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Taiwo Oyedele replies Governor Zulum why tax reforms are urgent

Published

1 year ago

December 4, 2024

Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Mr. Taiwo Oyedele

Taiwo Oyedele replies Governor Zulum why tax reforms are urgent

The Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Mr. Taiwo Oyedele, has stated that the need to pass the Tax Reforms Bills is “urgent” because most Nigerians are struggling.

Oyedele made this statement on Wednesday during an Arise News interview, monitored by Nairametrics, in response to comments made by Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Zulum, about the proposed bills that are currently before the National Assembly.

Zulum recently accused Oyedele’s team of rushing the enactment of the tax reforms, alleging that the bills are accompanied by misconceptions that require deeper consultations.

“On this tax issue, there are a lot of misconceptions. We felt that the VAT provision in the tax law, based on the calculations we did, would only benefit Lagos and Rivers States. We did our own research and concluded that we would lose,” Zulum said.

“Why are we in a rush? We advised the Federal Government to take a pause and expunge some of the clauses that are inimical to Northern Nigeria. What we are saying is, give more time, let us do a deeper consultation to understand the nitty-gritty of this tax regime before passing it into law,” Zulum added during an interview on Channels Television.

Relief for Nigerians Is Urgent

Responding to Zulum’s comments, Oyedele denied rushing the bills, adding that everyone, including the governor, “needs to acknowledge that we are at a stage where the majority of our people are struggling and are in multi-dimensional poverty.”

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He pointed out that small businesses are dealing with over 60 official levies and taxes, as well as more than 200 unofficial ones. While many people are struggling to feed themselves due to escalating food inflation.

“We have people who don’t have decent jobs. That’s why the poverty rate is high, even though officially they say the unemployment rate is low. We are dealing with all these issues.”

“If you want to provide relief for your people, you should do it quickly because it’s urgent. It’s an emergency. The way we should respond to these issues should be similar to how the world responded to COVID-19.”

“There were countries where laws were passed within two days because it was an emergency. We are not even doing it in two days. We’ve been working on this for over a year,” he said.

Oyedele explained that his team had a session with the governors around May, sharing drafts with them.

“And I said jokingly to the governors that I don’t expect your excellencies to read all these details because we’ve also shared them with your technical people.”

“But we’ve done all of that. The bills are now in the National Assembly. As we speak, the bills have been there for over a month already. So, I don’t think that’s rushing it,” he said.

He added that there is no rush, as the bills are currently before the National Assembly.

However, he emphasized that stakeholders should work to finalize the bills quickly so that relief can be provided to the Nigerian people.

Taiwo Oyedele replies Governor Zulum why tax reforms are urgent

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Sokoto Officials Deny Reported Mosque Attack as Bandits Kill Five in Gatawa Raid

Published

2 hours ago

December 7, 2025

Trends Admin

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Sokoto Officials Deny Reported Mosque Attack as Bandits Kill Five in Gatawa Raid

The Chairman of Sabon Birni Local Government Area in Sokoto State, Ayuba Hashimu, has dismissed viral reports alleging that bandits attacked a mosque in the council area, killing an Imam and several worshippers.

Some online platforms had circulated claims that armed bandits stormed a mosque in Sabon Birni, murdered the Imam and congregants, and abducted others.
However, Hashimu, speaking by telephone, described the reports as entirely false.

“I don’t know any mosque that was attacked, not to talk of killing of an Imam and worshippers. The story is false,” he stated.

A member of the state legislature representing the area, Hon. Aminu Boza, also debunked the claims, insisting that no mosque attack occurred on Saturday.

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“I don’t know how they got their story, but it is not true. No mosque was attacked by bandits,” he said.

While officials denied the alleged mosque incident, a separate early morning assault on Gatawa town within the same LGA resulted in five deaths and left one person critically injured.

A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Daily Trust that six people — including two married women, two teenage girls and two young boys — were abducted by attackers suspected to be bandits.

“The bandits invaded our community around 1:30 a.m. and started shooting sporadically. Our vigilantes engaged them, but four of them paid the supreme price on the spot. Two others sustained gunshot injuries and were taken to the hospital, but one later died,” the resident said.

He added that the attackers also stole livestock as they fled.
“We heard them exchanging fire with security agents, but none of the abducted persons was rescued,” he recounted.

Sokoto Officials Deny Reported Mosque Attack as Bandits Kill Five in Gatawa Raid

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FG Begins Formal Recovery of 157 Almajiri Schools for Nationwide Rehabilitation

Published

2 hours ago

December 7, 2025

Trends Admin

Almajiri school

FG Begins Formal Recovery of 157 Almajiri Schools for Nationwide Rehabilitation

The Federal Government has commenced the official recovery of 157 model Almajiri schools built during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, in a renewed push to overhaul Almajiri education across the country.

The move was confirmed by Nura Muhammad, spokesperson for the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education (NCAOOSCE), during an interview in Abuja on Sunday. He described the recovery process as a crucial step toward fully revamping and institutionalising Almajiri education.

Muhammad explained that the effort follows the establishment of a legally backed national body now responsible for all Almajiri-related programmes — a structure he said was missing during earlier reform attempts.

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While commending former President Jonathan for constructing the schools, which he described as “a noble and well-intentioned stride toward modernising the system,” Muhammad noted that the previous initiative struggled due to weak policy implementation, including inadequate engagement with Alarammas, the traditional Qur’anic teachers who play a central role in the Almajiri system.

He added that the lack of a strong institutional framework — with the project operating only as an initiative under the Federal Ministry of Education — contributed to its challenges.

According to him, the Commission is now strengthened by law and guided by the newly adopted National Policy on Almajiri Education, positioning it to deliver sustainable reforms.

Muhammad expressed confidence that harmful practices linked to the Almajiri system would be addressed, emphasising that all recovered schools would soon be fully under the Commission’s control and rehabilitated to serve their original purpose.

FG Begins Formal Recovery of 157 Almajiri Schools for Nationwide Rehabilitation

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Delta State Police Arrest Suspects in Killing of Retired Justice Ifeoma Okogwu

Published

8 hours ago

December 7, 2025

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Justice Ifeoma Okogwu

Delta State Police Arrest Suspects in Killing of Retired Justice Ifeoma Okogwu

The Delta State Police Command has made a significant breakthrough in the investigation into the murder of retired Justice Ifeoma Okogwu in Anambra State, arresting key suspects linked to the case.

Spokesperson SP Bright Edafe disclosed on Sunday that operatives of the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID), acting on credible intelligence, apprehended 25-year-old security guard Godwin Mngumi on 6 December 2025. Mngumi allegedly murdered the retired judge, and authorities also recovered the deceased’s mobile phone from him.

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According to Edafe, Mngumi confessed to inviting a friend, Nnaji Obalum, and another accomplice — who remains at large — to the residence where the crime was committed. Obalum has since been arrested, while a manhunt continues for the third suspect.

The arrests mark a major step forward in the effort to bring all perpetrators of the high-profile murder to justice.