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Makinde receives new Army Chief, promises continued cooperation
Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has said that the cooperation of the Nigerian Army with the state government contributes to the security enjoyed by the people.
Makinde made this submission on Tuesday while receiving the new Chief of Army Staff, Maj.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, who paid a courtesy visit to his office at the state secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan.
The governor, who commended the Army for their professionalism, promised that his government would sustain a cordial relationship with the military outfit.
“The level of professionalism displayed by the army officers on duty during the 2019 governorship election can not be over-emphasised.
”I couldn’t have become the governor if not for the professionalism of the Nigerian Army; I also wouldn’t have been reelected if they had been partial.
“I am thankful to the Nigerian Army, especially the 2nd Div. in Ibadan,” he said.
The governor congratulated the new Chief of Army Staff on his elevation, as well as the troops on the occasion of the Army’s 160th anniversary celebration slated for Ibadan.
He thanked the leadership of the outfit for celebrating the anniversary in Oyo State and urged them not to limit the activities to the barracks alone.
“We are glad that you brought the celebration to Ibadan. In South-West Nigeria, Oyo State actually is the biggest in terms of land mass.
“We will play our part and contribute to the activities of the Nigerian Army in the state and deepen the cooperation for mutually beneficial activities.
“The present situation and hike in fuel price are affecting our economy; if your teams are to be on full patrol, you know what the cost of petrol will be.
“But we encourage the leadership of the Nigerian Army and senior officers not to be discouraged but to be focused,” the governor stated.
Earlier, Lagbaja said the visit became imperative for the Nigerian Army to intimate the governor of its 160th anniversary holding in the state.
He pledged to partner with the Oyo State government to further ensure peace and stability in the state and beyond.
He equally commended the governor for various interventions and support accorded the troops deployed across the length and breadth of the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Segun Ogunwuyi; Oyo State Head of Service, Olubunmi Oni; the Executive Assistant to the Governor on Security Matters, Sunday Odukoya were present.
The Director-General, Operation Burst, Ajibola Oladipo, was also in attendance.
News
Stop using repressive laws to intimidate journalists – SERAP, NGE tell FG
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, and Nigeria Guild of Editors, NGE, have called on Nigerian authorities at all levels of government to stop using repressive and anti-media laws to target, intimidate and harass journalists, critics and media houses.
The groups made the demand after an interactive session on ‘the state of press freedom in Nigeria’ held at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Ikeja.
In a joint statement, SERAP and NGE said that, “the government of President Bola Tinubu, the country’s 36 governors and FCT minister must now genuinely uphold press freedom, ensure access to information to all Nigerians, obey court judgments, and respect the rule of law”.
They expressed concerns about the escalating crackdown on the right to freedom of expression and media freedom and the flagrant disregard for the rule of law by authorities at all levels of government.
The groups note that the suppression of the press in recent times takes various forms ranging from extrajudicial to unlawful detentions, disappearances, malicious prosecutions and wrongful use of both legislation and law enforcement.
The statement read in part: “We would continue to speak truth to power and to hold authorities to account for their constitutional and international obligations including on freedom of expression and media freedom.
“Nigeria as a country has a long and unpleasant history of press gagging and clampdown on media freedom, which is evidence of extensive state censorship of media and in some cases, the utter control of state-owned media houses.
“This position has not changed considerably despite almost 25 years of unbroken democratic rule in the Fourth Republic.”
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FG adds 625MW to national grid – Minister
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Tax: Court orders FCT-IRS agency to seal off defaulting coys
A Magistrate Court sitting in Wuse Zone 2, Abuja, on Friday, ordered the Federal Capital Territory Internal Revenue Service (FCT-IRS) to seal off a company, Ifedi A.K. Nigeria Ltd, over allegations bordering on non-filing of annual returns.
The Magistrate, Janada Balami, gave the order after lawyer to FCT-IRS, Michael Towolawi, moved the application to the effect.
Towolawi told the court that the company had failed to file its annual returns from 2019 to 2023 in breach of Section 81 of the Personal Income Tax Act, LFN, 2004, and amended in 2011.
He said all efforts to make the company comply with the law proved abortive.
The lawyer, therefore, applied that the company be compel to appear before the court to explain why it acted in breach of the law.
Balami, who held that the application by the agency against the company had merit, accordingly granted same to seal the No 6, Rudolph Close, Off Katsina-Ala Street, Maitama, Abuja.
She, consequently, ordered the company, the sole defendant in the matter, to appear before the court on May 16.
The Director, Legal Services of the FCT-IRS, Festus Tsavar, told journalists after the proceeding that the service would move against companies that do not file their annual returns as provided by law.
“You know that we have a new minister in FCT that is doing a lot of projects and that hinges on money.
“And of course, you are aware that FCT has come out of TSA.
“So it is the internally generated revenue that will make the government of FCT to be able to do those projects completely within required time,” he said.
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