The Apc Presidential Candidate Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has arrived in Dutse, Jigawa state for the Presidential Campaign Rally. He is welcomed by top party officials in Jigawa State
Festus Keyamo, spokesperson of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has taken a swipe at Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), over a comment credited to him.
While speaking on Wednesday at a town hall meeting with stakeholders and members of the party in Abeokuta, Atiku promised to give contracts and appointments to those who win their polling units for the PDP.
“If I am president, if you come and say you want a job or you want a contract, I will ask you to let me have the result of your polling booth and that is what I am going to direct to everybody because unless we do that, we will not win the elections,” Abubakar had said.
“You cannot be following the governor to all the places or the senator to all the places and then you don’t win your polling booth and you come and say you want to be a minister or you want to get this contract.”
Reacting to the comments, Keyamo, in a tweet, said the former vice-president has forgotten that the public procurement act stipulates how contracts are awarded.
“#Atikugate. A leopard cannot change its skin,” the minister of state for labour said.
“He is already promising contracts to political allies, forgetting that there is a law called the Public Procurement Act. Mr. SPV!”
The Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu @officialABAT today unfolded his comprehensive economic plan before the organised private sector under the aegis of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group.
Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin @RotimiAkeredolu, Hon. Dr. Abike Dabiri-Erewa OON, Otunba Iyiola Omisore and Ondo Deputy Gov @LuckyAiyedatiwa inspecting the M.K.O Abiola Democracy Park, Akure ahead of #AsiwajuInOndo holding in Akure today 6th January, 2023.
The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) said taxpayers can now get their Tax Clearance Certificate in a single click via its flagship Taxpro Max solution.
This was disclosed in a statement signed by Mr Johannes Oluwatobi Wojuola, a Special Assistant to the Executive Chairman of the FIRS, Mr Muhammad Nami.
It stated that the generation of Tax Clearance Certificates, which used to be issued within two weeks, would now be available with a single click by the taxpayer.
The TaxPro Max, a tax administration solution introduced by the apex tax authority in June 2021, is a one-stop shop for taxpayer registration, tax returns filing, tax payment, and tax clearance certificate requesting, among other functionalities.
The service stated that the instant tax clearance system is on the heels of wide-scale technological reforms that the service has embarked on as part of the effort to achieve a hundred per cent automation of its tax administration functions.
The Executive Chairman of the FIRS, while commenting on the development, explained that this functionality was in line with the objectives of the service to make the lives of taxpayers easier and ensure the ease of doing business in the country.
According to him, one of the core objectives of tax service is to build a customer-centric institution.
The statement said, “That means an institution that has the customer at the heart of its innovations and solutions. It is for this reason that we have tuned the operations of our TaxPro Max solution to be able to deliver Tax Clearance Certificates in the shortest possible time to taxpayers.
“At the click of a button, a taxpayer will get their Tax Clearance Certificates, as long as they have no outstanding liabilities.
“This would impact in no small measure on the Ease of Doing Business in Nigeria.”
Mr Nami also stated that the taxpayer could only generate their Tax Clearance Certificates on the TaxPro Max platform when they did not owe any liabilities, among other conditions set out for the use of the platform.
He noted that this innovation was aimed at appreciating taxpayers for their trust and contributions to national development, stating that the Service would continue to come up with innovative solutions that would make the taxpayers’ lives easier.
Mr Nami also implored governments at all levels to continue to give taxpayers value for their money whilst also urging taxpayers to trust in the government.
Recall that Business Post had recently reported that the Finance Bill 2022, once signed by President Muhammadu Buhari, will see the FIRS become Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS).
The year 2022 has been an eventful one. As we close out on all activities of the year and look forward to a new one, it is important that we begin to envisage what the new year portends and be better prepared. The outgoing year has been marked with some remarkable incidences: President Muhammadu Buhari signed the Electoral Act 2022, the CBN issued a string of controversial announcements, the Nigerian government plans to wean off the subsidy regime starting next year, and 5G made it to Nigeria; however, rollouts have been slow.
These and many more are the highlights that shaped 2022, but in this article, we will be focusing on major events that have been projected to shape Nigeria in 2023.
General Elections
The upcoming general election in February 2023 will be Nigeria’s seventh democratic election. It has been recognized as one of the most significant electoral events in the country’s history of elections as there are more candidates contesting for the presidential seat, with more Nigerians becoming politically aware and involved.
And in a historic move, Nigeria will be transmitting its election results electronically for the first time in the upcoming elections, as is contained in the Electoral Act 2022, that promises of a credible election. Political analysts have praised the signing of the Act, as it foretells a more transparent electoral system to allow for the smooth running of the country’s democratic processes. The outcome of the elections will, in no small measure, determine the extent of the economic growth of the country.
CBN’s Domestic Card
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had announced plans to develop a National domestic card scheme which it expects to take off in January 2023. Among its reasons for the card scheme launch, the CBN listed financial inclusion, consumers’ data sovereignty and Enabling banks to offer differentiated products and services.
The big question, however, is, does the CBN need to launch a domestic card to achieve these? Currently, in Nigeria, there are existing local and international card schemes that are meeting these needs already. These card schemes, notably Mastercard, Visa, and Verve cards, are enabling banks to offer enough differentiated products and services, among other card payment benefits.
The Verve card particularly is a Nigerian home-grown domestic card scheme and one of Africa’s most successful indigenous payment cards. It has grown its value proposition and market base to be accepted in over 180 countries and issued in countries across Africa, providing secure and ubiquitous payment options.
Not only are these card schemes delivering on the goals of the proposed domestic card scheme, telecommunication operators, Payment Service Banks (PSBs), Fintechs, Commercial banks, and Microfinance banks are playing in this space to create a more financially inclusive, data secure, and product differentiated payment ecosystem.
Another question the CBN will be forced to answer in the new year while launching its domestic card is the ethical question of fairness. Will the CBN be playing fair now that the regulator has also become a player? There has been widespread concern over the ethical disposition of this move. Experts believe the CBN will want to coerce the banks and even Nigerians (cardholders) to subscribe to the government-owned card.
CBN’s entry into the card business; experts project it will effectively crowd out competition and directly compete with homegrown cards as well as other international card companies. They further suggest that instead of playing in the field, the apex bank should remain in its role as a regulator while providing institutional support for existing players, ensuring that they meet the set standards for the benefit of the domestic economy. 2023 will decide.
Slow Economic Growth
The World Bank adjusted its projection for Nigeria’s economic growth for 2023 from 3.3 per cent to 3.2 per cent. The global financial institution noted that the slow growth would be propped by an increase in private consumption, which will be driven by subsiding inflationary pressures.
2022 saw Nigeria record its highest inflation figure since 2005 at 21.15 per cent. This inflation was majorly instigated by; disruptions in the food distribution network resulting from insecurity, high importation costs, currency depreciation, and a bump in the cost of production.
As the new year unveils, keen expectations will be for the government, through the CBN, to be more intentional about its fiscal and monetary policies and proffer business-friendly initiatives that will help tackle the challenges affecting macroeconomic growth.
5G Rollout
It’s the era of the 5th generation mobile network, which sets to drive faster and enhanced communication. As of June 2022, about 70 countries have deployed the 5G technology, with projections that more users will be onboarded. Earlier this year, Nigerians joined the list of 5G users after an auction process was announced by the National Communication Commission (NCC) for the 3.5GHz 5G spectrum.
With this, the NCC will enable licensed operators with existing infrastructure to provide 5G services to Nigerians while providing a regulatory framework that will guide these providers of the 5G network on how to protect users.
Although the rollout is not as extensive yet, experts believe the technology holds a trove of benefits for Nigerians, both individuals and businesses. It is expected that the adoption of this technology will increase opportunities and throw up new businesses with the evolution of blockchain in 2023, which will determine just how much work needs to be done to ensure that advanced technologies are accessible to more Nigerians.
2023, as with any election year, holds a lot of uncertainties, but the hope is that the theme of collaboration endures. Collaboration between the government and private sector players, and collaboration between the government and the citizens to create a robust and efficient economy.
Growth in the Oil Sector
As Europe completely wane itself off the Russian energy and the promises the recently passed Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) holds, Nigeria poses as a more attractive destination for foreign direct investment for oil and gas.
The government has recently redesigned its security strategy along the Niger Delta corridor to curb installation vandalization and oil theft. The new strategy of engaging the militants in addition to the military operations in the Niger Delta is expected to increase the daily oil production from 1.22m b/d towards the OPEC stipulated 1.7m b/d.
The government has also speculated it will be removing oil subsidies from its spending in the new year.
Other growth indicators in the oil sector include the recent commercialisation of the government-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, which will further liberalise the sector. The completed Dangote Refinery, with its 650,000 b/d is expected to meet Nigeria’s fuel requirement, provided domestic oil prices are cost-effective, and fuel imports are lowered.
With all these efficient components brought together; expected foreign investment, increased security, increased daily oil production, removal of oil subsidy and the take-off of the Dangote refinery- the oil sector is going to be a major contributor to the economy’s balance of payment.
The new year indeed looks viable; the supposition is that the key players, government, businesses, and individuals will take their roles assiduously and deliberately work towards making the new year a productive and prosperous one for all.
The front-running presidential candidate under the aegis of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, recently voiced out on the controversial issue of fuel subsidy removal.
Speaking to Freedom Radio from Saudi Arabia where he partook in the Umrah. Tinubu straightened out amongst other things during the interview, issues around his health, his campaign and the pace it is picking up.
Speaking on the need to remove the subsidy, he said, “I will ensure we end the wastage and re-channel the money to the people who truly need it.” He continued that this is not a political position but a commonsensical one, as almost all the candidates are united around it. “We all agreed that the subsidy regime is abused and it favours the rich more than the poor. It has to go.”
The presidential aspirant when asked about the protests that rocked the country over fuel scarcity and the partial removal of oil subsidies, said “I couldn’t have opposed people expressing their own position on this. I believe in consultation and guaranteed by democratic values and norms. I respect opinions of people and I would not be party to stifling dissenting views or any legitimate protest. I am a veteran of protests myself. So why should I say people should not embark on well-intentioned protest? There is no excuse for that and there is no abuse of power intended.”
Clearing the air on his engagement with the media and the people of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu said he has just finished a series of townhall meetings across the country and he continues to engage directly with the people.
When quizzed on his health, the presidential candidate said [b]“I told you where I am now. I just finished performing the the umrah. I did the seven rounds of tawaf, I did the seven trips between safa and Marwa by myself. Can a sick person do that? [/b]That is stale news, my brother. People who are making those insinuations have nothing else to say but lies and rubbish.”
PRESIDENT BUHARI READY TO CAMPAIGN FOR TINUBU AND ALL APC CANDIDATES WITH ENERGY AND CONVICTION
President Muhammadu Buhari assures the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidates in the elections next year that he is ready at all times to campaign for the Presidential Candidate and all party candidates with “full energy and conviction.”
This is to dispel expressed concerns in certain quarters that the President has not featured in campaigns since the national launch in Jos, Plateau State and to stress that while he remains committed to party politics, the functions and duties of the President will equally be upheld at times.
Speaking to the Nigerian community in Washington DC in the course of his recent visit to the United States, President Buhari stressed what he said all the time that he is ready to campaign for the party’s victory in the general elections next year.
The President noted that the APC campaigns have so far been the most aggressive in recent history. “They have been impressive and of a high voltage,” compared to the opposition that seems to be playing catch-up.
He expressed strong optimism that the party will win all the elections fairly and squarely.
Garba Shehu Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media & Publicity)
Politics › Re: More Pictures From APC Presidential Campaign Rally In Jigawa State by Estello(op): 6:15am On Jan 22, 2023
