All Posts in "Day: August 23, 2021"

Ekiti Shuts  Banks, Eateries  For Violating COVID-19 Protocols

Ekiti shuts eateries, bank for violating protocols
Ekiti State Government  has  closed some banks and eateries Ajilosun and Irona areas of the state for violating COVID-19  protocols.
The chairman, COVID-19  Task Force , Dr Jimlas Ogunsakin,who led the operation,explained that the punitive action was necessary  as a result of the growing level of positive cases  recorded in Ekiti
He  disclosed that the exercise is a routine one by the taskforce team to engage the communities on the need to prevent residents of the state against the third wave of the pandemic.
According to him,the state has recorded 300 fresh cases of the virus within one week, the development he said is  posing a great concern to the government and the people of the state.
He added:” We will continue the sensitisation to all local government areas within the state and ensure that people keep to the protocols.The government is not happy with the way the pandemic keep increasing by the day, most especially the third wave.The Governor , Dr Kayode Fayemi has given a matching order that we should embark on aggressive sensitisation and community engagement on the need to prevent further spread of the pandemic” .
Online Editor by — August 23, 2021 in News 0
Rivers Verdict:We’ re  Still In Charge Of VAT Collection-FIRS

VAT Collection: FIRS Urges Taxpayers To Ignore Rivers Court Judgment.
The Federal Inland Revenue Service(FIRS),says it is still in charge of collection of Value Added Tax in Nigeria.
It implored  taxpayers in the country to continue to pay their Value Added Tax (VAT) to the FIRS  failing which they would be slammed with requisite  penalties .
The  agency’s directive was sequel to  numerous enquiries to the Service in view of a recent judgment obtained by the Rivers State Government at the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, which ruled that states, and not the Federal Government, are constitutionally empowered to collect VAT.
Abdullahi Ismaila Ahmad, Director, Communications and Liaison Department of the agency, explained that since the Service has already appealed the Rivers judgment in which appeal it is seeking a stay of execution order, the status quo ante subsists on the VAT collection authority, hence taxpayers should continue to pay their VAT to the FIRS.
He made the clarification in a statement made available to PremiumNews
He said:“The attention of the Federal Inland Revenue Service(FIRS) has been drawn to the trending report that, on 19/08/2021, the Government of Rivers State took steps to enact a Value Added Tax Law for Rivers State following the judgment of the Federal High Court Port Harcourt Division on 9th August 2021 in Suit No: CS/149/2020.  The suit was about who has the constitutional duty for the collection of VAT and Personal income tax in Rivers State.
 “We wish to inform the general public that, before the above-mentioned steps taken by the Government of Rivers State, FIRS had lodged an appeal against the above judgment and had also filed an application for stay of execution of the Judgment as well asking the court for an injunction pending determination of the appeal.
“All parties to the suit are aware that both applications were heard on the 19th and 20th August 2021 and are awaiting the decision of the court.
“Given that the Court of Appeal is yet to rule on the Appeal from the Judgement of Federal High Court and that the Federal High Court is yet to deliver a ruling on FIRS’s applications for stay of execution and injunction, members of the public are advised to continue to comply with their Value Added Tax obligations until the matter is resolved by the appellate courts.”
Online Editor by — August 23, 2021 in News 0
Waste Agency Gets FCMB’s  N3bn Credit Line  

FCMB supports waste agency with N3bn credit line - Punch Newspapers
First City Monument Bank has opened  a N3bn credit line to the Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria in the state.
The credit line which was facilitated by the Lagos State Waste Management Agency would boost the working capital of private sector participants in waste collection, aggregation, and recycling.
The bank said the  credit is aimed at empowering the recipients to purchase modern equipment such as trucks and upskill their human resources for smooth and efficient waste management.
FCMB Managing Director, Mrs Yemisi Edun, expressed satisfaction with the initiative.
She said: “We are excited to provide loans to AWAMN members, with the support of LAWMA, to upscale their operations in order to safeguard the Lagos environment.FCMB recognises that a cleaner and more sustainable environment is key to building a better world for present and future generations.”
She commended  the waste agency  for striving to maintain the city’s sanitation standards to prevent the outbreak of diseases associated with poor waste management.
Speaking, the Regional Head, Lagos, FCMB, Mr Adelaja Adeleye, said efficient waste management needs capital intensive equipment without which AWAMN cannot perform optimally.
He added:“As a financial solutions provider of choice, we are bridging the financing gap in the waste management ecosystem in Lagos with this N3bn intervention fund.We are optimistic that it will improve the city’s waste management process, starting from collection, transportation and treatment to disposal.”
According to the  President of AWAMN, Mr David Oriyomi, the credit line would benefit operators and the state at large because waste managers could now access funds at a minimum interest rate.
He added that  there will be more trucks in the system and service delivery will be greatly enhanced due to improved access to funding.
“No matter how small the income or expected income, every member of AWAMN would have access to this credit facility. For this reason, Lagos residents should expect a more consistently cleaner Lagos.”
Over the years, FCMB had offered significant support to initiatives that ensured environmental protection and sustainability, the statement said.
It added that since 2016, the bank had consistently supported the Lagos State Government’s Cleaner Lagos Project to achieve a healthier environment.
Online Editor by — August 23, 2021 in Banking&Finance 0
How Inbound Traveller Flouted Lagos Coronvirus Law-Commissioner

COVID-19: 61% inbound travelers to Lagos untraceable in April — Abayomi - Vanguard News
The  Lagos state Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, has revealed how an international flouted a Coronavirus Law of the state.
He disclosed this at a news conference in Lagos
He said one Adesola Adeleke,  flew in from South Africa and  attempted to bypass the system established to safeguard the  citizens of the state.
He said  Adesola Adeleke originally arrived at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, MMIA, on July 25, 2021 alongside seven other passengers on Rwandan Airline in transit from South Africa at 1:30pm.
He said after the rigorous reconciliation of headcount at the Port Health Authority, it was discovered that six of the passengers, including Adeleke, could not be accounted for.
 He added:“Even though Adeleke had made the required payment for COVID tests and the mandatory isolation prior to leaving South Africa, she left the airport in Lagos knowing full well that she was contravening the law and her passport was retained by the Nigerian Port Health Authority”
According to him,on August 5, 2021, the Medical Director of the Mainland Hospital (Infectious Disease Hospital), Yaba, Dr. Abimbola Bowale reported that Adeleke who was now on an absconded list had returned because she could not retrieve her passport without fulfilling her obligation to quarantine at one of the designated hotels of her choice in Lagos.
He said  her payment was confirmed, and she was informed she had to continue her quarantine for the next 7 days before being released. This information was communicated to her, and she was also provided with a list of available isolation hotels.
The commissioner said she selected an option for her isolation, which only caters for accommodation without feeding. This was brought to her attention that feeding would be a separate arrangement with the hotel.
He added:“It is worthy of note that hotels that are utilized for the isolation of ‘Passengers of Interest’ (POIs) from the red listed countries also accommodate other guests on the condition that entire floors are dedicated to isolating these passengers without mixing with other guests. It is the responsibility of the passengers in quarantine to adhere to the laid down protocols or face the consequences of the law if otherwise.
“Adeleke’s day-two test was conducted on August 6, 2021 and the result came out negative, but her day seven test on the 14th was positive which required extension of her isolation. She argued that she could not have been positive and requested a repeat test. A new sample was done by the Lagos State Government at no cost to Adeleke, which was performed on August 16, 2021 and released on the 17th of August 2021. The repeat test returned positive.
“On August 17, the hotel management called our attention to a man at the facility, claiming to be Adeleke’s father, attempting to forcibly take her away, irrespective of her status. The hotel was asked to allow her to leave as they were being violent and creating a scene. Since this incident, Adeleke has made sensational news to avoid being penalized for her actions.
“In summary, she avoided initial isolation by absconding to Ibadan, despite being aware of the protocol and only returned to try and collect her passport.Following our investigations and evidence produced, her claims are totally false, and she would be made to face the consequences of the Coronavirus Law of 2021 based on the allegations that have been levelled against her in a court of law.
“We make bold to say that we are not deterred by this frivolous campaign to ridicule the Federal and State public laws targeted to mitigate the third wave of infections and halt the spread of COVID, particularly because the deadly new strains have the potential to cause massive sickness and death.
He vowed that the offender would be  prosecuted.
He added:“Severe sanctions await inbound travelers and passengers who flout the protocol of the Federal and State COVID pandemic law. Citizens need to realize that we are in the middle of a serious pandemic and that it is through shared responsibilities that we can overcome this pandemic. Residents are also encouraged to resist the urge of supporting passengers in defaulting the required protocols.”
Meanwhile, the Capital Market Support Committee for COVID-19 (CMSCC) has donated 2000 protective suits to the Lagos State Government to help battle the current third wave of COVID-19 pandemic in the state.
The CMSCC is a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) led committee, comprised of the capital market community and set up to galvanize the capital market ecosystem to play an active role in curbing the spread of COVID-19 in Nigeria.
 Chief Executive Officer of NASD and member of CMSCC, Mr. Bola Ajomale, while presenting the donation at the Ministry of Health, Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja Lagos commended the government’s sustained efforts to fighting the virus in the state.
“We thank God for continuous safety and for your team for protecting Lagos. CMSCC take the issue of fighting COVID-19 seriously and we believe that all stakeholders must work together to fight this pandemic. We are donating these 2000 protective suites to continue our commitment and collaboration with the Lagos State to fight the scourge,” he said.
Ajomale noted that CMSCC had in the past donated ambulance and other protective devices to Lagos State Government to support fight against COVID-19.
The commissioner for Health, Lagos state, professor Akin Abayomi, while receiving the donation, lauded the efforts of CMSCC  and other private sector organisations for the way they have rallied around the government with their support in the fight against this pandemic.
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He observed that the donation of the protective suites will go down very well with health workers because they are personal protective equipment for the people in the frontlines, saying “this is something that we appreciate.”
Zonal coordinator Securities and Exchange Commission, Ben Adams and the Team lead, Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility, Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX), Mr. Olude Onajin were among the dignitaries that witnessed the donation.
Online Editor by — August 23, 2021 in News 0
How To Stop Looming Food Crisis In Nigeria-Farmers

I've Abandoned My Farm For Two Years, Lost N72m To Insecurity In The Process – Nigerian Farmers' President | Sahara Reporters
Arc Kabir Ibrahim, National President of
All Farmers Association of Nigeria(AFAN) has  offered suggestions on how Nigeria can stop the impending food crisis.
He  advised the Federal Government to revive the  National Food Reserve Agency(NFRA), Guaranteed Minimum Price(GMP) and restock the Strategic Grains Reserve(SGR) as part of measures to stem the looming food crisis and reduce the current skyrocketing prices of food items in the markets.
He also advocated the need for  the Federal Government to restock the Strategic Grains Reserve between October- November, 2021, when the new harvest will start entering the traditional food markets.
He said: “The looming distortotion in the food system by skyrocketing prices of food items can be tamed by taking decisive action in  eight weeks when the new harvest will start entering our traditional food markets such as Dawanau, Saminaka, Giwa, Dandume, Scheme and several others across the country.
According to him,last week had witnessed a marginal drop in food prices due to the fact that early maturing crops have started hitting the market, adding that the trend would likely to continue until it reaches a crescendo at the end of September and mid-October.
He added that:”The right time to intervene by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development through the SGR is at this point by resuscitating the GMP and transparently placing supply contracts.We must set up a separate produce purchasing committee comprising upright individuals to work with the SGR to transparently perform this exercise.
“The SGR should be freed from any encumbrance occasioned by the  concession done in 2016/17/18 which left it with a mere 400,000 storage capacity out of its bandied 1.3million capacity attained between 2008/2010. Whatever is strategically reserved can then be released in the first and Second quarters of 2022 to mitigate any inflationary trends and this intervention can be done again during the same period in the last quarter of 2022 for  the year 2023!
“The farmers will get a good price to be able to sustainably produce, the consumers will have fairly affordable prices and Nigeria will ultimately have sustainable food sufficiency and the much desired food security to bring about sustainable development which will eventually lead to attainment of the 17 SDG goals in the medium term as well as the ultimate Agenda 2050”
He said   these measures could be actualized through the harmonisation of all the initiatives by the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN), National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA), Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) and all cross-cutting efforts like the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative,Food Security Council and National Economic Council, among others in the agriculture space.
He implored   President Muhammadu Buhari to assent to the NFRA and NADF Bills being processed by NASS as soon as they are presented,just as he advised him to re-appraise the FMARD by appointing competent persons to drive it as well as appoint a Special Adviser,who knows what to do,on food security to work directly with the Food Security Council.
He  lauded the incumbent administration for taken  bold initiatives  to make agriculture work in Nigeria, stressing that the CBN’s Anchor Borrower Programme, the assent to several bills such as the Seed Act 2019, the Plant Variety Protection Act 2021 among others were giant strides taken by the administration.
He said:”The obvious threat factor to the attainment of food sufficiency, however for now, is probity, competence and knowing what to do in the management of the entire food system and this calls for reinvigorating it by appointing capable and competent hands with integrity”.
He acknowledged that there are many challenges in the global food system occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic, insecurity and climate change among a myriad of threats against the attainment of Global Food Security.
Online Editor by — August 23, 2021 in Agriculture 0
Fuel Price Increase  Will Have Human Face-PPPRA

The Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency(PPPRA),has said that  the looming
petrol price would be adjusted in a way that it would not cause hardship on consumers in the country.
The Executive Secretary, PPPRA, Abdulkadir Saidu, disclosed this in a statement ,saying
 the Petroleum Industry Act had signaled the full deregulation of the downstream oil sector.
The negotiations between the Federal Government and labour would minimise the effect of subsidy removal upon full deregulation of the sector,he said.
He  added:“There is no gainsaying that the PIA signals the implementation of full deregulation of the downstream sector.However, it remains worthy of note that the PIA does not automatically translate to any immediate increase in the price of PMS.The current price will remain until negotiations with organised labour, which will develop a feasible framework that minimises the impact of a market-based pricing policy on the masses, is concluded.”
He said the  Petroleum Industry Law  had provided legal, governance, regulatory and fiscal framework for the Nigerian petroleum industry, the development of host communities and related matters,stressing that it marked the beginning of a new era in the growth and development of the entire oil and gas industry.
He maintained that delivering on the promise to create an environment with a transparent, clear and robust legal and regulatory regime is sure to open up new vistas in the oil and gas industry, and the Nigerian economy.
According to him,the implementation of the PIA would provide a more consistent standard of operations and ensure less cumbersome regulatory control of the industry, among other gains.
He added: “The PPPRA especially commends the Federal Government for taking the bold step at resolving longstanding hitches such as the issue of overlapping functions in the regulation of the sector.”
Online Editor by — August 23, 2021 in Oil&Gas 0
Bakers Consider Hike In Bread Price

Bread Price Hike Looms As Bakers Decry Flour Cost
Bakers in the country may double the price of loaves on a country of increasing rates of flour,according to the President of the Bakers Association of Nigeria, Daud Suleiman.
He spoke at a stakeholders meeting in Lagos,where he said he lamented the price of flour had doubled in the last seven months without any basis for the adjustment.
According to him,the price of a bag of flour was N10,300 in January,  stressing  that as of last week, flour was being sold for over N20,000.
He added:“The millers always blame  the hike in price on the dollar-naira exchange rate. But most of them have silos and storage capacity that can sustain them for six months. But as soon as there is a little slide in the exchange rate, they increase their prices.They should tell us; do they import every day? At least, if you have your storage, when you exhaust that one, you then buy another one and increase. But in a single month, they can inflate the price of flour three times.”
He said millers are cheating Nigerians because the prices of bread in Gambia and other neighbouring countries  were relatively cheaper than Nigeria,adding that the quality
 of flour in those countries were also superior to what was being supplied in the country.
He stated :“Most of them don’t even have mills; they import. But in Nigeria, we have mills and ours are still more expensive. The bakers are at the mercy of the millers. The relationship is supposed to be mutually beneficial, but it is typically parasitic”.
He lamented that  bakers were using firewood instead of burners, to reduce costs even as he
implored  the Federal Government and Nigerians to prevail on millers to reduce the rates in the interest of the industry.
Also speaking,the  National Leader of the
group, Prince Jacob Adejorin, claimed  many bakers were also being  harassed by certain groups who did not want their views aired on the sorry state of the industry and the plight of workers therein.
He added:“Bakers are in debt and many have stopped working. Many of us are no longer in the business. Some have returned to their villages and others are riding tricycles just to survive. We are suffering in silence,” he added.
Online Editor by — August 23, 2021 in News 0