ve come out stronger for it. We will repair our alliances and engage with the world once again. Not to meet yesterday’s challenges, but today’s and tomorrow’s challenges.
And we’ll lead not merely by the example of our power, but by the power of our example. We’ll be a strong and trusted partner for peace, progress, and security.
Look, you all know, we’ve been through so much in this nation. In my first act as president, I’d like to ask you to join me in a moment of silent prayer to remember all those who we lost in this past year to the pandemic, those 400,000 fellow Americans — moms, dads, husbands, wives, sons, daughters, friends, neighbors, and co-workers. We’ll honor them by becoming the people and the nation we know we can and should be.
So, I ask you, let’s say a silent prayer for those who have lost their lives and those left behind and for our country.
Amen. Folks, this is a time of testing. We face an attack on our democracy and on truth. A raging virus, growing inequity, the sting of systemic racism, a climate in crisis. America’s role in the world. Any one of these would be enough to challenge us in profound ways. But the fact is, we face them all at once. Presenting this nation with one of the gravest responsibilities we’ve had. Now we’re going to be tested.
Are we going to step up, all of us? It’s time for boldness, for there is so much to do. And this is certain. I promise you, we will be judged, you and I, by how we resolve these cascading crises of our era. We will rise to the occasion, is the question. Will we master this rare and difficult hour?
Will we meet our obligations, and pass along a new and better world to our children? I believe we must. I’m sure you do as well. I believe we will. And when we do, we’ll write the next great chapter in the history of the United States of America, the American story, a story that might sound something like a song that means a lot to me. It’s called “American Anthem.” And there’s one verse that stands out, at least for me.
And it goes like this: “The work and prayers of century have brought us to this day. What shall be our legacy? What will our children say? Let me know in my heart when my days are through. America, America, I gave my best to you.” Let’s add our own work and prayers to the unfolding story of our great nation.
If we do this, then when our days are through, our children and our children’s children will say of us, they gave their best, they did their duty, they healed a broken land. My fellow Americans, I close the day where I began, with a sacred oath before God and all of you. I give you my word, I will always level with you. I will defend the Constitution. I’ll defend our democracy. I’ll defend America.
And I’ll give all, all of you, keep everything you — I do in your service, thinking not of power but of possibilities, not of personal injuries but the public good. And together we shall write an American story of hope, not fear. Of unity, not division. Of light, not darkness. A story of decency and dignity, love and healing, greatness and goodness.
May this be the story that guides us, the story that inspires us, and the story that tells ages yet to come that we answered the call of history, we met the moment. Democracy and hope, truth and justice, did not die on our watch, but thrived, that America secured liberty at home and stood once again as a beacon to the world. That is what we owe our forebears, one another, and generations to follow.
So, with purpose and resolve, we turn to those tasked of our time, sustained by faith, driven by conviction, and devoted to one another and the country we love with all our hearts. May God bless America and may God protect our troops. Thank you, America.
Donald John Trump, the 45th president of the United States will walk out of the White House and board Marine One for the last time as president today, Wednesday January 20, 2021, leaving behind a legacy of chaos and a bitterly divided nation at war with itself. Trump will be the first president in modern history to boycott his successor’s inauguration as he continues to revel in denial about his loss, claiming without any credible evidence that the election President-elect, Joe Biden fairly won was stolen from him.
Four years after standing on stage at his own inauguration and painting a dire picture of “American carnage,” Trump departs the office twice impeached, with millions out of work and over 400,000 dead from the coronavirus.
Under his watch, the Republican Party he co-opted lost the presidency and both houses of Congress. He will be forever remembered for the final major act of his presidency: inciting an insurrection at the Capitol that left five dead, and horrified the nation. For four years, Trump exploited America’s simmering racial tensions, fusing visceral identity politics with an economic populism and nationalist overtones that espoused white supremacy with his ubiquitous campaign slogan “Make America Great Again.” Trump was an international embarrassment; an unbelievable shame to America that demands no perfunctory exaggeration. The global community can now heave a sigh of relief that this American nightmare is finally over.
Still, Trump has refused to participate in any of the symbolic passing-of-the-torch traditions surrounding the peaceful transition of power. By the time Biden is sworn in, Trump will already have landed at his private Mar-a-Lago club in West Palm Beach, Florida, to face an uncertain future; but not before giving himself a grand military sendoff, complete with a red carpet, military band and 21-gun salute. Guests have been invited, but it is unclear how many will attend. Even Vice President Mike Pence plans to skip the event, citing logistical challenges of getting from Joint Base Andrews to the inauguration ceremony. The nation’s capital, Washington has been transformed into a security fortress, with thousands of National Guard troops deployed, amid fencing and checkpoints to stave off possible violence.
Trump’s experience, temperament and character made him horribly unfit to be president of a nation the world looks to for leadership; as well as commander-in-chief of the world’s most powerful armed forces and in charge of America’s nuclear arsenal. He ran a fact-free administration with scant regard for the truth; violated established norms of decorum and took outlandish actions like the cruel separation of migrant kids from their parents that raised fundamental questions of the character of America as a nation of immigrants. His signature campaign promise to build a wall at the southern border to keep out Mexican immigrants; which Mexico will pay for never materialized, but he had no qualms to lie that the wall was being built. The media was his favorite punching bag; berating news organizations as dishonest and fake news, calling the media as “the enemy of the people.”
His refusal to release his tax returns, and revelations that he paid a paltry $750 in federal income taxes for years, opened a rare window into his crooked financial dealings and dozens of entanglements; many in foreign countries, raising questions about potential conflicts of interest. A serial philanderer and sex predator, presently in his third marriage, Trump boasted, in a 2005 video, about using his public profile to grope and sexually assault women; and then claimed it was locker room banter. Above all, Trump was a pathological liar; he lied so much and so frequently that he earned the dubious distinction as the most lying president ever to sit in the oval office. All this alone should have stopped any decent person from casting a vote, if they had one, for a bully and egomaniac, whose character and temperament, including his remarkably scandalous veneration of women as sexual objects became a blight on the toga of the oval office as a preeminent place for moral leadership.
Trump is a bigot, racist and xenophobe, who ran a dog whistle white supremacists administration with an unvarnished message to white Americans who felt the promise of the American dream had eluded their grasp because of globalization and immigration. For four years, he was emphatic in “taking our country back” and “making America great again”, which euphemistically meant: “making America white again.” Trump presented himself as the embodiment of the success and grandeur that many white voters felt was missing from their own lives and from America itself. He convinced white Americans that people who don’t look, dress, eat, or pray like them want to take over their country. It was “us” versus “them” and so we must stop “them” else “we wouldn’t have a country anymore.” Americans finally had enough and voted Trump out in 2020.
Trump had been expected to remain his party’s de facto leader, wielding enormous power as a kingmaker as he mulled a 2024 presidential run. But all that changed after Trump’s supporters violently stormed the Capitol, hunting for lawmakers who refused to go along with his unconstitutional efforts to overturn the results of a democratic election. Trump will retire to Florida to chart a political future that looks very different now than just two weeks ago. In his farewell video, he pledged to his supporters that “the movement we started is only just beginning.”
Before the Capitol riot, Trump spent all his time sinking deeper and deeper into conspiracy theories, and believes his reelection victory was stolen. He continues to lash out both publicly and privately at Republicans for their perceived disloyalty and has threatened to spend the coming years backing primary challenges against those on his enemies’ list who he feels betrayed him. Trump retains his grip on the Republican base, with the support of millions of loyal voters, along with allies still helming the Republican National Committee and many state party organizations. Some expect him to eventually turn completely on the Republican Party, perhaps a run as a third-party candidate as an act of revenge.
For all the chaos and drama and bending the world to his will, Trump ended his term as he began it: largely alone; angry, embarrassed and consumed by rage and grievance. He is more powerless than ever, shunned by so many in his party, impeached twice, denied the Twitter and social media bullhorn he had used as his weapon of choice and even facing the prospect that, if convicted in his second Senate impeachment trial, he could be barred from seeking any public office.
Trump will skip Biden’s inauguration becoming the first president to do so since Andrew Johnson in 1869. The tradition of a president attending his successor’s inauguration began with George Washington and projects to the country and the world that symbol of the majesty of American democracy called the peaceful transfer of power. Washington DC, the city Trump leaves behind will not miss him. The city overwhelmingly voted for Biden, with 93% of the vote. Trump got just 5.4%. Biden will likely focus on how to make good on the theme of his inauguration: “America United” but the challenge before him is daunting. As Americans wake up from their nightmare, people should not forget that it took the last Democratic president eight years to clean the mess left by the last Republican president before Trump. Fixing what Trump has broken in four years might take a little longer!
President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated the newly inaugurated President of the United States of America, Joe Biden, hoping that his era will bring positivity between Nigeria and America.
“We hope that this will be an era of great positivity between our two nations, as we jointly address issues of mutual interest.”
The Nigerian leader further expressed hope that Joe Biden’s presidency will mark a strong point of cooperation and support for Nigeria as well as the African continent.
President Buhari, who also congratulated the new Vice President, Senator Kamala Harris, said that the successful transition marked an important historical inflection point for democracy as a system of government and for the global community as a whole.
“We look forward to the Biden presidency with great hope and optimism for strengthening of existing cordial relationships, working together to tackle global terrorism, climate change, poverty and improvement of economic ties and expansion of trade.”
President Buhari said all Nigerians are happy with President Joe Biden and are feeling with pride that the first woman elected Vice President of the United States has an African and Asian ancestry.
New President of the United States of America, Joe Biden has made it clear that overcoming the challenges facing the country require more than just words.
He declared: “to overcome these challenges, to restore the soul and secure the future of America, requires so much more than words. It requires the most elusive of all things in a democracy: unity.”
In his inaugural speech today, January 20, President Biden said that the country has “much to repair, much to restore, much to heal, much to build, and much to gain.
” Few people in our nation’s history have been more challenged or found a time more challenging or difficult than the time we’re in now.”
President Biden referred to Coronavirus pandemic as a “once-in-a-century virus that silently stalks the country. It’s taken as many lives in one year as America lost in all of World War II.”
But amid tones of pain and strife, as “millions of jobs have been lost,” and there exists a “cry for racial justice some 400 years in the making,” Biden offered signs of hope.
Nigeria has just joined 166 countries towards boosting agricultural production, with the approval of the signing of “Plant Genetic Resource for Food and Agriculture.”
The signing was approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC), at its meeting today, January 20, presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Briefing newsmen shortly after the meeting at the presidential villa, Abuja, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sabo Nanono said that the import of the treaty is for the advancement and enhancement of agricultural resource base of the member countries.
“Nigeria has signed the treaty for a long time but it is only today that the FEC approved the ratification. We will now become full member of this treaty and it will enhance training and research of our agricultural scientists, agricultural fractionists and so on and so forth.
“In short, the entire treaty is meant to boost agricultural production in the country as it affects other countries, 167 of them.”
This was even as FEC approved the sum of N1. 4 billion for the completion of the calabar free trade zone area.
Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Niyi Adebayo confirmed the development, saying that it followed a memo he presented for the award of contract for the upgrade of the electricity component of the Calabar Free Trade Zone Area.
“The contract was initially awarded in 2018 to upgrade the electrical facility in the free trade zone area and it was not completed.”
Federal Government of Nigeria has lined up some incentives for Nigerian teachers, part of which are the retirement age extension and wage increase, aimed at attracting the best brains into the profession.
Minister of education, Adamu Adamu, who dropped this hint today to newsmen, shortly after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the presidential villa, Abuja said: “I want to assure teachers that this government will do to them what has never been done. This is the first biggest step.
“The intention is to attract the best brains to the teaching profession. For that, the President approved the reintroduction of bursary awards which I told you here last year, improving teacher quality, and funding teaching practice.”
Adamau Adamu said that his memo to the FEC stemmed from President Muhammadu Buhari’s approval of some special packages for teachers last year, adding that the the Council had approved a bill to be called Harmonized Retirement Age for Teachers in Nigeria Bill, 2021 and will be sent to the National Assembly for enactment into law.
“So, all the promises the President made and all the approvals that he has given me will now begin to put into effect because this is a legal backing that is required for it.”
The minister said that the President had also approved an enhanced entry point for teachers from Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND).
“Then, he approved that there should be some special allowances that will allow teachers to be posted to places you can consider ‘hardship postings,’ roll posting allowance, science teacher allowance, and of course, we have Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) under us that has professionalized the profession.
“Those are the highlights which you already know. But this is the biggest stage now. We are getting legal backing for all these things.
“The essence of the bill is to seek approval so that there is legal backing for the new retirement age of 65 years for teachers and the service period being extended to 40 years for teachers. This is the main issue while all other issues are ancillary to it.”
The outgone President of United States of America, Donald Trump has recounted the many battles he fought in his four tenure to ensure that the country remained the greatest in the world.
In his farewell message to the Americans before he bowed out of Whitehouse today, January 20, Donald Trump said: “for the past four years, I have worked to do just that. From a great hall of Muslim leaders in Riyadh to a great square of Polish people in Warsaw; from the floor of the Korean Assembly to the podium at the United Nations General Assembly; and from the Forbidden City in Beijing to the shadow of Mount Rushmore, I fought for you, I fought for your family, I fought for our country. Above all, I fought for America and all it stands for — and that is safe, strong, proud, and free.”
The ex President stressed that America is a republic of proud citizens who are united by their common conviction “that America is the greatest nation in all of history.
“We are, and must always be, a land of hope, of light, and of glory to all the world. This is the precious inheritance that we must safeguard at every single turn.”
He reminded Americans “that the movement we started is only just beginning. There’s never been anything like it. The belief that a nation must serve its citizens will not dwindle but instead only grow stronger by the day.
” As long as the American people hold in their hearts deep and devoted love of country, then there is nothing that this nation cannot achieve. Our communities will flourish. Our people will be prosperous. Our traditions will be cherished. Our faith will be strong. And our future will be brighter than ever before.”
Read below, the full text of Donald Trump’s farewell message:
My fellow Americans: Four years ago, we launched a great national effort to rebuild our country, to renew its spirit, and to restore the allegiance of this government to its citizens. In short, we embarked on a mission to make America great again — for all Americans.
As I conclude my term as the 45th President of the United States, I stand before you truly proud of what we have achieved together. We did what we came here to do — and so much more.
This week, we inaugurate a new administration and pray for its success in keeping America safe and prosperous. We extend our best wishes, and we also want them to have luck — a very important word.
I’d like to begin by thanking just a few of the amazing people who made our remarkable journey possible.
First, let me express my overwhelming gratitude for the love and support of our spectacular first lady, Melania. Let me also share my deepest appreciation to my daughter Ivanka, my son-in-law Jared, and to Barron, Don, Eric, Tiffany, and Lara. You fill my world with light and with joy.
I also want to thank Vice President Mike Pence, his wonderful wife Karen, and the entire Pence family.
Thank you as well to my Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows; the dedicated members of the White House Staff and the Cabinet; and all the incredible people across our administration who poured out their heart and soul to fight for America.
I also want to take a moment to thank a truly exceptional group of people: the United States Secret Service. My family and I will forever be in your debt. My profound gratitude as well to everyone in the White House Military Office, the teams of Marine One and Air Force One, every member of the Armed Forces, and state and local law enforcement all across our country.
Most of all, I want to thank the American people. To serve as your president has been an honor beyond description. Thank you for this extraordinary privilege. And that’s what it is — a great privilege and a great honor.
We must never forget that while Americans will always have our disagreements, we are a nation of incredible, decent, faithful, and peace-loving citizens who all want our country to thrive and flourish and be very, very successful and good. We are a truly magnificent nation.
All Americans were horrified by the assault on our Capitol. Political violence is an attack on everything we cherish as Americans. It can never be tolerated.
Now more than ever, we must unify around our shared values and rise above the partisan rancor, and forge our common destiny.
Four years ago, I came to Washington as the only true outsider ever to win the presidency. I had not spent my career as a politician, but as a builder looking at open skylines and imagining infinite possibilities. I ran for president because I knew there were towering new summits for America just waiting to be scaled. I knew the potential for our nation was boundless as long as we put America first.
So I left behind my former life and stepped into a very difficult arena, but an arena nevertheless, with all sorts of potential if properly done. America had given me so much, and I wanted to give something back.
Together with millions of hardworking patriots across this land, we built the greatest political movement in the history of our country. We also built the greatest economy in the history of the world. It was about ‘America First’ because we all wanted to make America great again. We restored the principle that a nation exists to serve its citizens. Our agenda was not about right or left, it wasn’t about Republican or Democrat, but about the good of a nation, and that means the whole nation.
With the support and prayers of the American people, we achieved more than anyone thought possible. Nobody thought we could even come close.
We passed the largest package of tax cuts and reforms in American history. We slashed more job-killing regulations than any administration had ever done before. We fixed our broken trade deals, withdrew from the horrible Trans-Pacific Partnership and the impossible Paris Climate Accord, renegotiated the one-sided South Korea deal, and we replaced NAFTA with the groundbreaking USMCA — that’s Mexico and Canada — a deal that’s worked out very, very well.
Also, and very importantly, we imposed historic and monumental tariffs on China; made a great new deal with China. But before the ink was even dry, we and the whole world got hit with the China virus. Our trade relationship was rapidly changing, billions and billions of dollars were pouring into the U.S., but the virus forced us to go in a different direction.
The whole world suffered, but America outperformed other countries economically because of our incredible economy and the economy that we built. Without the foundations and footings, it wouldn’t have worked out this way. We wouldn’t have some of the best numbers we’ve ever had.
We also unlocked our energy resources and became the world’s number-one producer of oil and natural gas by far. Powered by these policies, we built the greatest economy in the history of the world. We reignited America’s job creation and achieved record-low unemployment for African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, women — almost everyone.
Incomes soared, wages boomed, the American dream was restored, and millions were lifted from poverty in just a few short years. It was a miracle. The stock market set one record after another, with 148 stock market highs during this short period of time, and boosted the retirements and pensions of hardworking citizens all across our nation. 401(k)s are at a level they’ve never been at before. We’ve never seen numbers like we’ve seen, and that’s before the pandemic and after the pandemic.
We rebuilt the American manufacturing base, opened up thousands of new factories, and brought back the beautiful phrase: ‘Made in the USA.’
To make life better for working families, we doubled the child tax credit and signed the largest-ever expansion of funding for childcare and development. We joined with the private sector to secure commitments to train more than 16 million American workers for the jobs of tomorrow.
When our nation was hit with the terrible pandemic, we produced not one, but two vaccines with record-breaking speed, and more will quickly follow. They said it couldn’t be done but we did it. They call it a ‘medical miracle,’ and that’s what they’re calling it right now: a ‘medical miracle.’
Another administration would have taken 3, 4, 5, maybe even up to 10 years to develop a vaccine. We did in nine months.
We grieve for every life lost, and we pledge in their memory to wipe out this horrible pandemic once and for all.
When the virus took its brutal toll on the world’s economy, we launched the fastest economic recovery our country has ever seen. We passed nearly $4 trillion in economic relief, saved or supported over 50 million jobs, and slashed the unemployment rate in half. These are numbers that our country has never seen before.
We created choice and transparency in healthcare, stood up to big pharma in so many ways, but especially in our effort to get favored-nations clauses added, which will give us the lowest prescription drug prices anywhere in the world.
We passed VA Choice, VA Accountability, Right to Try, and landmark criminal justice reform.
We confirmed three new justices of the United States Supreme Court. We appointed nearly 300 federal judges to interpret our Constitution as written.
For years, the American people pleaded with Washington to finally secure the nation’s borders. I am pleased to say we answered that plea and achieved the most secure border in U.S. history. We have given our brave border agents and heroic ICE officers the tools they need to do their jobs better than they have ever done before, and to enforce our laws and keep America safe.
We proudly leave the next administration with the strongest and most robust border security measures ever put into place. This includes historic agreements with Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, along with more than 450 miles of powerful new wall.
We restored American strength at home and American leadership abroad. The world respects us again. Please don’t lose that respect.
We reclaimed our sovereignty by standing up for America at the United Nations and withdrawing from the one-sided global deals that never served our interests. And NATO countries are now paying hundreds of billions of dollars more than when I arrived just a few years ago. It was very unfair. We were paying the cost for the world. Now the world is helping us.
And perhaps most importantly of all, with nearly $3 trillion, we fully rebuilt the American military — all made in the USA. We launched the first new branch of the United States Armed Forces in 75 years: the Space Force. And last spring, I stood at Kennedy Space Center in Florida and watched as American astronauts returned to space on American rockets for the first time in many, many years.
We revitalized our alliances and rallied the nations of the world to stand up to China like never before.
We obliterated the ISIS caliphate and ended the wretched life of its founder and leader, al Baghdadi. We stood up to the oppressive Iranian regime and killed the world’s top terrorist, Iranian butcher Qasem Soleimani.
We recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.
As a result of our bold diplomacy and principled realism, we achieved a series of historic peace deals in the Middle East. Nobody believed it could happen. The Abraham Accords opened the doors to a future of peace and harmony, not violence and bloodshed. It is the dawn of a new Middle East, and we are bringing our soldiers home.
I am especially proud to be the first president in decades who has started no new wars.
Above all, we have reasserted the sacred idea that, in America, the government answers to the people. Our guiding light, our north star, our unwavering conviction has been that we are here to serve the noble everyday citizens of America. Our allegiance is not to the special interests, corporations, or global entities; it’s to our children, our citizens, and to our nation itself.
As president, my top priority, my constant concern, has always been the best interests of American workers and American families. I did not seek the easiest course; by far, it was actually the most difficult. I did not seek the path that would get the least criticism. I took on the tough battles, the hardest fights, the most difficult choices because that’s what you elected me to do. Your needs were my first and last unyielding focus.
This, I hope, will be our greatest legacy: Together, we put the American people back in charge of our country. We restored self-government. We restored the idea that in America no one is forgotten, because everyone matters and everyone has a voice. We fought for the principle that every citizen is entitled to equal dignity, equal treatment, and equal rights because we are all made equal by God. Everyone is entitled to be treated with respect, to have their voice heard, and to have their government listen. You are loyal to your country, and my administration was always loyal to you.
We worked to build a country in which every citizen could find a great job and support their wonderful families. We fought for the communities where every American could be safe and schools where every child could learn. We promoted a culture where our laws would be upheld, our heroes honored, our history preserved, and law-abiding citizens are never taken for granted. Americans should take tremendous satisfaction in all that we have achieved together. It’s incredible.
Now, as I leave the White House, I have been reflecting on the dangers that threaten the priceless inheritance we all share. As the world’s most powerful nation, America faces constant threats and challenges from abroad. But the greatest danger we face is a loss of confidence in ourselves, a loss of confidence in our national greatness. A nation is only as strong as its spirit. We are only as dynamic as our pride. We are only as vibrant as the faith that beats in the hearts of our people.
No nation can long thrive that loses faith in its own values, history, and heroes, for these are the very sources of our unity and our vitality.
What has always allowed America to prevail and triumph over the great challenges of the past has been an unyielding and unashamed conviction in the nobility of our country and its unique purpose in history. We must never lose this conviction. We must never forsake our belief in America.
The key to national greatness lies in sustaining and instilling our shared national identity. That means focusing on what we have in common: the heritage that we all share.
At the center of this heritage is also a robust belief in free expression, free speech, and open debate. Only if we forget who we are, and how we got here, could we ever allow political censorship and blacklisting to take place in America. It’s not even thinkable. Shutting down free and open debate violates our core values and most enduring traditions.
In America, we don’t insist on absolute conformity or enforce rigid orthodoxies and punitive speech codes. We just don’t do that. America is not a timid nation of tame souls who need to be sheltered and protected from those with whom we disagree. That’s not who we are. It will never be who we are.
For nearly 250 years, in the face of every challenge, Americans have always summoned our unmatched courage, confidence, and fierce independence. These are the miraculous traits that once led millions of everyday citizens to set out across a wild continent and carve out a new life in the great West. It was the same profound love of our God-given freedom that willed our soldiers into battle and our astronauts into space.
As I think back on the past four years, one image rises in my mind above all others. Whenever I traveled all along the motorcade route, there were thousands and thousands of people. They came out with their families so that they could stand as we passed, and proudly wave our great American flag. It never failed to deeply move me. I knew that they did not just come out to show their support of me; they came out to show me their support and love for our country.
This is a republic of proud citizens who are united by our common conviction that America is the greatest nation in all of history. We are, and must always be, a land of hope, of light, and of glory to all the world. This is the precious inheritance that we must safeguard at every single turn.
For the past four years, I have worked to do just that. From a great hall of Muslim leaders in Riyadh to a great square of Polish people in Warsaw; from the floor of the Korean Assembly to the podium at the United Nations General Assembly; and from the Forbidden City in Beijing to the shadow of Mount Rushmore, I fought for you, I fought for your family, I fought for our country. Above all, I fought for America and all it stands for — and that is safe, strong, proud, and free.
Now, as I prepare to hand power over to a new administration at noon on Wednesday, I want you to know that the movement we started is only just beginning. There’s never been anything like it. The belief that a nation must serve its citizens will not dwindle but instead only grow stronger by the day.
As long as the American people hold in their hearts deep and devoted love of country, then there is nothing that this nation cannot achieve. Our communities will flourish. Our people will be prosperous. Our traditions will be cherished. Our faith will be strong. And our future will be brighter than ever before.
I go from this majestic place with a loyal and joyful heart, an optimistic spirit, and supreme confidence that for our country and for our children, the best is yet to come.
Thank you, and farewell. God bless you. God bless the United States of America
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