₦airaland Forum

Strong indications have emerged that the recent protest by the Ikeja branch of Nigerian Bar Association was politically motivated.
This is because of recent findings that link major actors of the protest to the national legal adviser of APC, Dr. Muiz Banire who funded their activities with loads of money to print t-shirts, posters, fliers e.t.c and oil the pockets of the executives.
Investigations have revealed that the association was allegedly hijacked by supporters of the National Legal Adviser who has been in a running battle with his mentor Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and the leadership of the APC in Lagos state.
Those in the know say many known supporters of the embittered legal Adviser were spotted in the recent march actively participating under the disguise of protesting against the Land Use Charge.
In another development, the lawyer protesters who have been severally linked as sympathizers of a former governor in Lagos State boasted that their agenda is to dent Amode’s image and popularity under the smokescreen of populist fight against the amended law of land use charge by making Lagos ungovernable for Ambode.
It would be recalled that in a rather display of comedy of errors, some group of lawyers, from Ikeja Branch,out of the five branches in Lagos State marched from Ikeja Roundabout to the Lagos State House of Assembly to protest the review of the state’s Land Use Charge (LUC) on Tuesday 13thMarch 2018.While is their democratic right to express their concerns or grievances on any policy, it is shameful when such agitation is jaundiced with political machinations and mischief.
Interestingly and in a curious twist of events, these ‘champions’ have been shown to be tax evaders, or at best have been grossly under-paying for their properties. This has been revealed in an exclusive document obtained from the Lagos Internal Revenue Service (LIRS). For instance, the Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Ikeja Branch, Barrister Adesina Ademola, Ogunlana, who led the protest pays a paltry pay-as-you-earn tax of N5,000 per annum. Same goes for the vice-chairman,Carol Ibharuneafe who also pays N5,000 annually as tax. More shocking is the revelation that the likes of the NBA Branch Secretary,Muna Esegine, the Treasurer, Coco-Bassey Thelma, the Social Secretary, Jemerigbe Eyinmofe and the Welfare Officer, Tanimowo Oluranti were not paying taxes as at 2009 as revealed by the same exclusive document! Others who paid taxes that cannot equate to liveable status are the Assistant Secretary, Adedokun Issa Akanji (N1,250), and the Publicity Secretary, Akinwale Ajibola (N15,000).
This sad and sordid scenario throws up some burning questions. Do these gentlemen of the bar stand on any high moral ground to hold protests against a government that means well for the good people of Lagos State? NO!
Truth be told, tax payment is an internationally agreed sustainable source of revenue generation. Anyone that does not support it certainly does not mean well for the state in particular, and Nigeria at large.

Nigeria

themomentng:
Strong indications have emerged that the recent protest by the Ikeja branch of Nigerian Bar Association was politically motivated.
This is because of recent findings that link major actors of the protest to the national legal adviser of APC, Dr. Muiz Banire who funded their activities with loads of money to print t-shirts, posters, fliers e.t.c and oil the pockets of the executives.
Investigations have revealed that the association was allegedly hijacked by supporters of the National Legal Adviser who has been in a running battle with his mentor Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and the leadership of the APC in Lagos state.
Those in the know say many known supporters of the embittered legal Adviser were spotted in the recent march actively participating under the disguise of protesting against the Land Use Charge.
In another development, the lawyer protesters who have been severally linked as sympathizers of a former governor in Lagos State boasted that their agenda is to dent Amode’s image and popularity under the smokescreen of populist fight against the amended law of land use charge by making Lagos ungovernable for Ambode.
It would be recalled that in a rather display of comedy of errors, some group of lawyers, from Ikeja Branch,out of the five branches in Lagos State marched from Ikeja Roundabout to the Lagos State House of Assembly to protest the review of the state’s Land Use Charge (LUC) on Tuesday 13thMarch 2018.While is their democratic right to express their concerns or grievances on any policy, it is shameful when such agitation is jaundiced with political machinations and mischief.
Interestingly and in a curious twist of events, these ‘champions’ have been shown to be tax evaders, or at best have been grossly under-paying for their properties. This has been revealed in an exclusive document obtained from the Lagos Internal Revenue Service (LIRS). For instance, the Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Ikeja Branch, Barrister Adesina Ademola, Ogunlana, who led the protest pays a paltry pay-as-you-earn tax of N5,000 per annum. Same goes for the vice-chairman,Carol Ibharuneafe who also pays N5,000 annually as tax. More shocking is the revelation that the likes of the NBA Branch Secretary,Muna Esegine, the Treasurer, Coco-Bassey Thelma, the Social Secretary, Jemerigbe Eyinmofe and the Welfare Officer, Tanimowo Oluranti were not paying taxes as at 2009 as revealed by the same exclusive document! Others who paid taxes that cannot equate to liveable status are the Assistant Secretary, Adedokun Issa Akanji (N1,250), and the Publicity Secretary, Akinwale Ajibola (N15,000).
This sad and sordid scenario throws up some burning questions. Do these gentlemen of the bar stand on any high moral ground to hold protests against a government that means well for the good people of Lagos State? NO!
Truth be told, tax payment is an internationally agreed sustainable source of revenue generation. Anyone that does not support it certainly does not mean well for the state in particular, and Nigeria at large.

Are Ambode's people saying that lawyers do not have a right to protest? This uncaring, insensitive govt jacked up Land Use Charges by over 400%, and is still saying that people do not have the right to protest against such arbitrary exploitative charges? What is all dis for goodness sake?

Ambode's people are now making noise about moral ground ....ask them first, if govt has any moral ground to raise LUC by over 400% in a society where wages have been stagnant, the country has been in recession, companies have laid off workers, and the numbers of the unemployed, keep increasing by the day? Ambode should just answer this question: does he expect Lagos landlords to steal, to pay this new increase in LUC rates?

May ship together with a speed train jam Tinubu for inside his bourdilon house for ikoyi .... It shall not be well with him