Blog

Katsina PDP drags Masari to Supreme Court over LG transition committees

Motion
By Zubairu Idris
Katsina, Sept. 4, 2018 (NAN) The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Katsina State, said on Tuesday it had approached the Supreme Court seeking to quash recent inauguration of transition committees for the 34 Local Governments in the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Gov. Aminu Masari inaugurated the transition committees in August.

Alhaji Salisu Majigiri, the State PDP Chairman, made the disclosure at a press conference on Tuesday in Katsina.

According to him, the party has a pending case before the apex court challenging the dissolution of elected local council officials by the governor in 2015.

“We challenged this dissolution at Katsina High Court and later appealed the unfavorable judgment at the Appeal Court, Kaduna.

‘’The case is now at the Supreme Court awaiting judgment, but the state government went ahead and constituted illegal transition committees.

‘’So, we have instituted legal action against this impunity.

‘’We have three issues before the Supreme Court.

‘’The substantive matter dealing with dissolution of the councils, a motion to restrain the government from constituting local government caretaker committees.

“And motion seeking the state government to set aside the constituted caretaker committees and their inauguration,’’ he said.

Majigiri also said that 23 out of the 34 dissolved elected local officials had instituted another legal action before the Katsina High Court against the state government.

He said that the dissolved local councils’ chairmen are seeking a perpetual injunction restraining the state government from constituting caretaker committees for the local governments.

Meanwhile, the PDP chairman has asked the state government to give account of funds that accrued to the state since May 2015 and how it was spent.(NAN)
ZI/MZA

OkomuOil leads capital market gain as indices appreciate by 0.27%
Shares
By Lilian Okoro
Lagos, Sept. 4, 2018 (NAN) Trading on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) closed on a positive note on Tuesday, with OkomuOil leading the gainers’ table for the day.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the crucial market indicators appreciated marginally by 0.27 per cent.
Market observers attributed the growth to the price gains made by some blue chips, which they said may not be sustainable due to profit taking by investors and the fast approaching elections.
Specifically, the market capitalisation rose by N35 billion or 0.27 per cent to close at N12.573 trillion against N12.718 trillion on Monday.
Also, the All-Share Index rose by 96.18 points or 0.27 per cent to close at 34,933.68 compared with 34,837.50 posted on Monday.
OkomuOil gainws N2.4 to close at N79.9 to lead the gainers’ chart, while GTBank and Zenith Bank followed with gains of 55k each to close at N37.05 and N21.9 per share respectively.
FBNH improved by 3k to close at N9.15, while Custodian appreciated by 24k to close at N5.41 per share.
On the other hand, Nigerian Breweries topped the losers’ chart, shedding N2 to close at N93 per share.
PZ Cussons trailed with a loss oN1.5 to close at N13.5, while UACN declined by 9k to close at N11.2 per share.
Forte Oil was down by 85k to close at N19, while Fidson lost 6k to close at N5.4 per share.
The volume of shares traded rose by 82.82 per cent, while value of shares transacted increased by 15.18 per cent.
NAN reports that investors traded a total 240.460 million shares valued at N3.40 billion in 3,400 deals.
This was against the 131.531 million shares worth N3.13 billion exchanged in 3,080 deals on Monday.
United Bank for Africa was the most active stock, exchanging 54.44 million shares worth N436.03 million.
Access Bank followed with an account of 38.45 million shares valued at N359.44 million, while Stanbic IBTC traded 35.23 million shares worthN1.68 billion.
GTBank sold 15.75 million shares valued at N576.77 million, while AIICO Insurance exchanged 14.31 million shares worth N14.16 million. (NAN)
LUC/SA
Edited by Salif Atojoko
=================

Tuberculosis
By Vivian Ihechu
Lagos, Sept. 4, 2018 (NAN) Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to ensuring that high premium was continuously placed on the health of Nigerians, while ending Tuberculosis (TB) remains on its priority list.

The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, gave the assurance on Tuesday in Lagos at the “National Public/Private Mix (PPM) Summit for Tuberculosis Control in Nigeria,’’ where a GeneXpert Machine was  donated to El-Lab Ltd.

The health laboratory firm is a private medical diagnostic and research centre.

The event was jointly organised by the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH), World Health Organisation (WHO), Lagos State Government, Stop TB Nigeria, among others.

Adewole said: “To achieve our goal of ending TB epidemic by 2030, additional support and effort are required.

“We must expand our current frontiers of control of TB as the disease impacts negatively on the health, welfare of individuals and economy of the nation.

“We require active involvement of private healthcare providers and corporate organisations to make Nigeria free of TB.

“This event is a demonstration of the commitment of this administration.

“As part of our commitment to this partnership, a GeneXpert machine procured by FMoH will be handed over to one of the private diagnostic centres to support active TB case finding in Lagos State.”

According to him, to scale up this gesture to other centres, FMoH requests corporate organisations to be enlisted to support in the provision of diagnostic facility to other health centres.

He said that TB has serious consequences on the affected individuals, families and the nation’s economy.

“It has orphaned children and taken many breadwinners away with severe consequences on the economic welfare of families and also on the economy of the nation.

“This trend must not be allowed to continue,’’ Adewole said.

On efforts made by the ministry in controlling the scourge, Adewole said that the ministry had established the National TB Control Programme, which developed the National TB Strategy 2015-2020 framework.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the framework is aimed at addressing the country’s TB burden.

“The framework is consistent with the ‘End TB Strategy’ and incorporates the most recent internationally recommended diagnostic and treatment strategies.

“With support from a coalition of partners, the country currently delivers TB treatment and care through a network of over 7,000 health facilities accredited by the National TB and Leprosy Control Programme (NTBLCP) up from 3,931 in 2,010.

“Similarly, the number of Drug resistant TB (DR-TB) treatment centres has been progressively increased from 10 in 2013 to 28 in 2017.

“ There are ongoing efforts by the ministry to ensure Universal Coverage of TB care and prevention.

“To achieve this, a resolution was passed at the 60th National Council of Health meeting held last year, to include TB service delivery in the Primary Healthcare Minimum Health care package,’’ he said.

The minister added that the cutting-edged technology to enhance TB diagnosis in the country had also been developed.

Adewole said that, in spite of the progress recorded over the years, the TB control efforts was still challenging.

According to him, paramount are the issues of funding, creating awareness and stopping stigmatisation.

Others include locating an estimated 302,000 missing people with TB and 74 per cent of total estimated cases who were not detected annually. (NAN)
VIV/KTO/GOK
==========

Edited by Kamal Tayo Oropo/Olagoke Olatoye

Over 2,000 workers killed in insurgency yet to get benefit – NLC
By Bukola Olaifa
Benefits
Abuja, Sept. 4, 2018 (NAN) The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has said that more than 2,000 workers lost to insurgency in North East Nigeria were yet to get their benefits from their respective state governors.
The NLC President, Mr Ayuba Wabba, said this while speaking at the Employment and Decent Work for Peace: National Feedback meeting organised by the American Centre for International Labour Solidarity (AFL-CIO) in collaboration with the NLC on Tuesday in Abuja.
Wabba said the congress would write the affected state governors in the region to demand that workers who were killed in the region as a result of insurgency got their benefits.
He said that the number of workers who lost their lives to insurgency in the region was over 2,000 put together.
Wabba said that years after workers who were breadwinners for their families were killed, their families were yet to be paid their benefits.
He said teachers, local government and health workers were the most affected, stressing that orphans and widows who are victims of insurgency are merely surviving on contributions from unions.
According to him, 546 teachers, 101 health workers and six nurses have lost their lives in Borno alone since the commencement of the insurgency as at January 2016.
The labour leader said this figure was obtained from the American Solidarity Centre.
Wabba expressed disappointment that the benefits were yet to be paid to the distressed families, saying: “I am not happy that their benefits have not been paid’’.
“We have lost more than 2,000 workers, teachers, local government workers and health workers, because they are usually the first line of casualties.
“The ideology of the insurgents is that they don’t believe in western education and therefore the first person to be the victim is the teacher, because he must be at the place of work to teach the pupil,’’ he said.
According to him, most of them were killed in active service.
He however called on all the states that were affected to give priority to the benefit of those heroes that have died in active service.
“We will write a formal demand to those governors to say that those workers that have died in active service should be paid their benefit,” the NLC president said. (NAN)
BOL/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Affirmative

Enugu,  Sept 4, 2018 (NAN) The Enugu State Governor, Mr Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has pledged to increase the number of women currently in his  government so as to meet the 35 per cent affirmative action.

The governor made this known in Enugu on Tuesday while addressing  over 1,000 women in state  who staged a walk to the government house to demand for the inclusion of more women in government.

Ugwuanyi said he was happy that women from three political parties could come together to fight a just course describing it as a historical landmark.

He said no good government could ignore the place of women in politics because they were influential and to a large extent, determine the progress of a state.

“My 12 years at the National Assembly has afforded me the opportunity of traveling to 156 countries and I have discovered that these countries are rapidly making progress.

“Reason being that they have learnt that women are powerful and as such, they give them key government positions to oversee.

“This, also, has been my conviction and my motivation for appointing women to certain key positions when I became the governor.

“Because you are demanding for more and having been convinced by the capability of women already in my government to deliver effectively, I will begin processing your demands immediately.

“From now on, major appointments as well as positions of Permanent Secretaries will be given to women,” the governor said.

Ugwuanyi added that a government that ignored women did so at its peril and was bound to be retrogressive.

In her remarks, the Deputy Governor of the state, Mrs Cecilia Ezeilo, appreciated the women for jettisoning their different political differences to fight for their rights.

She said that her being chosen as a deputy governor for the first time in history is a pointer that the governor recognized the place of women in governance.

Ezeilo said aside her, the governor appointed a female Chief Judge for the first time and had already appointed five other females as members of his executive.

She advised the women to coordinate themselves well and continue to play their duties as expected even after the implementation of the 35 per cent affirmative action for women by the governor.

Earlier, the president of Inter Party Women Network (IPWN),  Mrs Josephine Nwokedike under whose aegis the walk was staged, said the walk was an initiative of Women Aid Collective (WACOL).

Nwokedike explained that IPWN comprised women from three different political parties of the All Progressives Congress (APC), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who came together to request the implementation of 35 per cent affirmative action for women.

She appreciated the governor for appointing women into his government unlike what had been witnessed before in the state especially approving the inclusion of at least two women to be part of local government executives.

The president however, said more opportunities should be given to women not only at the state level but also at the National Assembly and House of Representatives.

In addition, the Programme Manager of WACOL, Mr Chukwudi Ojielo said the initiative under the aegis of IPWN was organized by WACOL but sponsored by the National Democratic Initiative (NDI).

He said there was need to request for the 35 percent affirmative action because there had been steady decline in the number of women given active positions.

“Women are beginning to be fizzled out of key government positions and if not addressed on time, we might not have women in government anymore.

“This is not just an Enugu event but it is also taking place in six other states such as Lagos, Kaduna, Kano, Adamawa, Jigawa and Anambra,” he said.

The state Chairmen of APC, APGA and PDP separately promised to give females ticket during the forthcoming general elections and to also push that they be appointed into key positions if their party emerged victorious.

They also expressed joy in the togetherness of the women to fight for their rights and thanked WACOL for the initiative. (NAN)

AED/MNA

Edited by Maureen Atuonwu

By Isaac Aregbesola

Abuja, Sept.4, 2018 (NAN)The Federal Government has agreed to revamp the Nigeria-Pakistan joint commission to provide both countries veritable platform to strengthen economic and trade relations.

The Permanent Secretary, Foreign Affairs Ministry Amb. Olukunle Bamgbose, made this known this on Tuesday in Abuja when the Pakistani High Commissioner designate to Nigeria, Maj.-Gen Wqar Kingravi (Rtd) visited him.

While expressing satisfaction with the level of defence and military cooperation between both countries, Bamgbose however, said that there was need for improvement in the area of trade and economic relations.

He noted that Nigeria-Pakistan cooperation was very historical and that military training had been very consistent.

“The two countries have been collaborating in the area of defence, there have been exchange programmes between the armed forces of the two countries especial in the area of training,” he said.

The High Commissioner earlier said that he is in Nigeria to strengthen the economic and military relations between the two countries.

Kkingravi said:“We have long term relations in all things especially in the areas of political and military, but in trade and commercial relations we are lacking behind I will say.

“However there is a lot of room for improvement in the field of trade and commercial, cultural exchange, agricultural, medical and education.

“We have trade relationship in the area of agriculture and finished products with Nigeria”.

Kingravi however expressed concern on the volume of trade which he said was not encouraging due to certain restriction on the importation of rice into Nigeria.

“The volume of trade is not much but we would like to further increase that,” he said.

“We can cooperate in other areas such as infrastructure development, in the field of oil and gas, agricultural equipment and medical field. So, there are many fields that we can have our cooperation,” he said

He noted that Pakistan had been assisting Nigeria in area of fighting terrorism and would continue to do so.

He said: “In the last few years we have seen more collaboratives in the area of fighting the insurgency because the two countries faced similar problem.

“We are facing issue of terrorism and Pakistan has a lot of experience in the last 15 years of fighting this problem.

“Our armed forces are ready to share their experience with the Nigeria armed forces in this area in fighting the Boko Haram and any other militancy.

“Our defence industry is capable of providing not only mid level but high level technology of arms and ammunition and equipment to fight this militancy and help Nigeria armed forces in gaining experiences against this militant”.

NAN reports that as at January,  both countries’ trade volume has reached close to one trillion dollars from 500 million dollars in 2015.

This revelation was made during the 70th Independence Day celebration of Pakistan in Lagos by the Honourary Consul-General of Pakistan in Nigeria, Ahmed Yakasai, who said that diplomatic relations between Nigeria and Pakistan predated Nigeria’s independence. (NAN)

IAA/SH

======

edited by Sadiya Hamza

Youths

By Victor Adeoti

Osogbo, Sept. 4, 2018 (NAN) The Vice-Chancellor of Osun State University, Prof. Labode Popoola, has urged the youth to embrace the virtues of integrity and competence.

Popoola said these virtues were some of the attributes of good future leaders that the nation would be proud of.

The V-C said this at the opening ceremony of a two-day leadership training for the students of the university on Tuesday in Ede.

He said that the training was aimed at imparting leadership traits onto the students with a view to making them more useful for the society.

The don said that the university was passionate at creating new set of leaders who would unleash the much desired sustainable development in the country.

Popoola, however, said that for the students to become successful leaders, they must embrace integrity, competency and empathy.

He said, “We now live in a society where wrong people are seen as role models by our youths.

“We intend to correct that, hence, this leadership training.

“We have, therefore, assembled a competent team of people who have seen it all.

“People with integrity, competence and empathy to share their experiences for you to be a good leader”.

In his remarks, the acting dean of students affairs, Dr Oluseye Abiona, said the training was the first of its kind in the history of the university.

Abiona said it organised to build the students for future leadership role.

Also speaking, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice for Osun, Mr Ajibola Bashiru, urged the students to be focused, determined and courageous to become good future leaders. (NAN)

VE/PAD

=======

Edited by Peter Dada

Indirect primaries in line with our position – Adamawa Assembly members

Primaries

By Yakubu Uba

Yola, Sept. 4, 2018 (NAN) The All Progressives Congress (APC) members in Adamawa House of Assembly support the party’s adoption of indirect primaries for the election of its candidates for the 2019 general election in the state.

The Chairman of House Committee on Information, Alhaji Abubakar Isa, stated this on Tuesday in Yola.

The party’s State Executive Committee (SEC) in a meeting on Monday adopted indirect primaries for the election of its candidates for the 2019 poll in the state.

“We are happy with the way the SEC meeting was conducted and the resolution reached which is in line with our position.

“That has been the position of the Adamawa House of Assembly and we are happy with that,” Isa said.

The committee chairman said that the house felt that the adoption of the process would further strengthen and unite the party in the state to face the 2019 general elections.

“We have already conducted hitch-free and successful ward, local government and state congresses in the state.

It is only logical to allow those who emerged in the congresses to select the party candidates,” he added.

Also speaking on the development, Rep. Abdulrazak Namdaz (APC-Mayo-Belwa/Ganye/Toungo/Jada Federal Constituency), said all his colleagues who attended the meeting agreed to the process.

According to him, some of the reasons that make indirect primaries a better option for the state are insecurity and lack of an updated party register.

“As you know there are security issues in the north east and there is no comprehensive and updated party register.

“We therefore feel that in order not to have problems, it is better that the delegates we produced during the last congresses continue to vote on our behalf.

It will be more rancour-free and manageable,” Namdaz said. (NAN)

YMU/EMO

=========

Edited by Ejike Obeta

MTN Nigeria rejects Attorney General’s plan to recover up to US$ 2b in taxes

MTN
By Chiazo Ogbolu
Lagos, Sept. 4, 2018(NAN) MTN Nigeria on Tuesday rejected the Attorney General’s  plan to recover US$ 2 billion  accumulating from  import duties, VAT and withholding taxes on foreign imports/payments.

The MTN Corporate Relations Executive, Mr Tobe Okigbo in a statement said that MTN believes that it has fully settled all amounts owed under the taxes in question.

“Following the receipt of the letter from the Central Bank of Nigeria on foreign exchange repatriation, MTN Nigeria has provided an update on the company’s position on the issue.

“The company has also notified the market, and all stakeholders that it has received a notice from the Attorney General of Nigeria that he intends to recover up to US$ 2 billion of tax relating to, inter alia, import duties, VAT and withholding taxes on foreign imports/payments.

“MTN continues to strenuously deny the allegations being made by the Central Bank of Nigeria and has equally strenuously rejected the findings of the Attorney General’s investigation and believes it has fully settled all amounts owing under the taxes in question.

“It is both regrettable and disconcerting that despite the historic engagements with the Nigerian authorities by MTN Nigeria, the senate investigation into the CCI matter, and the multiple tax assessments done by the Nigerian tax authorities over many years that were satisfactorily concluded, that these matters are being reopened,” he said.

Okigbo said that from the CBN’s letter and subsequent statements, it was clear that there was no dispute that the capital captured in MTN’s books and for which CCIs were issued was imported into Nigeria, and acknowledged explicitly by the CBN.

He added that it was equally clear that Nigerian law provides  for guaranteed unconditional transferability of funds through an Authorised dealer in freely convertible currency relating to dividends or profits attributable to the investment, payments and in respect of loan servicing where a foreign loan has been obtained.”

According to him, all dividend repatriation done by MTN Nigeria to its shareholders was done on the basis of its equity capital and all the historic dividends were declared against valid equity CCIs.

“In fact no preference dividends were declared and no interest in respect of these preference shares was paid.

“This means that it is incorrect to suggest that the conversion of a shareholder loan to preference shares has any relation to the repatriation of dividends. The two are simply not connected and we are trying to understand this position that the Central Bank has taken,” he said.

“On the Attorney General’s ‘demand notice’ for historical tax obligations, MTN has conducted a detailed review of these claims, and provided evidence of tax remittance to the Attorney General’s office.

“The Attorney General’s notice indicates that he is rejecting this evidence. We believe that all taxes due to the Nigerian government have been paid and these allegations have not been raised by any of the revenue generating agencies that MTN engages with regularly, and from whom MTN has received numerous awards for compliance,” Okigbo said.

He said that MTN Nigeria would continue to engage with the relevant authorities on all these matters and would remain resolute that MTN Nigeria had not committed any offences and would vigorously defend its position.

He said that as regards update on CBN’s letter on foreign exchange, MTN Group and the original shareholders had injected a total of $402, 625,419 into MTN Nigeria between 2001 and 2006 in the form of loans and equity.

He said that these initial inflows were the basis for the issuance of various legacy CCIs obtained from Authorized Dealers in accordance with regulations, of which the inflow of capital had been confirmed by the CBN.

He added that the CCI process was essentially in place both for the protection of investors as well as to provide the CBN with documentary evidence for monitoring capital inflows and outflows.

“Although over time the CCIs have been re-issued, consolidated and re-constituted to reflect the changing MTN capital and shareholding structure, the amount of $402, 625,419, has remained the same.

“One aspect of the changing capital structure was the conversion of shareholder loans to preference shares.

“It is important to note that all the historic dividends were declared against valid equity CCIs and in fact no preference dividends were declared and no interest in respect of these preference shares was paid,” he said.

He added that as regards the Attorney General letter, he notified MTN that his office made a high-level calculation that MTN Nigeria should have paid approximately $2 billion in taxes.

He said the taxes were  related to the importation of foreign equipment and payments to foreign suppliers over the last 10 years and he requested MTN Nigeria to do a self-assessment of the taxes in this regard that have been actually paid.

“In August 2018 MTN submitted comprehensive documentation to the office of the AG.

“MTN Nigeria has also completed an initial assessment of the full period which indicates that total payments made to the tax authorities in regard to these foreign imports and payments in aggregate are $700 million. There are valid reasons for the differences between the actual payments and the AG high-level assessment.

“We were notified by the office of the AG last week that they have not accepted the documentation presented and they have given notice of an intention to recover the $2 bn from MTN Nigeria.(NAN)
CAN/
===========
08037461954