The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Media has inaugurated an advanced digital service as a platform to provide international and local journalists with access to exclusive videos, photos and comments.
Already, hundreds of local and 2,500 international journalists have been listed to be registered in the programme for the authority described as “exceptional coverage of Hajj 2020.”
In a statement today, July 25, the ministry said that the programme is designed as a paradigm shift in keeping with global digital transformation, whilst mitigating impact of current travel limitations
It said that the program meets all international and local media requirements, and ensures the best-in-class service to local and international media covering this year’s Hajj season. The service, according to the statement, will allow journalists to receive key files, materials and comments, respond to media inquiries, interview officials and stakeholders and attend and participate in live press conferences.
“The digital service, which will be available in Arabic and English under the name of Hajj Virtual Press Office, will address the challenges of information acquisition and the international transmission of media materials.
“Through the platform, local and international journalists will be able to request exclusive services, such as high-quality pictures or custom-made videos, in addition to remote access to all other available services, including hosting officials or stakeholders for exclusive interviews and obtaining comments and responses to inquiries, journalists as well as the general public will also be able to view media content intended for the wider public.
“Hundreds of Saudi-based journalists, along with more than 2,500 international journalists registered with the Communication centre’s database, will receive emails to register their names on the digital platform to benefit from the services of the Virtual Press Office , for which the Communication centre has dedicated a team of media professionals and international media relations officers to ensure that journalists have the best-in-class services.
No fewer than 30 youths, armed with dangerous weapons, including cutlasses and axes, raided Chibiri extension of Kuje Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. The armed youths, who arrived in their numbers at about 1.15am, operated in eight houses simultaneously as the rain was pouring down unti 2.30am. Eye witness accounts said that the youths organized themselves into five persons attacking each house all at the same time. It was learnt that despite the about 30 vigilantes engaged by the residents for nightly patrols, the armed robbers operated with some measures of confidence without being challenged. It was learnt that the angry residents converged at a meeting to disband the vigilantes, and resolved to take collective measures to secure the community.
Experts have asked Nigerians to accept the fact that the country can no longer rely solely on revenue accruing from its natural resources to fund the budget, hence the need to embrace taxation as the new national fiscal policy.
The experts on a webinar, organized by a firm, OTISVIP, made this submission today, July 25, with the Executive Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Muhammad Nami, participating.
The theme of the webinar was “Stamp Duty: The New Black Gold?” It was hosted by Jake Effoduh, a Partner at Praxis & Gnosis Law.
Panelists on the online discussion were Dr. Alexander Ezenagu, an assistant professor of taxation at HBKU, Qatar; Managing Partner, Sprout Digital, Mrs. Damilola Anwo-Ade; Director, VoguePay, Malam Mohammed Jega; Managing Director, Trace Anglophone West Africa, Mr. Sam Onyemelukwe; Founder, The Alpha Reach, J.J.Omojuwa; and Director, Tax Policy, FIRS, Mathew Gbonjubola.
According to a statement by Director, Communications and Liaison Department, FIRS, Abdullahi Ismaila Ahmad, other management staff of the FIRS who participated in the webinar included Dr Asheikh Madugu.
Executive Chairman, FIRS, Muhammad Nami, set the ball rolling with a detailed clarification on the Stamp Duty Act in Nigeria, which included the types of transactions dutiable under the Act as well as the respective applicable rates.
While all panelists agreed on the need for taxation to compliment government’s revenue flow from natural resources, a debate ensued on the timing of the Stamp Duty campaign and the public debate surrounding the application of tax revenue in the nation-building processes, especially in building public infrastructure.
The panelists stressed the need for prudent management of tax revenue even as they enjoined Nigerians to embrace the fact that the tax net needs to get wider to accommodate more citizens for holistic national development.
Gbonjubola said that Nigerians must reassess the widespread notion that the country is rich, stressing: “in terms of Gross Domestic Product vis-à-vis our population, Nigeria is not a rich country when compared to a country like Botswana.”
He said that that the stamp duty is levied on the instrument of transaction and not on the payment itself.
Gbonjubola clarified that the 6% stamp duty is for tenancy above 21 years while 7 to 21 years lease or tenancy attracts 3% and less than 7-year tenancy is below 1%.
Dr. Ezenagu urged governments at all levels to focus on expanding economic activities through economic diversification, stressing that this would have the positive effect of increasing the tax base as there would be more economic activities to tax, instead of increasing taxation on the citizenry.
A citizen contributor with the username Yusuf.Nibox said: “Stamp duty is unlike other taxes: It needs rigorous drive through sectoral specialist tax monitoring. flat rates e-transactions are the low-hanging fruits but the computational ad valorem rated stamp duty on contracts, agreements etc need driving through monitoring or some sort of purity measure to compel compliance.”
Another citizen discussant with the username Cnjoku stated: “I have to disagree partly on the fact that non-stamping of documents doesn’t make it illegal. Transactions do not just occur in a vacuum. It has to be validated. For instance, if you make a land transaction, you must register it with the registry and get C of O to validate the ownership even when you have paid for it. Stamp duty on individuals is collected at state level where it is not fully enforced or even collected. I agree that the threshold on bank deposit is too low such that it affects the poor Nigerians.”
Hunters, joining in security operations to rid the society of the dangerous elements, have gunned down three suspected kidnappers who have been terrorising motorists along Okene-Lokoja road. Report reaching us at Greenbarge Reporters indicated that the hunters were led into the operation by Senior Special Assistant on security in Okehi local government area to Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State in the person of Abdulraheem Ohiare and his Adavi countapart, Joseph Omuya Salami The report said that the operation, which was carried out today, July 25, followed intelligent report on the hide out of the hoodlums in the bush around Adavi local government. It said: “the hunters who apprehended one Mr Godwin Peter a native of Ekeje in Olamaboro local Government and Sanni Habib a native of Idoji in Okene local Government at sight patrolling the road as at about 4:30 am today both confessed as spy which led to the success of the operation this morning. “On sighting the the SSA Security of Okehi LG and Adavi, including the hunters, all were never the same as the kidnappers shot sprodically, and three of the kidnappers were gunned down by the hunters.” The report said that three sophisticated pump action riffles, Bullets, Mask and Charms were recovered from the kidnappers. Meanwhile, the two SSA, Ohiare and Omuya have expressed appreciation to Governor Yahaya Bello for his determination in securing Kogi State.
Another commissioner in the cabinet of Governor Godwin Obaseki, Dame Omoua Oni-Okpaku, has resigned her appointment, just as the governor’s strong political ally, Peter Esele said that he would never follow his friend to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Dame Omoua Oni-Okpaku, who until now, was commissioner for environment and public utilities, tendered her resignation today, July 24. Her resignation came a few months after the commissioner for communication and orientation, Paul Ohonbamu, left office voluntarily.
Added to this, Governor Godwin Obaseki’s chief of staff, Taiwo Akerele, had resigned in April, 2020,
The latest report is coming at a time when the governor is seriously warming up for the forthcoming governorship election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Added to the series of resignations being suffered by Obaseki’s government was the vow by his political ally, Esele saying that his resolve to remain in the APC was influenced by a desire to achieve common interest for the party, despite lending support to the governor in his time of crisis.
“As for me and my house, we’re going nowhere. I will not be leaving the APC. I have openly supported Mr Obaseki on the ground that the crises he was engaged in affected the party as a whole.
“My stand is for the collective and not for the individual. While he has chosen to move on, I will remain and carry on working with the collective.”
The presidency has made it clear that instead of President Muhammadu Buhari resigning as demanded by the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), he will continue to pursue the agenda of cleansing the country of the legacy of corruption bequeathed by the same PDP.
“President Buhari will not resign. He is determined to continue the crusade against corruption, both legacy and recently unearthed cases, that are found to be shabbily handled, and in some cases unattended to by past administrations.
“The National Assembly, by virtue of its right to conduct its oversight function is currently carrying out own investigations. Additionally, the security and intelligence agencies are equally doing their part and must be given the time and space to conclude their work and present their reports.
“The PDP cannot scare the government from probing the grave allegations made against MDAs and their chiefs because, failure to do so will amount to a historic betrayal of public trust.
“The PDP cannot subject Nigeria’s democracy to subterranean attacks and continue to pretend that they are well-meaning.”
The senior special assistant to the President on media and publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in a statement today, July 24, regretted that at a time when the whole world is unifying to confront a common enemy, Nigeria’s opposition party, the PDP decided to launch what he called “a whirlwind campaign promoting undemocratic values.”
He recalled that the latest of the PDP undemocratic campaign was its call for President Buhari’s resignation for allowing audits and investigation into several agencies of government, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
“Based on the statement issued by the embattled chairman of the Party, Prince Uche Secondus, it is clear that they would have liked the President to not investigate but to cover things up: to not wake the sleeping lion as voiced by another of their leaders.
“In a democracy, an opposition party is as critical to the system as the ruling party but in the case of Nigeria, the leading party in opposition is afflicted by a life-threatening sickness, the undemocratic pandemic as a result of which they are trading away the nation’s democratic values.
“The PDP government which exited the stage five years ago through a democratic election by voters dissatisfied with corruption on an industrial scale, policy paralysis, obsolete and decaying essential infrastructure appears to have forgotten the reason for their stunning defeat and seem hell-bent on the fooling the nation, yet again for another ride to power.”
The ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bauchi State has expressed shock over the defection of the immediate past Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The Bauchi State PDP Public Relations Officer (PRO), Alhaji Yayanuwa Zainabari, said today, July 24 that Dogara’s exit from the party surprised them because the party has done a lot for the former Speaker.
He recalled that after his defection to PDP in 2019, the party gave him an automatic ticket to contest for the Bogoro/Tafawa Balewa/Dass federal constituency seat in the last general election.
According to Zainabari, in doing this, the party denied other politicians aspiring for the seat from his constituency the opportunity to contest the election.
The PRO said that the ruling party in Bauchi State voted for Dogara in three different times to represent his constituency in the National Assembly.
President Buhari receives in audience Yobe State Governor H.E. Mai Mala Buni accompanied by Former Speaker Yakubu Dogara in State House on 24th July 2020
Immediate past Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has dumped the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and declared for the All Progressive Congress (APC).
Dogara was in the presidential villa today, July 24 to confer with President Muhammadu Buhari. He was was led to the president’s office by the Chairman of APC Caretaker/National Planning Committee and Governor of Yobe state, Mai Mala Buni, who apprised Buhari of the latest development in the ruling party.
The former speaker did not speak when requested by State House correspondents, but Buni confirmed that he has become a member of the APC.
Recall that Dogara left the APC for the PDP in 2018 while still the speaker of the House of Representatives.
What the devil has attempted to do on Covid-19 pandemic and the issue of vaccine being prepared to fight the virus, is to create the pattern of communion. How? Communion involves that which is solid, and that which is liquid. The bread is solid, the wine is liquid. That’s what this vaccine project is all about.
Bill Gates, as Commander of the Ten, like I mentioned in the numerology of his name, has dealt with the solid, which is what the bread is, by affecting what we eat, in what is called GMO; Genetically Modified Organisms, now found in what we eat. This is the pattern for the bread. The vaccine on the other hand, brings the liquid to you, just like the blood, and it is injected into you. So, it is received into you, because, when you drink the wine, it goes into your system, so that when you consume the GMO’s, and you receive the vaccine, you bring the body and blood together; so to speak, just as it is in communion; the body of Jesus Christ and His blood. That’s what replicates that pattern. And I told you that the reason for the communion is because it affects you on three dimensions: Your eyes, your vision. Your mouth, the words that you speak, because, the power of life and death resides in the tongue. Your hands, your enterprise, what you can do.
So, what Bill Gates is doing; under the auspices of the United Nations, is to make sure that you receive the food … Many people did not complain about GMOs’, because they didn’t understand where this was leading. They thought it was just changing whatever nutritional values these things have. They did not understand the spiritual import: But now, they do.
So, when you eat the genetically modified organisms that you eat, and you take the vaccine, you’ve entered into communion with Satan, with Lucifer, and that communion involves blood. Now, since the blood of Jesus is not what he’s talking about, or what he has to offer, he will require you to seek blood somewhere else, and the only place that you can find blood, is another human being. So, one of the things that the vaccine will make you do, is to become a ‘vampire’, who needs to drink blood for sustenance. But we as Christians, we don’t drink blood, we drink the wine, which is an emblem of the blood, and that sustains us spiritually. But his communion will require you drinking blood spiritually, so that you are a vampire for your sustenance. That is why you have seen all of the movies about vampires.
Hollywood is one of the mouthpieces of the god of this world. He has many prophets there that are directors, and a lot of actors and producers. You say, why does he say what to do ahead of time? Because he is an imitator of scripture; of our God. Martin Luther called him the ape of God. He imitates God, because God; through prophecy, will tell you what He wants to do ahead of time; and you can’t change it. So, to provide the same pattern, he has his people telling you things, like Rockerfeller Foundation, and all these things that they say to you; ahead of time: And they assume that there is nothing that you can do about it, because this thing going on now, was already predicted, they already talked about it. They MUST provide the pattern … The pattern, because that’s where the power comes through, so, they must provide that pattern.
That’s why they do their movies, to tell you what they are going to do, because the drugs inside this vaccine, will make you a zombie; you are a walking cadaver, you’re neither dead nor alive, so, you can be controlled by the power of Satan … Zombified, so he can control you. He has the power, that’s why it’s called sorcery. In the book of Revelations, when the Bible talks about the reason why the people on earth cannot turn away from their sin, even though the judgment of God is manifest, the Bible says it’s because of their sorceries. That word is a translation of the word Pharmachaea; it’s a reference to drugs. That is not talking about drugs that you can easily swallow, or pills that you take, because, that will be too expensive for the devil; to turn all of the world into drug addicts; all of us. Now, he can do that, so, the easiest way to do it, is through vaccines.
So, everything he needs to put in the drugs, is in the vaccine. That’s why you see in the movies that deal with witchcraft like Harry Porter, things like that, you will see them stirring this liquid, because, when you take that, that’s the drug, that’s the pharmachaea, the reference to the drugs. It opens doors in the soul realm, in the mind realm, that God had shut, because of the sin of Adam. That’s why those who play around with drugs, when they take these drugs, they begin to hallucinate, and they begin to see things. Because doors that were shut, are open, because when you take these things, you become susceptible to witchcraft, and you can now leave your body into what they call astral travels, and things like that. You need those things as a catalyst, they facilitate the movement from physical into the spirit realm. And all of those things are in the drugs.
So, just as communion connects you to the Lord, through the bread, which connects you to the body, which gives you healing, and the wine connects you to the blood, which gives you forgiveness. That’s exactly what the devil will do, or is already doing. The GMO’s will connect you to Lucifer, the vaccine will connect you to Lucifer, concerning your body and your spirit, or your soul, so he can control you. That way, he can determine the population of the world, because, all he has to do, is command you to die; you kill yourself. Or command the disease to kill you, and he can reduce the population of the world through that, or turn you into a zombie, just like I said: he can do that. And he controls what you say, because that’s what communion does. Our mouth has power of life, and for Satan to control our mouth, we must begin to say words that are contrary to the Bible.
In the New Testament, there are two words that describe evil. There’s the word, kakos: When a man is doing evil, and just wants to do evil, and deals with the consequence of that evil, he doesn’t care about anybody else. He just wants to do evil, and then he’ll bear the consequences. But there’s another word called, poneros, which is used to describe the evil of this world. That is evil that is done by a man and he does it in such a way that he drags you down by the evil that he commits. So he wants you to be a partaker of the consequence of the evil, even though you did not partake in the evil, because those two words are used to describe Satan’s operations.
kakos; people who do evil on the internet, and then do not care about anyone else. They just purveyeur, they sell evil, they do evil, they attract evil, they communicate evil with the things that they say, they blaspheme God, they speak enchantments and divinations contrary to the word of Almighty God. Then you have others who are poneros evil, who do things to seduce others, so that they can participate in the consequence of the evil, and drag you down with them.
. Rev Okotie is the Pastor of the Household of God Church, Lagos
Some “respected” online publications fell prey to fake news purveyors yesterday, July 23, thereby throwing Nigerian and foreign readers into confusion. The news item, which surfaced yesterday and purportedly signed by the special adviser to the President on media and publicity, Femi Adesina, was on President Muhammadu Buhari’s acceptance of the Senate recommendation to dissolve the Interim Management Committee of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NNDC). The fake news, which went viral, with prominent news media in country displaying it on their websites, was subsequently disowned by Femi Adesina.
The fake news, titled: “Special Goverment Announcement”, goes thus: The Federal Government is in receipt of the Senate Recommendation that the NDDC IMC be dissolved and ii. that the NDDC be returned to the Presidency for proper supervision.
The Government set up a technical Committee to study this recommendation and advise it which committee has turned in its Recommendation.
Federal Government hereby accepts the Recommendation of the Senate and accordingly:
1. The President has hereby dissolved the NDDC IMC. The affected officers are to hand over to the most senior civil servant under them.
2. Dabota Godswill Jumbo{Dr)is hereby appointed as sole Administrator for initial period of 6 months.
3. The NDDC is hereby returned to the Presidency for proper supervision.
4. The President assures Niger Deltans that the forensic Audit of the Commission will continue unhindered.
Thank you.
Signed: Femi Adesina Presidential Spokesperson
July 23, 2020.
And in a statement today, July 24, titled: “fake news on NDDC attributed to me, Femi Adesina said: “a statement purportedly signed by me has been making the rounds that the Federal Government has dissolved the Interim Management Committee of the NDDC. Merchants of fake news in action. The communication did not emanate from the media office of the President. Please ignore.”
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The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Media has inaugurated an advanced digital service as a platform to provide international and local journalists with access to exclusive videos, photos and comments.
Experts have asked Nigerians to accept the fact that the country can no longer rely solely on revenue accruing from its natural resources to fund the budget, hence the need to embrace taxation as the new national fiscal policy.
The Dangers Of COVID-19 Vaccine, By Rev. Chris Okotie