Presidency probes suspended NPA MD, Hadiza Bala-Usman – Newstrends
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Presidency probes suspended NPA MD, Hadiza Bala-Usman

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The Presidency has announced the suspension of Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Hadiza Bala-Usman.

She is also to face an administrative panel of inquiry set up by the Federal Ministry of Transportation to probe the NPA management under her watch.

Executive Director of Finance at the NPA, Mohammed Koko, has been asked to take over while “investigation is carried out.”

A statement signed by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media, Malam Garba Shehu, said President Muhammadu Buhari had approved Bala-Usman’s suspension and the appointment of Koko as acting MD of the NPA.

The suspension, Shehu said, followed a recommendation by the Minister of Transportation, Rt Hon Rotimi Amaechi, to set up an administrative panel of inquiry to investigate the management of the NPA.

This is coming about four months after the Presidency announced Bala-Usman’s reappointment for another five years with effect from March 1, 2021.

The panel is to be headed by the Director of Maritime Services in the ministry while the Deputy Director of Legal in the same ministry will serve as secretary.

Other members of the panel will be appointed by the minister.

Bala Usman was said to be at loggerheads  with Amaechi for refusing to take directives from him.

Amaechi had allegedly left the NPA under the supervision of the Minister of State for Transportation, Ms Gbemisola Saraki.

In 2014, Bala-Usman co-founded the Bring Back Our Girls campaign to advocate the rescue of abducted Chibok schoolgirls.

She is also a founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The NPA recently launched Etó, an electronic truck call-up system, aimed at tackling the perennial logjam caused by articulated trucks within the Apapa ports corridor.

But Bala-Usman told journalists that she was aware of her suspension since she was yet to receive any formal communication to that effect.

Her replacement, Bello-Koko, was born on the 25th March 1969 in Koko-Besse Local Government area of Kebbi State.

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CBN raises commercial banks’ capital base to N500bn

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CBN raises commercial banks’ capital base to N500bn

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has increased the minimum capital requirements for commercial, merchant and non-interest banks.

The CBN increased the capital base for commercial banks with international licences to N500 billion, while national and regional financial institutions’ capital bases were fixed at N200 billion and N50 billion, respectively.

This was announced in a statement on Thursday, noting that the increase was due to prevailing macroeconomic challenges and headwinds.

The statement signed by Haruna Mustafa, director, financial policy and regulation department at the CBN.

It said the upward review would enhance the banks’ resilience, solvency and capacity to continue to support the growth of the Nigerian economy.

Also, the CBN raised the merchant bank minimum capital requirement to N50 billion for national licence holders.

The financial regulator said the capital base for national and regional non-interest banks is N20 billion and N10 billion, respectively.

To meet the minimum capital requirements, the CBN advised banks to consider the injection of “fresh equity capital through private placements, rights issue and/or offer for subscription”.

The CBN also suggested merger and acquisition (M&A), as well as upgrade or downgrade of licences.

“The minimum capital specified above shall comprise paid-up capital and share premium only. For the avoidance of doubt, the new capital requirement shall not be based on shareholders’ funds,” it stated

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Tinubu orders creation of single-digit tax system

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Tinubu orders creation of single-digit tax system

President Bola Tinubu has directed a creation of a single-digit tax system with a maximum of nine taxes for a company or an individual.

Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Zacch Adedeji, disclosed this in Abuja while speaking with the management team of Guinness Nigeria who paid him a visit.

A statement on Wednesday by Dare Adekanmbi, Special Adviser on Media to the FIRS chairman, quoted Adedeji as saying, “The President gave a directive that he wants a single-digit tax in the country, meaning that the maximum number of taxes we will have after the work of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms will be nine taxes.”

The statement added that the plan was aimed at having a conducive environment “created for businesses to flourish and grow the economy.”

 

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Naira gains further against dollar

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Naira gains further against dollar

The Naira rose further in the official market on Tuesday, trading at N1,382.95 to the dollar.

According to data from the FMDQ’s official trading portal, the Naira rose by N25.09, or 1.78 percent, from the previous day’s rate of N1,408 versus the dollar.

On Tuesday, total turnover was $245.58 million, up from $222.15 million on Monday.

Meanwhile, at the Investor’s and Exporters (I&E) window, the Naira traded between N1,486 and N1,300 against the dollar.

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The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had, earlier on Tuesday at its 294th Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), raised Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) by 200 basis points from 22.75 per cent to 24.75 per cent.

CBN governor Yemi Cardoso said that was meant to tackle the nation’s rising inflation.

Naira gains further against dollar

(NAN)

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