Senate committee concludes deliberations on tax reform bills – Newstrends
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Senate committee concludes deliberations on tax reform bills

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Senate committee concludes deliberations on tax reform bills

The Senate is reportedly preparing to hold a public hearing on the Tax Reform Bills, with the goal of advancing them for a third reading and eventual passage.

This move comes after a closed-door session of the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Tax Reform, which included key government officials such as the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Zacch Adedeji, Chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, Taiwo Oyedele, and Chairman of the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), Dr. Mohammed Bello Shehu.

The Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Tax Reform, led by Senator Abba Moro, was formed in December last year to address contentious issues surrounding the proposed tax legislation.

Senator Moro confirmed that significant progress has been made, signaling that the bills are now closer to being finalized.

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“We have reached some agreements after thorough discussions with government officials. Our goal is to synthesize the entire process to deliver a law that meets the needs of all Nigerians,” Moro stated.

He expressed optimism that the committee would soon finalize its work, paving the way for the bills to be presented for passage.

“By the time we meet again, we will have a better story to tell,” he said.

FIRS Chairman Zacch Adedeji also expressed confidence in the progress made, indicating that previously contentious issues had been resolved.

“The so-called grey areas were discussed and clarified. We are now moving in the right direction, and there won’t be a need for further meetings. All issues have been identified, clarified, and resolutions have been made,” Adedeji said.

He affirmed that there was a consensus among all stakeholders on the necessity of the proposed tax laws.

“Everyone agreed that Nigeria needs these laws. Today, we saw the framework of the law come together, with the Attorney General, lawmakers, and operators all on the same page,” he concluded.

The committee’s efforts mark a significant step towards overhauling Nigeria’s tax system, with the reforms expected to enhance revenue collection and create a more efficient tax framework.

 

Senate committee concludes deliberations on tax reform bills

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LAGESC removes street traders, demolishes shanties on Cele-Ilasa drain

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LAGESC removes street traders, demolishes shanties on Cele-Ilasa drain

*Operation will last till Sunday – Corps Marshal

By Dada Jackson

 

The Lagos Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC) in conjunction with the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has embarked on a 3-day clearance operation to remove hundreds of street traders occupying the base of the Cele Bus Stop Flyover situated along the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway.

The team also carried out the demolition of illegally-erected shanties around System 6C Cele-Ilasa Drainage Channel on Friday.

Corps Marshal of the agency, Major Olaniyi Olatunbosun Cole (rtd), spoke with journalists on exercise at the command headquarters, Bolade-Oshodi.

He said, “I recall being with the Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab, on Wednesday during an assessment tour of the System 6C Drainage Channel and we made it clear that traders occupying the base of the Cele Bus Stop Flyover must vacate immediately.

“We extended our operations to the banks of the channel to remove illegal structures in the same vein, which has become a hideout for criminals to perpetuate illegalities which we would not tolerate. Hence, the reason for commencing the 3-day clearance operation.”

Cole decried the alarming level of filth, sheer disregard for public health discovered during the clearance operation which lasted for hours.

He affirmed the resolve of operatives to consolidate on the success of Friday’s operation and continued until Sunday. This, he stressed, would make it easier for LAWMA to load the debris to the dumpsites.

He also appreciated the collaborative efforts of the LAWMA for the 3-day exercise, citing the agency’s strategic mode of debris clearance as effective and proactive.

Cole also read the riot act to street traders and hawkers involved in the negative acts of displaying wares for sale in traffic, on road setbacks, verges, medians, gutter slabs, open defecation and urination which stands in opposition to the State Environmental Laws, warning that defaulters would be apprehended and made to face the law.

Underscoring the need for commuting pedestrians to embrace safety always, the retired Major echoed the need for Lagosians to make appropriate use of pedestrian bridges in the stead of crossing highways which remains a safer option to avoid being hit by speeding motorists.

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Many burnt to death as petrol tanker explodes in Niger

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Many burnt to death as petrol tanker explodes in Niger

 

Many people, including women and children, were on Saturday killed in a tanker explosion at Dikko in the Gurara Local Government Area of Niger State.

The incident, it was learnt, occurred when some residents were scooping fuel from a petrol-laden tanker fell on the road around 9am.

Apart from the dead, scores of other persons also sustained injury, some of them taken to Suleja General Hospital as well as Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Hospital, Sabon-Wuse town.

“The tanker fell opposite the Government Girls’ Secondary School, Dikko, around 9am but it didn’t explode immediately until after people had gathered to scoop the fuel that was pouring on the ground,” said an eyewitness.

Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, confirmed the explosion in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Bologi Ibrahim.

The governor described the incident as worrisome and heartbreaking.

He sympathised with the families of the victims and prayed that Allah would repose the souls of the departed and heal the injured.

He directed all the relevant Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to do what is necessary while urging the Security Agents to ensure security in the area.

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I consulted Ifa oracle that chose new Alaafin, all kingmakers consented – Prof Abimbola

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I consulted Ifa oracle that chose new Alaafin, all kingmakers consented – Prof Abimbola

Fresh details of how Ifa oracle played a major role in the final selection of Abimbola Owoade as the new Alaafin of Oyo have emerged.

Wande Abimbola, a 92-year-old Yoruba language and literature professor and Ifa priest, said he was involved in the entire process.

The former vice chancellor of University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Ile Ife, said all the Oyo kingmakers were present during the Ifa consultation that chose Abimbola Owoade as the new Alaafin.

Abimbola spoke in an interview with the Nigerian Tribune on Saturday.

The selection of the new Alaafin of Oyo has become controversial after the death of the former monarch in 2022.

Although the state governor, Seyi Makinde, has announced and presented a staff of office to a new Alaafin Owoade, five out of seven Oyomesi members/kingmakers are backing Prince Luqman Gbadegesin for the position.

They are threatening legal action if the governor failed to rescind the decision.

But the Ifa priest (Prof Abimbola) recalled that the governor had asked him to conduct the Ifa consultation for the new Alaafin because “the kingmakers were fighting among themselves”.

“I was happy and surprised too that we could find a governor who says that we should consult Ifa. A year or two ago, we divined and it was so easy to pick someone, anyone — I didn’t want to know the person,” Abimbola said.

“That was how Ifa selected a person. We did it and for a long time, we didn’t hear anything again.

“Actually, I came home for the marriage of one of my sons in Lagos. When the governor heard that I was around, he said he was just about to send for me again because he was ready, and the kingmakers were fighting among themselves.

“Even in modern times, culture demands that they would ask Ifa also. That may not be the primary method of selection, but they would ask Ifa, and that is our own tradition.

“Now, it is not the case that the kingmakers were bypassed; they were there while we consulted Ifa to choose the best. The Oyo Mesi were there only they had split into two. And one section took the governor to court; that he must take the candidate they presented. There were five kingmakers. They used to be seven. Two of them had died, remaining five.

“I did not insist on the choice of the candidate, the kingmakers approved him. It turned out that the candidate is a good man when his file was presented.

“We did the divination a long time ago and as an academic, I wrote a 21-page report on the divination process. When they called me four or five days ago, I asked for the report.”

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