MINIMUM WAGE UPDATE: STATES PAYING N70, OOO AND ABOVE
Dons Eze
- October 18, 2024
WHY NORTHERN ELITES ARE UNHAPPY WITH TINUBU
WHY NORTHERN ELITES ARE UNHAPPY WITH TINUBU The Dean of Borno Elders Forum, Prof Khalifa Dikwa, says members of the elite in the northern region of the country are unhappy with President Bola Tinubu because of his “misfit and weak appointees” as well as his “anti-people policies”. The political analyst, who featured on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Wednesday, said northern elite are “not happy because each of these policies affect the north entirely”. “Most of the appointees are either misfits or weak or to the wrong places,” the elder statesman said, adding that the appointments by the Tinubu administration are “lopsided”. Prof Dikwa said even “the southern elite should be annoyed because Nigeria is more than Lagos”. He further described as “provocative”, the 0.5% cybersecurity levy on electronic transactions recently introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and asked the President to immediately order the apex bank to suspend the implementation of the new policy.“This is not the time, it’s wrong timing. Why are they provoking the people of this country? They have taken enough,” he said.
BREAKING: HOUSE OF REPS HALTS IMPLEMENTATION OF CYBERSECURITY LEVY
BREAKING: HOUSE OF REPS HALTS IMPLICATION OF CYBERSECURITY LEVY The House of Representatives has directed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to immediately halt the implementation of the cybercrime levy in compliance with the provisions of the cybercrime Act. The House, on Thursday, said the circular by the CBN was prone to misinterpretation by Nigerians as it negates the spirit and letters of section 44(2a) of the cybercrime Act which specify those who are expected to pay the levy. It adopted a motion of urgent public importance moved by Minority Leader, Kingsley Chinda (PDP, Rivers) on behalf of the entire lawmakers. The House asked the Central Bank to immediately withdraw its earlier circular on the implementation of the levy and issue another circular in love with the provisions of the Act. Chinda said section 44(2a) of the cybercrime act listed those to pay the stipulated fees as GSM and telecom companies, Internet providers, Banks and other financial institutions, insurance companies and Stocks Exchange. He explained that the circular from the CBN has raised apprehension across the country as it has given the impression that the levy is to be paid by Nigerians in an era when they are still battling with increase in price of petroleum products among others. The lawmaker said further that the CBN circular has been subjected to several interpretations.
BREAKING: HOUSE OF REPS HALTS IMPLEMENTATION OF CYBERSECURITY LEVY
BREAKING: HOUSE OF REPS HALTS IMPLICATION OF CYBERSECURITY LEVY The House of Representatives has directed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to immediately halt the implementation of the cybercrime levy in compliance with the provisions of the cybercrime Act. The House, on Thursday, said the circular by the CBN was prone to misinterpretation by Nigerians as it negates the spirit and letters of section 44(2a) of the cybercrime Act which specify those who are expected to pay the levy. It adopted a motion of urgent public importance moved by Minority Leader, Kingsley Chinda (PDP, Rivers) on behalf of the entire lawmakers. The House asked the Central Bank to immediately withdraw its earlier circular on the implementation of the levy and issue another circular in love with the provisions of the Act. Chinda said section 44(2a) of the cybercrime act listed those to pay the stipulated fees as GSM and telecom companies, Internet providers, Banks and other financial institutions, insurance companies and Stocks Exchange. He explained that the circular from the CBN has raised apprehension across the country as it has given the impression that the levy is to be paid by Nigerians in an era when they are still battling with increase in price of petroleum products among others. The lawmaker said further that the CBN circular has been subjected to several interpretations.
BLACKMAIL WON’T SAVE YOU, FG REPLIES BINANCE
BLACKMAIL WON’T SAVE YOU, FG REPLIES BINANCE The Federal Government has reacted to the claims by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Binance, Richard Teng, that some Nigerian officials demanded bribe in cryptocurrency payments to end current fiasco. Teng made these claims in a blog post published by foreign media platforms on Tuesday adding that Binance counsel declined the offer. Reacting to the allegations on Wednesday, Idris Mohammed, Minister of Information and National Orientation, said Teng resorted to “a diversionary tactic and an attempted act of blackmail by a company desperate to obfuscate the grievous criminal charges it is facing in Nigeria.” The statement signed on the minister’s behalf by by Rabiu Ibrahim, his media aide, emphasized that Binance Founder, Changpeng Zhao, was guilty of the same offence of money laundering in the United States, and currently serving prison terms, an indication that the crypto firm should submit itself for investigation. “The Federal Government of Nigeria is aware of attempts by Binance to launder its impaired image as an organisation that does not play by the rules and laws guiding business conduct in sovereign nations,” it read. “In a blog post that has now been published by many international media organisations, in an apparent well-coordinated public relations effort, Binance Chief Executive Officer Richard Teng made false allegations of bribery against unidentified Nigerian government officials who he claimed demanded $150m in cryptocurrency payments to resolve the ongoing criminal investigation against the company. “This claim by Binance CEO lacks any iota of substance. It is nothing but a diversionary tactic and an attempted act of blackmail by a company desperate to obfuscate the grievous criminal charges it is facing in Nigeria. “The facts of this matter remain that Binance is being investigated in Nigeria for allowing its platform to be used for money laundering, terrorism financing, and foreign exchange manipulation through illegal trading. “While this lawful investigation was going on, an executive of Binance, who was in court-sanctioned protective custody, escaped from Nigeria, and he is now a fugitive from the law. Working with the security agencies in Nigeria, Interpol is currently executing an international arrest warrant on the said fugitive. “The phantom bribe claim is part of an orchestrated international campaign by this company that is facing criminal prosecution in many countries including the United States, to undermine the Nigerian government. “Just a week ago, the founder and former CEO of Binance, Changpeng Zhao, was sentenced to prison in the United States, after pleading guilty to charges very similar to what Binance is being investigated for in Nigeria. In addition, Zhao agreed to pay a fine of $50 million, while Binance is liable for $4.3 billion in fines and forfeitures to the US Government. “We would like to remind Binance that it will not clear its name in Nigeria by resorting to fictional claims and mudslinging media campaigns. The only way to resolve its issues will be by submitting itself to unobstructed investigation and judicial due process.“The government of Nigeria will continue to act within its laws and international norms and will not succumb to any form of blackmail from any entity, local or foreign.”
UNN INAUGURATES FIRST VACCINE RESEARCH CENTER IN ENUGU
UNN INAUGURATES FIRST VACCINE RESEARCH CENTER IN ENUGU The University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) on Tuesday inaugurated a Vaccine Research Centre (VRC) for the development of vaccines for diseases that disproportionately affect Nigeria and Africa. The centre is located at the Coal City Garden Estate in Enugu and equipped with funds from the United States National Health Institute and Belinda and Gates Foundation. Inaugurating the center, the UNN Vice Chancellor Prof Charles Igwe, expressed satisfaction that the center established in 2018 had eventually taken off having survived dormancy occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic and the prolonged industrial strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). Igwe commended the Director of the center, Prof Silva Anika and his team for making the project a reality and pledged that the center would help in addressing tropical animal and human diseases in the country. In his remarks, Prof Anika said that the VRC would cater for training, research, development and production of vaccines for most endemic but neglected tropical human and animal diseases. Anika said that the centre would establish collaborative partnership with national and global units to become viable and international in outlook. The director disclosed that the research had received grants to work on the epidemiology and population genomics of African Trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) in both human and animals which caused immense suffering and economic losses in the society. “Through partnerships with governments, international organizations and the private sector, we intend to translate these investigations into widespread programs that will save lives and improve livestock health and production. “This centre strengthens our university’s traditional role of solving the biggest challenges that face Nigeria in particular and Africa in general, through scientific inquiry and discovery. “It is also a major step towards self reliance in healthcare and I am confident that with the dedication of our researchers and support from all levels of government, this centre will achieve major breakthroughs that will improve human and animal health for generations to come,”. The emeritus professor, however, disclosed that the centre had attracted about $1 million US dollars worth of equipment many of which required steady power supply. Conducting the guests round the centre, a veterinarian and researcher, Dr Chinwe Chukwudi, said that the million dollar equipment could be used to diagnose many diseases including cancer through researches. Chukwudi, who attracted the grant, said the centre had began a pilot study on Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) known as sleeping sickness noting that the disease had become prevalent in the country. According to her, there is 10 per cent prevalence rate in a sampled population at a hospital at Nsukka in Enugu State. She said that 11 out of 184 samples representing six per cent were consistently positive in all assays done adding that the data suggested a high burden of undiagnosed and unreported clinical HAT cases in Nigeria. Chukwudi said that the mode of sustained transmission needed to be established. The veterinarian, encouraged medical students in various capacities to access the facility for their studies and sustainability of the centre.The event was attended by the former Vice Chancellor of the UNN, Prof Benjamin Ozurumba, Prof Paul Modum and representatives of the Enugu State Primary Health Agency among others.
WHEN DID OFFICE OF NSA BECOME REVENUE COLLECTOR? – PETER OBI
WHEN DID OFFICE OF NSA BECOME REVENUE COLLECTOR?– PETER OBI The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, has decried the newly introduced Cyber security Levy by the President Bola Tinubu-led Nigerian government. Obi said the taxes the current administration of Tinubu had imposed on Nigerians are too many and aimed at milking a dying economy. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has directed deposit money banks in the country to start charging 0.5% cybersecurity levy on transactions. The apex bank gave the directive in a circular dated May 6, 2024 addressed to all commercial, merchant, non-interest and payment service banks as well as mobile money operators and payment service providers. “Following the enactment of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) (amendment) Act 2024 and pursuant to the provision of Section 44 (2) (a) of the Act, ‘a levy of 0.5% (0.005) equivalent to a half percent of all electronic transactions value by the business specified in the Second Schedule of the Act’, is to be remitted to the National Cybersecurity Fund (NCF), which shall be administered by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA),” the circular partly read. CBN, however, noted that the implementation of the levy would start two weeks from the date of the circular. “The levy shall be applied at the point of electronic transfer origination, then deducted and remitted by the financial institution. The deducted amount shall be reflected in the customer’s account with the narration, ‘Cybersecurity Levy’. However, reacting to the new tax imposition on Nigerians, on his official social media page, the former Anambra State Governor, said instead of nurturing the recovery and growth of the economy, the government by its multiple taxation is more interested in heaping more burden on the people who are already suffering severe economic stress. Obi wrote: “The introduction of yet another tax, in the form of Cybersecurity Levy, on Nigerians who are already suffering severe economic distress is further proof that the government is more interested in milking a dying economy instead of nurturing it to recovery and growth. “This does not only amount to multiple taxation on banking transactions, which are already subject to various other taxes including stamp duties but negates the Government’s avowed commitment to reduce the number of taxes and streamline the tax system. “The imposition of a Cybersecurity Levy on bank transactions is particularly sad given that the tax is on the trading capital of businesses and not on their profit hence will further erode whatever is left of their remaining capital, after the impact of the Naira devaluation high inflation rate. It is inconceivable to expect the suffering citizens of Nigeria to separately fund all activities of the government. “Policies such as this not only impoverish the citizens but make the country’s economic environment less competitive. “At a time when the government should be reducing taxes to curb inflation, the government is instead introducing new taxes. And when did the office of the NSA become a revenue-collecting center?”And why should that purely national security office receive returns on a specific tax as stated in the new cybersecurity law?”
DIVISIONAL POLICE OFFICER SLUMPS ON DUTY, DIES IN HOSPITAL
DIVISIONAL POLICE OFFICER SLUMPS ON DUTY, DIES IN HOSPITAL A policeman said to be the Divisional Police Officer attached to the Akanu Ibiam Airport Police Command in Enugu reportedly slumped on duty on Wednesday and was later pronounced dead at the hospital. The DPO whose name was yet to be ascertained when filing this report reportedly slumped at the police station and was rushed to the Annunciation Specialist Hospital at Emene, Enugu State. Unfortunately, despite efforts by doctors on duty battling for several hours to revive him, he was eventually pronounced dead. A hospital source confirmed on Wednesday evening that the policeman was pronounced dead at the facility earlier in the day. “A man said to be a policeman was actually brought into the hospital in the afternoon but efforts to revive him failed. So we lost him,” the source said. Also some policemen attached to Enugu State Police Command confirmed the demise of the said officer. However, they noted that the Police Airport Division is under the Airport Command in Lagos and not under the state police command.The Enugu Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Daniel Ndukwe did not answer his calls or reply to a text message sent to him at the time of filing this report.
KIDNAPPED DAPCHI SCHOOL GIRL, LEAH SHARIBU, MARRIED TO TWO BOKO HARAM LEADERS, HAS TWO KIDS – ‘REPENTANT’ TERRORIST
KIDNAPPED DAPCHI SCHOOL GIRL, LEAH SHARIBU, MARRIED TO TWO BOKO HARAM LEADERS, HAS TWO KIDS – ‘REPENTANT’ TERRORIST Nigeria’s forgotten schoolgirl from Yobe State, Leah Sharibu, has married at least two Boko Haram leaders including Ali Abdallah who has now become a chief judge of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in the Lake Chad basin, a “repentant” terrorist revealed on Tuesday. Sharibu, a Christian girl, was one of the 110 female students of the Government Girls’ Science and Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State, who were abducted on February 19, 2018, by the Boko Haram terrorists. The “repentant” Boko Haram fighter told SaharaReporters on Tuesday that Sharibu’s husband, Abdallah was recently appointed Chief Judge of the terror group in the Lake Chad basin. “Leah was first married to Abdulrahman after she converted to Islam and they had one child, a baby boy. Her husband was killed in an air raid after which she remarried a top commander, Ali Abdallah to whom she bore a baby girl,” the Boko Haram ex-fighter said. On January 25, 2020, Leah Sharibu, a Christian girl kidnapped and held in Boko Haram captivity for over one year, gave birth to a baby boy. Leah was delivered of the baby after her forceful marriage to a top Boko Haram commander, according to a reliable source close to the terror group. The source said Leah, who refused to renounce her Christian faith, was forced to accept Islam before being married to a top commander of the terror group. Also on March 23, 2021, SaharaReporters reported how three years and five weeks since her abduction in Dapchi, Yobe State, a United States-based group, US-Nigeria Law Group, lamented the plight of the abandoned Dapchi “heroine Christian” schoolgirl, Leah Sharibu, with a report she has given birth to a second child in captivity. It would be recalled that Leah, still held in captivity, was forced to accept Islam before being married off to a top Boko Haram commander after she refused to renounce her Christian faith. Speaking with SaharaReporters on Tuesday about the development around Sharibu in captivity, the repentant terrorist said, “Leah Sharibu was married off to Ali Abdallah, her second husband after her first husband, Abdulraman was killed in a military air raid. Asked how he got the information, he said, “We still communicate with former compatriots who are still in the jungle; our aim is to help them abandon terrorism. You know, those of us who laid down arms did so after safety assurances from Nigerian authorities. Following the deal, we’re now serving as agents to convince former compatriots to abandon the ideology. “Like me, a good number of us abandoned the ideology after realising that we were actually on a wrong path; abducting and killing innocent people for no just course.””I had to take the decision to quit terrorism despite formally serving as of of Abubakar Shekau’s close aides before his demise. Yes, I was under Shekau’s tutelage right from kindergarten in Damaturu, the Yobe State capital before relocating to Sambisa forest,” he added.
HOTEL PRESIDENTIAL: ENUGU GOVT DISMISSES CAVEAT EMPTOR, SAYS CONTRACT WITH PRIMEVIEW HOTELS ALREADY REVOKED
HOTEL PRESIDENTIAL: ENUGU GOVT DISMISSES CAVEAT EMPTOR, SAYS CONTRACT WITH PRIMEVIEW HOTELS ALREADY REVOKED The Enugu State Government has dismissed a caveat emptor published on Hotel Presidential in various national dailies by Mr. Gbolahan Elias, SAN, on behalf of Primeview Hotels Limited. The state made its position known in a statement entitled “Setting the Record Straight: Re: Hotel Presidential”, issued by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, on Wednesday. It said Primeview had tried to unscrupulously acquire the hotel in 2013 with the sole intent to illegally take over its assets and bury the heritage, hence the revocation of the transaction by the Enugu State Government. The statement explained that the company lost its lawsuit against the government both at the High Court of Enugu State and the Court of Appeal, while also deliberately failing to appear in court on the last day of hearing at the Supreme Court, as it had no case. It explained that the apex court did not deprecate the action of government in any way. The government, therefore, urged the public to disregard the publication, describing it as a baseless, mischievous, contemptuous and erroneous misinformation. The statement reads: “Enugu State Government, in the discharge of its governance responsibility, hereby presents facts to clear the misinformation that was published by G. Elias SAN on behalf of Primeview Hotels Limited (Primeview) in The Guardian newspaper of 6th May 2024 and others, purporting to place a caveat emptor on the lawful award of contract by the Enugu State Government to rebuild and restore order to the abandoned Hotel Presidential Enugu, which has constituted a serious state security threat. “The record is set straight as follows: Primeview and E Hospitality Services Limited entered into an illegal Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) and related transactions with Hotel Presidential Limited (owned by the Enugu State Government) in September 2013 to unlawfully concession Hotel Presidential, contrary to the Enugu State Privatization and Commercialization of Government Enterprises Law, No. 15 of 2010. Those behind Primeview were only interested in illegally acquiring the assets of Hotel Presidential and burying the heritage. “To uphold the Law, Enugu State Government consequently terminated, revoked and set aside the illegal JVA and its related transaction documents. “Primeview and E Hospitality (Defendants) sued Hotel Presidential and the Government in the High Court of Enugu State on 7th November 2017, seeking: (1) a declaration that the Government’s termination of the contract is wrongful; (2) an order for consequential damages for profits that the defendants would have earned within the period of the contract; and other orders relating to payment of damages. “The Defendants never contested that Hotel Presidential and its premises or assets are owned by the Enugu State Government, neither did they seek specific performance of the illegal contract, because it was clear who owns the Hotel and that they have been caught up by their illegal act. Thus, lis pendens never applied. “The High Court, in its judgment delivered on 16th July 2018, refused to grant any reliefs sought by the Defendants, and held that the JVA (with all its related transaction documents) was illegal and unenforceable, having been made in contravention of an existing law. Consequently, the action was struck out; thus, upholding the action of the Government “This decision of the High Court was upheld by the Court of Appeal in its judgment of 12 March 2020 in Primeview Hotel Limited & anor v Hotel Presidential Limited & Ors, CA/E/754/2018. “The Supreme Court in SC/CV/359/2020 never at any point deprecated any act of the Government. Rather, Primeview and its counsel on the last day of hearing deliberately failed to appear in court, as they know that their appeal lacks merit.“The general public is urged to disregard the…
RIVERS CRISIS: ONE HOUSE TWO SPEAKERS AS PRO-FUBARA GROUP ELECTS OWN SPEAKER
RIVERS CRISIS: ONE HOUSE, TWO SPEAKERS, AS PRO-FUBARA GROUP ELECTS OWN SPEAKER The political crisis in Rivers State has taken a whole new twist as some members of the Rivers State House of Assembly loyal to Governor Siminalayi Fubara elected the member representing Bonny constituency, Victor Oko-Jumbo, as their Speaker. Oko-Jumbo, who is said to be the new speaker for the entire 32-member Assembly, was said to be elected at 10am during plenary on Wednesday, in line with the Standing Order of the House. Oko-Jumbo was one of the four lawmakers loyal to Fubara in the wake of the political crisis in the state. They had at the time of the crisis elected Edison Ehie as the speaker, but the latter later resigned from the State Assembly, and was appointed the Chief of Staff to the Governor. It was not clear how many lawmakers were present during the plenary that produced Oko-Jumbo as speaker. Oko-Jumbo was led to the plenary with the original mace of the Rivers State House of Assembly by the Sergeant-at-Arms, David Wariboko, who managed the last sitting of the Martin Amaewhule-led Assembly in the same position. Oko-Jumbo in his acceptance speech thanked the members for electing him as the new Speaker sequel to the resignation of the former Speaker, Edison Ehie. He called on the Executive and the Judiciary, as well as the public to disregard every law purportedly enacted by the Amaewhule-led Assembly, describing it as an exercise in futility. “You will agree with me that after the House last sat on the 13th of December, 2023, and adjourned sine dine, there has been an avalanche of legislative rascality perpetrated by the 25 former members of the 10th Rivers State House of Assembly, led by the former Speaker, Rt. Hon. Martin Chike Amaewhule. “These former members, being fully aware of the provisions of Section 109(1)(g) of the CFRN 1999, defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Party (APC) on the 11th of December, 2023. “Consequently, the Rt. Hon. Edison Ogerenye Ehie-led Assembly, on the 13th of December, 2023, wrote to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), declaring the seats of the 25 lawmakers vacant in line with Section 109(1)(g) and (2) of the CFRN 1999. “My distinguished colleagues, there are a plethora of cases pending in our courts further to the defection of the former lawmakers,” he said. “All laws, plenary sessions and actions taken by the illegal House members are hereby declared void and a nullity in the eyes of the law by virtue of the judgment of Lord Denning in the celebrated case of MacFoy v UAC (1961) 3 All ER 1169.” Oko-Jumbo emphasised. He said, “Furthermore, this House would want to most respectfully urge and call on His Excellency, the Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, DSSRS, to desist forthwith from further dealings with the 25 former lawmakers, in whatever guise. “Those members are merely floating and do not have any landing ground or anywhere to berth their ship since their defection to the All Progressives Congress on the 11th of December, 2023. “This House is the legally and constitutionally recognised House of Assembly by virtue of the defection of the other members, and is ready to receive correspondences from and work with His Excellency, the Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara. Distinguished colleagues, let me thank you once again.“I know I can count on your unalloyed and unwavering support as we work with His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara in moving our dear Rivers State forward in promoting the progress and welfare of the State.”