₦airaland Forum

ABIA GOVERNORSHIP: HOW UCHE OGAH WON



By Chukwuemeka Ezeche

On 27 June 2016, the Federal High Court, Abuja ruled on a two year old case instituted by Mr Uche Ogah in 2014 which was based on the fact that Mr. Okezie Ikpeazu never qualified to run in the 2014 gubernatorial primaries of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) because he (Ikpeazu) failed to pay his taxes as required by law.



In his judgment, Okon Abang ordered the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately issue a certificate of return to Mr. Uche Oga as Governor-elect, a directive which INEC has complied with.



While the landmark judgment and victory of Uche Ogah is based on unassailable facts, the Ikpeazu camp have embarked on an orchestrated campaign of misinformation and outright lies.



The clear objective of the Ikpeazu campaign is to deceive Abia people and the Nigerian populace, curry unmerited public goodwill by posing as a “victim” and sabotage the just, balanced and valid judgment of an appropriate court.



The Ikpeazu camp has also procured a tainted court order for stay of execution which has rightly been condemned by respected luminaries such as Olisa Agbakoba SAN for being a travesty of the law and justice.



This intervention is aimed at setting the records straight and to explain in very clear terms - based on the history and facts of the court case - why the victory of Uche Oga is valid and not a hurriedly executed legal ambush for the acquisition of political power as being insinuated by some persons.



OGAH’S VICTORY IS A TWO YEAR-OLD PRE-ELECTION CASE, NOT AN AMBUSH



The Ogah victory is not a recent one. It was instituted two years ago. Uche Oga had filed the case at the Federal High Court against Ikpeazu in 2014 questioning Ikpeazu’s eligibility to participate in the PDP gubernatorial primaries on the basis that he failed to pay his taxes as required by law.



Knowing that the facts were not in his favor, the Ikpeazu team tried to frustrate the case through frivolous legal antics. For example, they tried to ensure that the case was not tried in Abia for obvious reasons. They queried the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court to hear the case. This process went to the Appeal Court and the Supreme Court eventually ruled that the Federal High Court had the jurisdiction to treat the matter.



When this antic failed, the Ikpeazu team questioned the integrity of the Federal High Court judge assigned to the case, Justice Ademola whom they alleged was compromised and biased against them. The Judge was eventually changed and replaced with Justice Okon Abang at their instance. It is this same Judge that eventually delivered the judgment against Ikpeazu.



Ogah’s victory is clear proof that Ikpeazu is guilty of tax evasion – a serious crime against the state – which disqualified him from contesting for the office of Governor. It is a victory that all lovers of democracy should celebrate. A man who does not pay his taxes does not have the moral or legal right to manage the proceeds of tax paid by law abiding citizens for the collective good of the state as Governor. Ikpeazu’s guilt raises a fundamental issue of his personal integrity which the law has finally dealt with.



It is therefore clear that contrary to the impression being given by the Ikpeazu camp, this case is far from an ambush. It is strongly anchored on facts and the refusal of Ikpeazu to respond to the core issues and his resort to propaganda speaks volumes.



If Ikpeazu is convinced about the rightness of his cause, he should do what Peter Obi did: vacate the seat, plead his case in a court of law and when granted victory come back rather than the resort to propaganda.



WHO IS UCHE OGAH?

Uche Ogah as those who know him can attest is a quiet man. But anyone familiar with his exploits in business and industry will confirm his accomplishments are loud. He is one of the highest achieving entrepreneurs and industrialist of his generation. He is currently the President of Master Energy Group – a conglomerate with workforce of about 42, 000 with interests in oil & gas, banking, insurance, aviation, shipping, dredging, logistics, construction, travel services, and power.





Beyond his track record in business, his record in transformational philanthropy and his positive impact on the lives of individuals and communities all bear eloquent testimonies to his humanity.



He is passionate about Abia and wants to bring real change to the state. Uche Ogah is a fully accomplished and financially comfortable individual who is not in the race for the money. Rather he sees involvement in politics as an opportunity to have more solid and sustainable impact on Abia. In the coming days Abians will get a full flavor of his plans.



The law has spoken. Justice is on the side of Uche Ogah. His record is clear. His passion for Abia cannot be hidden. For the sake of Abians, Abia youths and the generations unborn, Abians should support this worthy, humble achiever.



Chukwuemeka Ezeche is a member of the ABIA United for Excellence Forum

Mimi Adzape-Orubibi, Chairman Benue Internal Revenue Services (BIRS)

In line with the mandate and vision of the Benue State Governor, Dr. Samuel Ortom to ramp up internal revenues so as to reduce dependency on Abuja allocations, the Chairman of the state’s tax agency, Mimi-Adzape Orubibi has in six months - since assuming office - implemented a series of bold, precise and targeted tax reforms that are fast redefining the structure of tax administration in Benue while remarkably raising prospects for enhanced internal revenue generation.

Now, taxes are levied by states on their citizens and businesses to raise funds for the provision of public works and services. In Nigeria, each state has the potential to fund its budget from its internally generated revenues. Regrettably, Benue, like most states in Nigeria has over the years operated a very broken, lax and ineffective internal revenue generating that contributes less than ten percent to the annual state’s budget. Years of easy oil money from Abuja coupled with a succession of wasteful and visionless leaderships that lacked innovation and creativity did little to deepen and strengthen the state’s tax administration system.

Today, the consequences of the years of waste, lack of planning for the future have come round to haunt the state and the administration of Governor Ortom. With no savings from the golden era of oil prices; burdened by a choking inherited debt profile of over 90billion and with the over 60 percent fall in federal allocation due to falling price of oil that accounts for over 90 percent of its revenues, Benue has found itself in an acutely strained financial situation where it is battling to meet recurrent expenditure, talk less of embarking on developmental projects.

Although the challenges remain and will take some time to clear, Mrs. Mimi Adzape-Orubibi, the elegant and passionate first female boss of the state’s tax agency appears set to transform from potential to reality the capacity of the state’s tax administration system to contribute significantly to the revenue profile of Benue state. She has in her initial actions shown clarity of vision, a good understanding of what needs to be done and daily goes about her work with a passionate commitment to make a difference by reforming and repositioning the state’s tax system as a key alternative source of revenue.

Determined to meet Governor Ortom’s target to raise internally generated revenues from an average of N230 million to N1.5billion, Orubibi has with the active support of the Governor introduced unprecedented tax reforms that have the potential to reset the revenue structure of the state. If sustained and deepened within the next three years of the Ortom-led administration, they would in the very least, balance, if not reverse the lopsided trend that is now in favor of federal allocation.

Some of these reforms include the historic introduction of an electronic payment system to block systemic revenue leakages, boost transparency and accountability to the people.

Under this new system, tax collection agents now use networked Point of Sale (PoS) machines to issue receipts for all taxes collected and all revenue generating points in the state. The payment system is intelligently designed to remotely track - using an embedded sim card that is connected to a telecom network - and record each transaction made on the device. This provision makes it near fool-proof to fraudulent manipulation by unscrupulous tax agents. Since its implementation in some pilot locations like Makurdi, the electronic payment system has helped to substantially close avenues for revenue leakages like cloning of tax receipts and non-declaration of taxes by revenue agents close.

This bold move is very significant to the state’s plans to maintain a tight rein on monies collected and is helping to significantly boost tax collection efforts in Benue. It is estimated by tax experts that the state was losing over seventy percent of collected revenues due to the systemic vulnerabilities of the previous manual system of tax collection.

Commenting on this development, Mr. Tavershima Abutu, a tax consultant familiar with the challenges facing the Benue tax system said, “The new changes that the new Chairman of BIRS is implementing are very good for the Benue state government. They will close most of the loopholes that existed in the system and reduce cases of fraud that were so prevalent. If she is allowed to fully implement and consolidate, people will be surprised at how much she will be able to realize as internally generated revenue”.

Furthermore, Orubibi has widened the tax bracket to include individuals and businesses in the informal sector. Those within this group include traders and market women, cab drivers, Okada Riders, Barber shops and other small businesses.

To lessen the burden of one-time payment for this group of small entrepreneurs’, Orubibi has introduced a convenient, pocket-friendly and innovative daily tax payment plan called ‘Pay Small-Small”. This plan allows tax payers to pay as low as N50/per day in staggered payments over an extended period of time.



The widening of the tax bracket to include the informal sector is very significant because the informal sector – although loose, scattered and not really organized – when put together represents a very huge untapped source of revenues for the government. It is roughly estimated that over seventy percent of taxable individuals and businesses within the informal sector in Benue are currently not captured in the tax net. Before now, majority of revenues came from the formal sector through the Pay As You Earn (PAYE) tax system that is tied to workers’ salaries. The new focus on the informal sector is a good thing because the population of the business community, artisans, traders, small scale businesses within this category far outstrips that of workers.

Relatedly, Orubibi in spite of strong opposition by vested political interests who profit from the disorder, pushed strongly and with the committed political support of Governor Ortom ensured the closure of all revenue accounts previously opened and arbitrarily maintained by Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in different banks across the state.

Today, Benue state that had a multiplicity of over a hundred accounts with different banks, for the first time in decades maintains a single consolidated revenue account. This makes for better planning, monitoring and gives the Governor, and other relevant government staff a real time snapshot of its revenues. Also, it closes all the systemic loopholes that were exploited by unscrupulous government officials in the past to defraud the government.

Orubibi’s aggressive tax reforms have not gone on unchallenged. There have been protests from sections of the informal sector like the Okada riders and sections of small businesses. And this is understandable. The laxity and corruption associated with past administrations has created a general state of lack of confidence in governance, ignorance and apathy towards paying taxes by citizens. Also Benue state’s economy is a largely driven by the civil service and delays in payment of salaries by Government has led to a general slowdown in economic activities. All these factors coupled with the fact that people generally are wired to resist change are probable reasons for the pockets of protests. However, as citizens get to see the results of the taxes they are paying, the protests and resistance are most likely going to fade away.

With the series of reforms so far recorded by Orubibi, it is fair to say that she has put her best foot forward and no doubt done well. Ironically, many people did not give a long shot at success when the Governor Ortom saw her as a good fit to deliver on his vision for the agency and appointed her in September 2015. This was in spite of her job related academic qualifications which include a B. Sc in Economics from the prestigious Ahmadu Bello University Zaria and an MBA in Finance from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi in addition to several years of hands-on multi departmental experience at the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

Rather than give into the initial apprehensions about her capacity, and experience in leading tax reforms, Orubibi took the criticism in her stride and has stayed focused on meeting her mandate which is to provide the financial cushion for Benue state as it rides the financial storms occasioned by the drastic reduction in federal allocation. Today, it is evident to even her critics that she does not only have the technical expertise and capacity to deliver on her mandate but that she has a workable plan and the right dose of courage and determination to make deep changes to the state’s tax system. She has also proven that she has the boldness to take on vested interest and also possess the political sagacity to successfully navigate the treacherous Benue political waters.

To conclude, though one cannot say that all is done since she has been there for only six months, it is fair from Orubibi’s initial actions that she has taken off on a good note. To those like me, who have kept a close watch at the career of Orubibi and her stellar performance on the new job so far, it has been a confirmation of my confidence in her abilities to deliver on her mandate.

Written by: Moses T. Anom. A Public Analyst based in Makurdi

1234pdp good stuffs

Haven't been a keen observer of the official APC & PDP Twitter handles, i quickly observed that the team running the @pdpmediaroom247 handle out best the @apcnigeria guys.

Firstly, i observed that the both handles follow themselves, but the PDP guys are quick to catch any messy detail coming out off the Apc handle and they are quick to respond and post its views which i must say have been so effective because they quickly back it up with graphics that eventually end up viral even on BBM and other feeds. Clearly the best brains appear to me to be more in one direction than the other.

Bellow are just a few i gathered between last week and this morning. See for yourself.

thank God say na saibab a u talk.

munex007:
OP so a 19th century Train that was use during Jaja of Opobo era is called transformation in the modern era when even Country like Ethopia is using Speed trains..

These PDP sha there Love for Mediocrity..well we deserve better and we want CHange


#Saibab a

DO YOU AGREE?

1. Amaechi braiding hair in a salon? for real? that sure didn't get i trust.
2. Rochas roasting corn? hmmm! nice move but that is so obviously desperate Sir. when last did you visit the poor?
3. Buhari's wife frying Akara? AHAHAHAHAHAHA somebody buy me some when the elections are over.
4. Oshiomhole buying Kpekere? ok first of all, the person he is buying from is a kid and should be in school not selling Kpekere but just to prove something the man goofs again.
@dynastydollar

THIS PIX WILL EXPOSE YOU TO A BRIEF SKELETAL STRUCTURE OF PGEJ SO FAR....
@dynastydollar on twitter.....

1. Buhari & Co caught flexing in GEJ Train.
2. The Fashiola's aide that raised a PDP banner in a Lagos APC rally.
3. The APC official handle tweet calling Tinubu & Buhari thieves.
4. A good photo describing the thieves.......


@dynastydollar

Its quite sad that Linda Ikeji has also degenerated to cheap black mails like the APC and their stupid propaganda machine. She posted a photo grabbed Pics from @pdpmediaroom247 tweet which had a comment attached to the photo that reads,

"Take a good look @ Tinubu, he looks like he's seeking a hiding place. lol. His sins are fast closing in on him".

But, when it appeared on linda ikeji's blog, it showed just a pix and every attempt by people who knew the true story to comment on the blog has been unfruitful as her blog now requires Admin approval to posts comments but pro-APC comments have been featured over and over again.

Linda, now i know why your boyfriend left you for a younger girl. [SEE ALL PHOTOS BELLOW]:

PIX OF #GEJVISION

Stories of Buhari’s health status have continued to resonate across the media, earnestly fueled by similar turn of events in 2011 when Umaru Musa Yar Adua of blessed memory had same cloud of uncertainty surrounding his whereabouts. Now that Buhari is yet to be seen publicly in Nigeria, UK or any part of the world, the pertinent question would be; was he actually on a “working visit” as indicated by his party, or is Gov. Ayo Fayose correct in his assertion that Buhari was critically ill and was receiving medical treatment? No Presidential candidate on working visit in UK, would escape the close attention of the paparazzi or any of the numerous media outlets. That Buhari was nowhere to be seen for 7days prior to 26th February and has not been seen anywhere else since then, leaves one with the impression that he could actually have spent time in the hospital and could still be recuperating.
That the whereabouts or activities of a major Presidential candidate would be shrouded in so much secrecy should be enough to leave any unbiased observer serious food for thoughts. If Buhari is not confined to a hospital bed, then where is he? Who is he meeting? What are these secret meetings about? Since obviously non of these meetings are in public domain. Who are these key political figures and institutions and what are their interests in Nigeria? What interests do they represent? What are their affiliations and what do these portend for our democracy? Are these figures pulling the strings from behind the curtain and what do they hope to gain? What concessions have the opposition party and its candidate bartered with these vested foreign interests? These are questions Nigerians ought to be asking at this critical time. Where is General Buhari and what has he been up to 3weeks to the Presidential election? Is another Yar Adua saga confronting Nigeria? Questions! Questions and Questions!!! Where is the transparency? If the public cannot keep track of the whereabouts of Buhari on his working visit, then we haven’t be told the full story of this UK visit.

for quick talks, follow @dynastydollar

I am not surprised ooo. I know say all this noise APC they make na shakara. dem must loose. #GEJ4Naija.