News
Hard but necessary reforms, imperative to ramp up tax revenue — Muhammad Nami, Chairman Joint Tax Board
For Nigeria to attain optimum tax revenue collection capacity across the Federal, States and Local Government tax authorities, the country must make hard but necessary reforms that would yield long term benefits.
This was the position stated by the Chairman of the Joint Tax Board (JTB), Mr. Muhammad Nami, who is also the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) at the 153rd Meeting of the Board which held today in Abuja with the theme: “Harmonization and codification of taxes at the National and Sub-national levels: Key to achieving a tax friendly environment in Nigeria.”
Mr. Nami, while delivering his address to the Board stated that for progress to be made in taxation, tax authorities must continue to explore and adopt measures and innovative initiatives that will lead to the optimisation of tax revenue for all levels of government.
“As the new administrations attempt to address the many socioeconomic challenges facing the nation on many fronts, it becomes imperative for all the levers of State to shake-off any lethargic antecedents and focus on the goal of a national resurgence.
“The unique and privileged offices we occupy as drivers of the nation’s tax administration processes presents us with a rare opportunity to take hard, but necessary decisions that are expected to yield long term benefits and add immense value to our collective prosperity as a nation.
“In recent years, especially since the dawn of our current democratic dispensation, the importance of taxation has continued to be reiterated and reinforced by all, and the critical role that tax-revenue plays in funding government and governance cannot be over-emphasised.
“However, as we continue to make progress in our unique model of taxation, it is appropriate that we continue to explore and adopt measures and innovative initiatives that will lead to the optimization of tax revenue for all the levels of government, in more efficient, more effective, more inclusive, and more sustainable ways.
“It is only by achieving this, that our efforts as tax administrators can trigger the manner of activity required in the productive sectors of our economy, towards achieving the immense economic potentials that we are capable of,” Mr. Nami said.
The Chairman of the Joint Tax Board further assured Executive Chairmen of State Revenue Authorities present that given the thrust of the current administration’s tax policy direction, the country was on the pathway to eradicating multiplicity of taxes as a core of its overall economic regeneration objectives.
Chairman, Presidential Fiscal Policy & Tax Reforms Committee, Mr. Taiwo Oyedele while delivering a presentation on the theme of the meeting highlighted that multiple taxation was causing low tax morale in the country, as well as discouraging investments, while creating room for corruption and making doing business difficult.
The Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee Chairman further noted that the solution to the country’s revenue challenges is not to introduce more taxes, but to focus on the few taxes that are high yielding, noting that with these, tax authorities would be able to collect far more than is currently being collected.
Mr. Taiwo stated that for the government to raise more revenue, it needed to get to a point where the total number of taxes collected at the Federal, State and Local government levels would be at a single digit.
“We also need to clarify on taxing rights. We need to integrate tax collection functions—that is, all revenues that are to be collected must be collected by a single revenue agency. Government must also do well to fund our tax agencies well. We also need to harmonise revenue administration and simplify our approach to tax compliance,” Mr. Taiwo stated.
He further advocated for the country’s tax authorities to use more technology, review the country’s constitution and tax laws, as well revisit Nigeria’s concept of fiscal federalism.
A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Maitama, on Tuesday, fixed October 21 for the continuation of the trial of a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr Godwin Emefiele.
The trial judge, Justice Hamza Muazu, fixed the date on the agreement of the counsel after the close of the cross-examination of the ninth prosecution witness, Mrs Abibia Ockiya-Ogeleye.
Ockiya-Ogeleye, a lawyer, answering questions from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commision’s counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, told the court that she rendered some services to the company, Architekon Nigeria Limited.
She told the court that in 2021, she filed the company’s annual report and also changed the director and shareholders of the company.
She added that before the addition, Architekon had only two directors.
She said, “Sometime in 2021 one madam Esther called me to effect a change in the company by adding her as a director of the company.”
She tendered a CAC document, which contained the names of Margaret Omoyile, McCombo Omoyile and Esther Oyeladun Adeoun as shareholders.
She also tendered another document containing the record of transfer from McCombo to Margaret, dated March 4, 2021, as well as another document containing the resolution of the company on Esther’s admittance as a director of Architekon.
The witness also presented to the court a copy of an email she said Oyeladun sent her requesting that she be added as a director of the company.
Justice Muazu admitted all the documents as evidence.
The defence counsel, Mathew Burkaa (SAN), during cross-examination, asked the witness if she had a physical meeting with McCombo and she replied no.
He asked her about the signatures in the company documents she presented and if she saw McCombo sign on it.
She replied that she couldn’t tell whether they were at the meeting and signed the resolution since they were sent to her and she wasn’t physically there.
Earlier, the eight prosecution witnesses, a Zenith Bank Compliance Officer, Mr Umar Tilda, tendered three bank documents before the court which included a copy of Emefiele’s bank statement.
Tilda, citing a portion in Emefiele’s bank statement, informed the court that there was a N4 million transfer from Emefiele’s account with the bank to Architekon on January 13, 2015.
When Burkaa asked him if he knew what the transfer was meant for, he said he did not know.
Also when asked if he knew that the accounts he listed as belonging to Emefiele were salary accounts, investments, savings and dividends, he replied, “I wouldn’t know.”
He also confirmed that some of the accounts contained Capital Interest Credit.
He also confirmed that a transaction of N15 million debit, dated April 13, 2015, in count number 2020000064 was part of litigation.
The court adjourned till October 21, for the continuation of trial.
President Bola Tinubu has directed the setting up of a presidential committee to oversee the Cholera Emergency Operation Centre, operated by the National Centre For Disease Control.
The Minister of Health, Ali Pate, made this known on Tuesday after the Federal Executive Council meeting chaired by President Tinubu at the State House, Abuja.
He added that the committee’s effort is in addition to state government support to ensure Nigeria makes progress in reducing open defecation.
“The Council then approved a cabinet committee comprising the federal ministries of Health, Finance,Water Resources, Environment, Youth, Aviation, Education because some of our children will be returning to school . In addition to this, the state government, we will co-opt, so that Nigeria makes progress in reducing open defecation because cholera is a developmental issue that requires a multi-sectoral approach.
“The President directed that a cabinet committee be set up to oversee what the emergency operation centre led by NCDC is doing and for the resources to be provided complemented by the state government,” he said.
Pate further disclosed: “At the moment about 31 states have recorded 1528 cases and 53 deaths in Nigeria. That is what we are working through the Emergency Operation Centre that was activated by NCDC on Monday.
“Now we have a cholera outbreak and we discussed extensively in the Council in addition to a new emergence of Yellow Fever specifically in Bayelsa State.
“On cholera we are in the middle of the 7th pandemic globally which is decades in the making. In 2022, the world had almost 500,000 cases of cholera so it is not only peculiar to Nigeria. In 2023 almost 700,000 cases of cholera were reported by the World Health Organization.
“This year more than 200,000 cases have occurred in five regions of the World.”
He emphasised that a multi sectoral approach is required to tackle the outbreak .
“Resources were deployed to 21 states to help them respond to cholera. We are improving awareness of population, handwashing, hygiene sanitation, in addition to treatment with drugs, and intravenous fluids,” he added.
The National Emergency Management Agency on Tuesday hinted the people of Kwara State of imminent high and moderate floodings in five of the state’s local government areas as the rainy season sets.
The Director-General of NEMA, Mrs Zubaida Umar, gave the warning in Ilorin during the 2024 Downscaling of Flood Early Warnings Systems at state levels.
She listed the Local Government Areas, which are under high and moderate flood risk areas to include Pategi, Edu, Kaiama, Asa and Baruten.
The DG who was represented by the Director of Disaster Risk Reduction of NEMA, Mr Daniel Obot, however, called on the Kwara Government to take proactive measures to mitigate flooding in the state.
She underscored the importance of the programme for effective early actions to save lives and livelihoods during the rainy season.
According to her, the 2024 rainy season, indicates that some Local Government Areas of Kwara are still predicted to be affected by flooding.
Umar explained that this underscores the flag-off, and support in this initiative of downscaling flood early warning and risk mitigation messages to the grassroots.
Quoting the Nigeria Hydrological Service Agency, 2024 Annual Flood Outlook, she said that 31 States with 148 LGAs have been predicted to be within the high flood-risk areas.
She also added that 35 States including FCT with 249 LGAs are considered to fall within the modern flood risk areas.
“The remaining 377 LGAs are forecasted for the low flood risk areas. These flood risk areas are presented with their degree of vulnerability to serve as a tool for governments at all levels to develop risk reduction measures to avert disaster losses during this rainy season.
“Similarly, sectors of agriculture and food security, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), education, health, transportation, and persecution security amongst others are to set up mechanisms for disaster preparedness and risk reduction based on the early action strategies,” she said.
In his reaction, the Secretary to the State Government, Professor Saba Mamman-Jubril, commended the Agency for their proactive measures.
Jubril who represented Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq at the event advised on the need for dyke or levee, an embankment constructed along a riverbank or coastal shoreline to prevent the flow of floodwaters onto land.
He observed the need for frequent dredging, building of more buffers and aforestation to stem the dangers of flooding in communities.
Alhaji Ibrahim Olatunji, the Personal Assistant and representative of Oba of Jebba, Abdulkadir Adebara, appealed to the state government to relocate people in riverine communities, to save their lives.
Also, Alhaji Gana Lukpadu, the Ciroma of Patigi lamented that the community is always worse hit by flooding every year.
He urges the government at all tiers to find lasting solutions to flooding in the state and across the nation.
Court adjourns Emefiele’s trial till October 21
Cholera outbreak: Tinubu constitutes presidential c’ttee to oversee emergency operations
