Author: Lawal AbdulSalam Olawale

In bid to boost revenue in the nation’s capital, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Barrister Nyesom Wike has ordered the enforcement of the Personal Income Tax and the FCT Internal Revenue Service Acts 2015, as prerequisite for doing business in Abuja.

 

FCT Mandate Secretary for Economic Planning, Revenue Generation, and Public-Private Partnerships, Chinedum Elechi, who disclosed this to newsmen on Monday in Abuja said the minister approved the implementation of Section 85 of Personal Income Tax Act (PITA) and Section 31 of the FCT Internal Revenue Service Act, 2015.

 

According to him, anyone who provides false information or obtains a TCC through forgery or falsification, would be liable upon conviction to a fine of N50,000 or a three-year jail term or both upon conviction.

 

He said; “Taxes are essential to the foundation of any government, and it is important that everyone pays their fair share. Payment of tax is a civic duty and responsibility. Implementation of these laws is intended to ensure that all eligible taxpayers in the FCT comply with their tax obligations”.

 

In the memo signed by Wike, the minister said; “The Federal Capital Territory Administration FCTA has observed with dismay, lack of implementation and adherence to the provisions of section 85 of Personal Income Tax Act (PITA), 2011 (as Amended) and Section 31 of the Federal Capital Territory Internal Revenue Service Act, 2015 that provide for the demand and verification of Tax Clearance Certificates TCC from residents of the FCT before rendering of services or performance of transactions.

 

 

“It is pertinent to note that both the Personal Income Tax Act (PITA) 2011 (as amended) and the Federal Capital Territory Internal Revenue Service Act, 2015 provide that Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), Commercial Banks, Secretariats, Departments & Agencies (SDAs) of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) as well as Area Councils, corporate bodies, and statutory authorities among others must demand and verify TCC from residents before rendering of services or performing any transaction.“For the avoidance of doubt, Section 31(5) of the Federal Capital Territory Internal Revenue Act 2015 provides that “A department, agency or official of the FCTA, any Area Council official, any corporate body, statutory authority or person empowered in that regard by this Act or any other law shall demand a tax clearance certificate for the three (3) years immediately preceding the current year of assessment as a pre-condition to transacting any business including but not limited to…” and shall verify the genuineness by referring same to the issuing tax authority.

 

“Consequently, all MDAS, SDAs, commercial banks, corporate and statutory organizations operating within the FCT are mandated to forthwith enforce the provisions of the extant laws by demanding from individuals, business names/enterprises and organizations current Tax Clearance Certificates for the last three (3) years before carrying out any business transaction and verifying with the FCT-Internal Revenue Service for those transactions listed in the schedule attached to this Circular as ANNEX 1.

 

“Any official of MDAs, SDAs, officials of the FCTA, Area Council officials, corporate body, statutory Authority or Commercial Banks who violates and fails to comply with the provision, is guilty of an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of N5,000,000.00 or to imprisonment for 3 years or both fine and imprisonment as provided for by section 85 (9) of PITA, 2011 (as amended).

The Ondo State chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association has threatened to embark on industrial action if the state government failed to fulfil its promise to review the hazard allowance of its members.

 

The NMA lamented that for a long time, the doctors practising in the government-owned hospitals in the state were paid a sum of N5,000 as hazard allowance and the state government had approved the upward review of the allowance but there was no implementation yet.

 

Speaking on the NMA 2023 Physicians’ Week on Monday in Akure, the state capital, the chairman of the Ondo NMA, Dr Omosehin Adeyemi-Osowe, noted that the state government had promised to pay the money this week, failure of which might lead to another industrial action.

 

He said,” We have many challenges in Ondo NMA, one of them is that we lack personnel. Recently we heard in the news that over 1000 health workers would be employed by the state government. We are still waiting for the recruitment exercise to commence. Another challenge is our allowances, we have had a review recently, and before that review, the hazard allowance has been reviewed upward, before the review of that hazard allowance what we receive as doctors is N5,000.

 

“This has been reviewed by the Federal Government but up till this moment, Ondo State has not implemented it, but we know that it has been approved, we were promised that there would be implementation in Ondo State, but up till this moment we are yet to perceive the implementation. As of last Friday, the government through the Permanent Secretary on establishment promised that on or before the end of tomorrow (Wednesday) a circular would be out, we are waiting.

The state NMA, who confirmed that the state had also experienced the ‘japa’ syndrome in the health sector, said the development required the government to improve the welfare of the remaining health workers in the state.

 

According to him, members of the group may not hesitate to go on strike if the implementation of the reviewed allowance is not paid before Friday this week.

In Ondo State today, doctors, pharmacists and others are leaving the country for advanced country, we cannot stop them, they have the human right to migrate, but what are those things making them migrate, these are the things we have discussed with the government, we need competitive allowances and salaries as compared to other countries even if we come locally, as compared to other states, these we are not getting, but we believe it would come,

 

“I want to tell the government that at the end of this week, and we do not have that circular, well, it would not be bad for Ondo State Nigeria Medical Association of doctors to go on strike at the end of this week if we do not have the circular for the implementation of the hazard allowance in Ondo State, the federal workers have been enjoying this since last year, from December 2021, the Federal Government has cleared all the federal workers allowance, they have paid their workers up till today,” he noted.

 

In the same vein, the National President of the NMA, Dr Uche Ojinmah whose speech was delivered by Adeyemi-Osowe, warned against running the doctors down in Nigeria.

 

Ojinmah said, “We use this medium to humbly sound a note of warning to all and sundry to never try to run Nigerian doctors down in any way but to always follow due process if aggrieved or in discharging their responsibilities. If anyone has any case against a doctor practising in Nigeria, it should channel such to the Registrar of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria for appropriate response being the body statutorily saddled with such responsibility.

 

“The NMA hereby express her displeasure at the recent media trial of some healthcare workers by the Minister of Women Affairs. We believe that such behaviour is infra dig for one that occupies such a lofty office.”

The Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has suspended foreign trips for top officials of his administration for the rest of the year, with exceptions for emergencies.

 

The governor has also directed the Head of Service, Mr. Leye Aina, to prepare a memo that would state the relationship between the Commissioners and the Special Advisers to ensure efficiency in the governance process.

 

Speaking during a meeting held with members of the State Executive Council which deliberated on 2024 budget proposals from the ministries, departments, and agencies as a prelude to the submission of the Medium Term Expenditure Framework to the State House of Assembly, Adeleke declared that excessive spending on recurrent and overhead expenses must be avoided.

 

While urging cabinet members to make personal sacrifices, the governor explained that all members of the administration must demonstrate readiness to sacrifice in the face of the state’s harsh financial situation.

He, however, called for due diligence on the budget preparation process, reading out key policy directives on the governance of the state.

statement by the spokesperson to the governor, Olawale Rasheed, obtained in Osogbo on Monday, quoting Adeleke further read in parts, “Foreign trips for top officials for the rest of the year are hereby suspended unless there is a direct emergency to be authorised by the Governor.

 

“We must sustain the momentum of our service delivery by avoiding excessive spending on recurrent and overheads.

Our needs from office to accommodation are much, but our resources are limited. So we have to devise a coping mechanism pending the time our funding situation will improve.

 

“While memos by Special Advisers must pass through the Permanent Secretary to the Commissioners, the Commissioners must ensure fair play and an accommodating spirit.

No fewer than 18 persons sustained varying degrees of injuries in a crash at the Kara axis of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, Ogun State

The Federal Road Safety (FRSC) said the accident occurred on Sunday night, saying the total number of those involved could not be immediately ascertained.

 

According to the FRSC spokesperson in Ogun, Florence Okpe, the crash involved a Mack truck with no number plate, a Honda SUV registered as KRD128GS and a Mazda bus with no registration number.

Okpe said the multiple crash was caused by brake failure.

It was learnt that the truck lost its brake and rammed into the commercial bus and the SUV.

 

She added that the injured victims were taken to the Accident and Emergency Centre at the Old Toll Gate by men of the FRSC rescue team

The Supreme Court has reserved judgment in the petition by the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar, seeking to void the declaration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as winner of the 2023 presidential election.

Justice John Inyang Okoro, who led a 7-man panel of Justices of the Court in Monday’s proceedings, announced reservation of the final judgment after taking arguments from lawyers in the matter.

 

Justice Okoro said parties in the matter would be communicated as soon as the judgment date is fixed.

Meanwhile, Atiku Abubakar on Monday at the Supreme Court insisted that President Bola Tinubu must be disqualified from the 2023 presidential election.

 

Atiku maintained that Tinubu was not Constitutionally qualified to stand for the election at the time he did.

 

The former Vice President through his lead counsel, Chris Uche SAN, asked the apex court to invoke the provisions of the Constitution to annul Tinubu’s in the election.

He predicated his request for Tinubu’s disqualification on alleged certificate forgery and lying on oath.

 

In the absence of outright disqualification, Atiku pleaded with the Justice John Inyang Okoro-led panel to order a rerun between him and Tinubu.

 

However, Tinubu through his lead counsel, Wole Olanipekun SAN, asked the court to dismiss Atiku’s claims of certificate forgery and lying on oath.

 

The senior lawyer insisted that Atiku’s allegations are unsubstantiated and cannot enjoy any probate value until proven beyond reasonable doubt as required by law.

 

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, represented by Abubakar Mahmoud SAN, also canvassed that Atiku’s petition be thrown out for want of merit.

 

The All Progressives Congress, APC, led by Chief Akin Olujinmi SAN, adopted the position of Olanipekun in calling for dismissal of the petition.

The Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, and the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Abdullahi Ganduje, have arrived at the Supreme Court.

 

Others include the National Security Adviser of Nigeria, Nuhu Ribadu and the acting National Chairman of the PDP,

 

The apex court would hear the appeals of the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar; Labour Party’s Peter Obi; and APM, seeking the court to nullify President Bola Tinubu’s victory.

 

Details later…

Kogi state governor, Yahaya Bello, has reportedly escaped assassination.

 

This was disclosed in a statement by the state commissioner of Information and Communication, Kingsley Fanwo on Sunday.

 

Fanwo’s statement further said, “the Kogi state government wishes to inform the general public that there was an assasination attempt on the governor of the state, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, CON, a few kilometres away from Abuja, on his way to an official engagement from Lokoja.

 

“The attack occurred at about 4pm on Sunday. The attackers who were dressed in military uniforms waylaid the governor’s convoy and started shooting sporadically at his vehicle and other vehicles in the convoy. It took the swift intervention of the security personnel attached to the governor to foil the satanic plans of the unknown soldiers.

 

“The attacks were at three different points, the last barricade being around Kwali Federal Capital Territory at about 4.20pm

 

“The report of these strange attacks has been properly documented at security offices in the state and at the national level for prompt and thorough investigations to avert future occurrences.

 

“We are not oblivious of the fact that certain elements are bent on painting Kogi unsafe ahead of the governorship poll slated for November 11, 2023. As an administration, we will spare nothing to ensure our citizens are not subjected to security threats by desperate politicians sponsoring violence and terrorism.

 

“We call on the citizens to remain vigilant and report suspicious movements in the domain to relevant security agencies. It is the responsibility of the Government to ensure security and we want to assure you that the peace we have enjoyed as a state in the last eight years won’t be lost on the altar of violent politics. ”