₦airaland Forum

Vice President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, has disclosed that Nigeria stands a chance to smile in 2020, as economic outlook and indices portray hope of a brighter future.
Speaking at Inspiration Conference 2020, organised by Redeemer’s Men Fellowship, Lagos Region, last weekend, Osinbajo quoting a Newsweek Magazine article, tilted: “Africa’s first Super Power is coming sooner than you think,” identified Nigeria as that Super Power.

“The essential points made in that write up was despite Nigeria’s challenges, Nigeria is the last major open market on earth. We are at a point in our history where everything is working in our favour,” he said.

With the theme, ‘Galvanized for Geometric Growth,’ he noted that Microsoft for instance is setting up its Africa Centre in Nigeria, and other investors are going in the direction of incredible prospects that the country offers.

According to him, the insufficient 2.5 percent growth rate that is predicted by IMF for Nigeria economy in 2020, comes to about $10billion, just about the size of some of the economies which Nigeria is often compared with in Africa.

He said further that the Finance Act, the first of its kind since 1999, addresses the issue of domestic revenue mobilisation, which is taxation, and will also encourage ease of doing business and foster private sector growth.

Ösinbajo listed many sectors of the economy that are experiencing growth like the SMEs, manufacturing sector, the Creative industry, and Aviation.

https://guardian.ng/business-services/osinbajo-forecasts-economic-development-growth/

The presidency yesterday explained that the visa restriction placed on Nigerians was not a blanket ban, but applied only to those seeking to relocate to the United States of America on a permanent basis.

Presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, who gave this explanation said the restriction bordered on the suspension of the issuance of immigrant visas to Nigerian passport holders only.

On January 31, 2020, the United States (U.S) Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced temporary travel restrictions on six (6) countries including Nigeria.This suspension shall come into effect on February 21, 2020.

But according to Adesina, the suspension did not apply to other U.S visas such as those for official, business, tourism and student travel.

“The DHS states the suspension of “immigrant visas became necessary following a review and update of the methodology

(performance metrics) adopted by the U.S government to assess compliance of certain security criteria by foreign governments. This resulted in certain enhancements on how information is shared between Nigeria and the U.S.

”Nigeria remains committed to maintaining productive relations with the United States and its international allies especially on matters of global security.

“Accordingly, President Muhammadu Buhari, has established a committee, to be chaired by the minister of interior, to study and address the updated U.S. requirements. The committee would work with the U.S government, INTERPOL and other stakeholders to ensure all updates are properly implemented,” he stated.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has asked the US to reconsider its latest decision in order not to hurt ordinary Nigerians for the fault of their government.

Atiku said the current Nigerian administration may have its deficiencies and deep faults, but the Nigerian people ought not to be punished for their inefficiencies.

The former vice president who in a statement he personally signed, expressed sadness over the travel ban, called on US president, Donald

Trump, to consider adopting measures that individually target those in government who had failed in their duties, rather than target the entire Nigerian population.

While stressing that he understood the reason for the travel ban which is the failure of the Muhammadu Buhari – led administration to share information and to address issues of terrorism, Atiku underscored however that the ban did not take into account the pro-American sentiments of the Nigerian public and the solidarity previous Nigerian administrations have had with the United States.

“I urge the government of President Donald Trump to consider the history of US-Nigerian relationships. Nigeria was one of the few African nations that joined the US – led coalition during Operation Desert Storm in 1990-1991, when the United States championed the liberation of Kuwait.

“The Trump administration may also consider the pivotal role Nigeria, in partnership with the US, played in bringing peace to Liberia, an American sphere of influence, that now enjoys democracy because Nigerian blood and money paved the way for peace in that nation.

“Nigeria has also consistently voted in support of the United States and her allies at the United Nations and other multilateral world bodies. This is even as we are perhaps the biggest trading partner that the United States has in Africa, even where we had alternatives.

“Nigerians love the United States and have been a major force for the positive development of that great nation: 77 per cent of all black doctors in the United States are Nigerians. Nigerians are also the most educated immigrant community in America. Surely, the US stands to benefit if it allows open borders with a country like Nigeria that is able to provide skilled, hardworking and dedicated personnel in a two-way traffic.

“The current Nigerian administration may have its deficiencies and deep faults, but the Nigeria people ought not to be punished for their inefficiencies.

“Once again, I call on President Trump to consider adopting measures that individually target those in government who have failed in their duties, rather than target the entire Nigerian population,” Atiku noted.

US Sanctions: PDP Blames Buhari Presidency, APC

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday said Nigerians should hold the Buhari Presidency and the All Progressives Congress (APC) responsible for the negative impacts of the proposed travel sanctions imposed on our country by the United States.

The PDP described the sanction as yet another huge misfortune brought by the Buhari Presidency and the APC which have continued to wreck the nation with its compromised handling of security issues, in addition to escalated bloodletting and human rights violation under their watch.

The opposition party’s national publicity secretary Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement lamented that the travel ban will have grave consequences on economic, educational, and healthcare opportunities; hurt family and social ties as well as further put pressure on our overall national economy.

“More depressing is that the APC and the Buhari Presidency have been reversing diplomatic gains achieved by previous administrations while gradually pitching our nation against other countries of the world with its poor record on security, corruption and human right issues.

“Our party is worried that our nation that, have become a global destination and investment hub under the PDP, is now being pushed back to a pariah status under the incompetent and divisive APC, as reports from other members of the international community, including credible international organizations, have continued to raise concerns on security and human right issues under the Buhari administration.

“Only recently, our nation was rated as third country with the highest level of terrorism in 2019 after Iran and Afghanistan, in the Global Terrorism Index rating by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP).

“This is in addition to damning reports by reputable organizations including Amnesty International (AI), Transparency International (TI), European Union (EU), United States Department of State among others, which in various independent reports, raised grave issues of escalated corruption, violation of human rights, disregard to rule of law, abuse of processes, election rigging and poor handling of security issues under the APC

“The APC administration has failed to rejig its security high command despite the calls by Nigerians, in the face of worsening security challenges and mass killings in our country under their charge.

“It is also worrisome that the APC-led administration had failed to take a decisive step to apprehend and prosecute perpetrators of acts of terrorism including the mass killings in Benue, Nasarawa, Bauchi, Taraba, Kogi, Adamawa, Borno, Yobe, Zamfara, Kaduna, Ekiti, Kogi and other parts of the country under the current administration.”

The PDP restated that such failures by the APC had continued to bolster insurgents, bandits and kidnappers to continue to launch deadly attacks on Nigerians.

“Moreover, the APC have failed to account for hoodlums and political mercenaries it imported from neighboring countries to assist in unleashing violence on Nigerians during the heavily rigged 2019 general elections,” the party added.

The PDP therefore urged the National Assembly not to relent in its efforts to take decisive action on security, as the travel ban is a wake-up call on leaders and all critical stakeholders to address the issues at stake.

The party however called on the United States to ensure that the ban does not hurt innocent Nigerians who are also bearing the brunt of the poor handling of security in the country under the APC administration.



Real Reason US Suspended Issuance Of Immigration Visa To Nigerians

The matter started with PDP government which handed over the responsibility of printing Nigeria’s passport to an Irish firm.

At the twilight of its administration, in 2015, the PDP government renewed a multimillion naira contract for the printing of Nigeria’s passport to this firm.

The firm was expected to provide 10 million passports in four years but from 2015 to date, it was gathered that the firm produced less than four million passports.

Credible sources said the firm aside from failing in providing the ten million passports as agreed, had also failed to cooperate with both Interpol and the United States in releasing information about Nigerian passport holders.

“The US and INTERPOL are displeased by the fact that sensitive data about Nigerian passport holders is being kept by a third party, an Irish firm. Also, they are worried that the firm is not cooperating in releasing information of passport holders and since the world work on the basis of cooperation to confront terrorism and combat other vices including money laundering, the United States was left with no choice but impose the ban.”

President Muhammadu Buhari, sometime last year, directed that printing of Nigerian passports be handled by the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting (NSPM) Company.

However, a government official who preferred anonymity said the NSPM could not begin the printing of passports because “the firm handling it is too protected and the contract is still running.”

A staff from the Irish firm has however denied the allegations, stating that the company was in full cooperation with Interpol.

https://leadership.ng/2020/02/02/travel-ban-only-on-nigerians-relocating-permanently-to-us-presidency/

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has disclosed that multinational digital companies operating abroad with significant economic presence in Nigeria will be subjected to taxation under the new Finance Act.

He said only companies that have a physical presence in the country were being taxed previously, adding that the new law had changed this.

Osinbajo disclosed this on Friday in Abuja during a lecture titled, ‘Economic Dimension of National Security: The Nigerian Experience,’ organised for participants of Course 28 of the National Defence College.

He said, “So, most digital and multinational technology companies do not have a physical presence in Nigeria, yet make significant income in Nigeria from online activities.

“They pay no tax to Nigeria because they do not have a physical presence in Nigeria, now we are no longer relying on physical presence.”

“Under the new Act, once you have a significant economic presence in Nigeria, you are liable to tax whether you are resident here or not,” he noted, adding that non-residents, who previously had no fixed address would now be taxed under the new Act.

The vice president said that the Finance Act was designed to generate more revenue for the government and improve the ease of doing business in Nigeria.

He noted that adequate provisions were made under the Act to protect the Small and Medium Scale businesses in view of their roles in national development.

Osinbajo said the economic policies of the Federal Government were centred on creating a conducive environment for the private sector to thrive and support the creation of wealth, jobs and opportunities.

He stated, “Private sector is key to job creation and in doing so, the government has a responsibility to provide the needed infrastructure and enabling environment.

“Before the private sector is able to provide sufficiently for the majority of people, it is the responsibility of government to provide a safety net for the extremely vulnerable and those who cannot work.”

https://punchng.com/digital-firms-to-pay-tax-under-new-finance-act-osinbajo/

Karma...

Fake news...

Warever...

Bloodshed loading...

Residents of Afaraukwu Ibeku community, in Umuahia North Council of Abia State, the home town of the Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, scampered to safety as over 100 fierce-looking soldiers invaded the community.

The IPOB leader’s parents, Eze Okwu and Ugoeze Kanu, will be laid to rest on February 14, 2020, at Afaraukwa. Vanguard gathered that the situation caused tension as the residents shut their shops while others fled their homes as the soldiers patrolled the area in their armoured personnel carrier.

A resident said; The soldiers numbering over 100 in nine military veterans and 2 Armored personnel carriers have been patrolling Bank road to Flo FM. “The Soldiers have blocked the entrance street to Eze Kanu’s Palace, Afaraukwa, Umuahia with their van, walking round the community on foot.

Everyone was scared, we ran away,” he said. Another resident who simply gave his name as Abarikwu said he was on his way back from church when he got a call that soldiers had invaded the community.

https://i0.wp.com/www.vanguardngr.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Nnamdi-Kanu.jpg?resize=560%2C369&ssl=1

Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2020/02/tension-as-soldiers-invade-ipob-leader-nnamdi-kanus-community/

Jibrin 2?

Shameless couple....

[img]https://media1./images/01ad3915522e2dfc52b69bd84865b4bf/tenor.gif?itemid=10938624[/img]

Is that the bomb the police officer is handling anyhow

Naija sha....

Nonsensical.....

Turkey is a bigger terrorists funding state than Saudi......

Thats why they were rejected from joining europe!

End times

What a joke

What will they be doing?

Were they not replaced?

More foolishness from Makinde.......

[img]https://media1./images/486c5c5c4f66eac55b035ba6dcbe4594/tenor.gif?itemid=8134339[/img]

Fake soldiers..........(Soul Diers)

Foolishness.....Okada is a necessity in congested Lagos!

[img]https://media1./images/486c5c5c4f66eac55b035ba6dcbe4594/tenor.gif?itemid=8134339[/img]

Be careful what you wish for.....

....but decrease in profits!

Buharism

medicine after death..

IMF should seize the money and pay back some of our debts...

Story....lets just hope it doesn't affect black people.

Story...

stating the obvious...

Wayo....

What a barbaric backward country and people.

Dataanallysst:
All these religious brouhaha

how much?

Arsenal need a new 'Wenger'