UKEMVERANEWS

The Nigeria’s tax system is in for a significant overhaul thanks to the sweeping reform proposals put forth by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. These reforms are designed to enhance government revenue, simplify the tax framework, and ease the financial load on low-income earners — but they’ve also ignited discussions among businesses and the public.  Here are the essential points every Nigerian should be aware of. 1. The Reform Aims to Increase Government Revenue At the core of this new tax reform is the federal government’s goal to boost revenue generation without leaning too much on borrowing.  Nigeria has faced challenges with a low tax-to-GDP ratio compared to other nations. The reform intends to: - Broaden the tax base - Plug revenue leakages - Enhance compliance - Decrease reliance on oil revenue Officials are optimistic that a more efficient tax system will provide the government with additional funds for infrastructure, healthcare, and education. However, critics are conce...

  Renowned pastor, author, and global prayer movement leader, Jerry Eze , has unveiled a $300,000 grant scheme aimed at empowering young entrepreneurs and supporting innovative business ideas across communities. The initiative is designed to provide financial relief, encouragement, and practical support to youths who are passionate about building sustainable businesses but face funding challenges. According to Jerry Eze, the grant scheme is part of his broader vision to promote economic empowerment, self-reliance, and hope among young people . He emphasized that many talented youths have viable ideas but lack the resources to bring them to life. Through this program, selected beneficiaries will receive funding to either start new ventures or expand existing ones. The grant is expected to be disbursed in phases, reaching multiple entrepreneurs from different sectors such as agriculture, technology, creative industries, fashion, and small-scale manufacturing. Beyond financial as...

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft successfully destroyed some Boko Haram Terrorists (BHT) vehicles at a location, in the night of 13  April 2018 about 12km East of AREGE, in the Lake Chad Region. Earlier on, the ISR aircraft had discovered BHT activities, with some vehicles mounted with guns, moving within the location. Accordingly, the Air Task Force (ATF) of Operation LAFIYA DOLE, detailed NAF Mi-35M Helicopter gunships to conduct Air Interdiction strikes to take out the targets. Overhead the location, the attack platform acquired, interdicted and neutralised the targets with rockets and cannons. The subsequent Battle Damage Assessment (BDA) revealed that at the end of the attack, a BHT gun truck, with its entire occupants, was completely destroyed and engulfed in fire. Another BHT vehicle was damaged and immobilised as a result of the attack while several BHTs were killed in the process.

 The Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo has dismissed claims that President Muhammadu Buhari is a religious bigot. Osinbajo said some of the finest Christians in Nigeria currently serve in Buhari’s government Speaking in Adamawa State yesterday, the Vice President listed Christians in Buhari’s government to include, the Secretary of Government of the Federation, SGF, Boss Mustapha, who is a Pastor, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Winifred Oyo-Ita and himself. According to Osinbajo, “The truth of the matter is that in the government of today, we have some of the most erudite Christians, some of the best Christians occupying positions in government. Boss Mustapha, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, who is a pastor; the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Winifred Oyo-Ita and of course I, the Vice-President are all Christians. “But it is not enough to have Christians in government like myself. It is never enough. “If you look through the scriptu...

The Vice Chancellor of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Prof. Eyitope Ogunbodede, has said the institution may involve the police to verify a telephone conversation involving Prof. Richard Akindele and the student of the institution. Professor Akindele was said to have asked a female student for sex in order to help her pass her exams. The VC speaking to journalists in Osogbo on Sunday said the university might involve the police to get to the root of the matter if the investigation committee runs into a hitch. He said, “We have a committee that is investigating the matter now and we gave them one week to submit their report. If we run into any hitch, we can use all the resources available to get to where we are going. But once things are running smoothly, we may not need to involve the police. “But we must first identify those involved and where they are; if we have any problem doing that, then that is when the university will invite the police. “The committee’s one week will elapse...

It has been alleged that a professor at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Richard Akindele, has requested to have sex with a female student of the institution in order to raise her scores in the course he teaches. This follows an alleged recording of a phone conversation between the student and the lecturer. In the said phone conversation, the professor could be heard, asking the student to have sex with him five times so an alleged score of 33 could be upgraded to a pass mark. The following dialogue was recorded: Student: Hello Sir, Professor Akindele, yesterday you said something but because I was close to my boyfriend, I could not say anything. You said you’ve submitted it Lecturer: I gave you an opportunity and you missed it. Forget about it. You will do it next year. Student: I was calling to confirm whether you were serious about it. Lecturer: Me that agreed to do something. I know what I meant. If you don’t trust me, forget about it. If I wouldn’t do it, why shoul...

Ekowe, a student of Public Administration at the Federal Polytechnic ,Bayelsa State, simply known as Ade, has drowned in a river close to the institution. Ade reportedly drowned in the river bordering the polytechnic on Sunday, was said to have gone to the river to take his bath and to fetch water for domestic use due to lack of water on the campus. As a result of Ade’s death, aggrieved students of the institution went on the rampage, protesting against absence of potable water and alleged neglect by the school authorities. It was learnt that lack of potable water on the campus forced students to rely on the river and other unconventional means for water. Tragedy was said to have struck when Ade and an unnamed friend went to the river to fetch water. A source said Ade fell into the river and drowned because he could not swim. “The two of them could not swim. So, when Ade fell into the river, all his friend could do was to raise the alarm. Before people could get to him, he had breath...

Adamawa Ministry of Health, on Monday, said one person has died from the outbreak of Lassa fever in the state. The Information Officer of the ministry, Mr Abubakar Muhammed, made the disclosure in Yola on Monday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). Muhammed said 81 others had been quarantined following the development. He said that 45 members of the deceased’s families and other 36 persons including some health workers who had direct contact with the deceased had also been quarantined. Muhammed explained that the state government, World Health Organisation and other collaborative agencies had established an emergency centre in Yola to receive information and quick response. He said that the centre would also serve as control centre of the killer disease. He said that the deceased, Gadiel Ambe, 46, hailed from Numan Local Government Area of Adamawa. Muhammed further explained that the late Ambe before his death was a Nigerian Secutity and Civil Defence Corps officer...

 N-Power, Federal Government’s youth empowerment programme, on Monday tasked its beneficiaries to get their Permanent Voters Cards, PVCs, ahead of 2019 elections. The scheme which gave the directive, via its Twitter handle, also urged beneficiaries to ensure their families and friends get their PVCs. N-Power, Federal Government’s youth empowerment programme, on Monday tasked its beneficiaries to get their Permanent Voters Cards, PVCs, ahead of 2019 elections. The scheme which gave the directive, via its Twitter handle, also urged beneficiaries to ensure their families and friends get their PVCs. N-Power reminded beneficiaries of their civic right which is to vote and be voted for, hence the need to get their PVCs. The tweet reads, “As a citizen, you have the right to vote and be voted for. To exercise your right to vote, you require your PVC. “Please get your PVC, get your family and friends to get their PVC. “You are N-Power beneficiaries and you have been given #ThePVCTask.

Nigeria has assured its international partners in healthcare that it is committed to strengthening the healthcare system across the country. Consul-General of Nigeria at Atlanta, Mr Kayode Laro, made the pledge at the Nigeria Day to celebrate MedShare 20 years of strengthening healthcare in Nigeria. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that MedShare, a U.S.-based non-profit organisation, has donated more than 40 million dollars worth of new medical supplies and biomedical equipment to Nigeria. Many State Governments, University Teaching Hospitals, community clinics and military hospitals have benefitted from the donation in the last 20 years, according to records. Laro commended MedShare for  contributing significantly to strengthening healthcare in Nigeria. “To address the concerns of my compatriots, I should note that improving healthcare is a major and indeed a strategic goal of the Federal and State Governments in Nigeria. “But having adequate supplies of equipment and ...

Gov. Mohammed Abubakar of Bauchi on Friday gave out a 20 year-old physically-challenged spinster, Hauwa Muazu, in marriage to Mr Shehu Idris, a staff of the Specialists’ Hospital, Bauchi. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the governor and his wife, Mrs Hadiza Mohammed, served as the father and mother of the bride, who grew up at the State Orphanage Home, having been abandoned by her unidentified parents, 20 years ago. The wedding, which attracted a bride price of N20, 000, took place at Gwallaga Central mosque, Bauchi, presided by the Chief Imam of the mosque, Sheikh Ibrahim Idris. Speaking to NAN after the wedding formalities, the groom, 36 year-old Idris, said he met his “sweet heart” barely “one month ago”, and got attracted by her smashing beauty. “The bride was introduced to me by someone just barely one month ago and I visited her immediately at the Orphanage Home. “I declared my intention to marry her because I love her; she is a lady with dignity and respect,” sa...

The Federal High Court in Lagos on Friday rejected an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission seeking to seize the funds in 15 bank accounts linked to Mrs. Patience Jonathan.. The funds, which the EFCC sought to seize include a total of $8,435,788.84 and over N7.35bn. Justice Mojisola Olatoregun rejected the ex parte application filed by the EFCC for the seizure of the funds, saying the funds were already subject of litigation before two other judges.

Aminu Atiku, son of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, has asked a Lagos high court in Igbosere to upturn a magistrate court’s decision to strip him of the custody of his two children. The lower court had on January 10 awarded custody of the two children — Ameera (girl, 11) and Aamir (boy, 7) — to Unmi Fatima Bolori, his ex-wife. Bolori and Atiku got married in 2007 but separated in 2011. Atiku, who at the time failed to file a response to Bolori’s application for child custody, was also ordered to pay the ex-wife N250,000 monthly for the upkeep of the children. Kikelomo Ayeye, the chief magistrate that handled the case, had also asked him to carry out a medical insurance for each child. Atiku was said to have fled with his son after the judgement. He has, however, filed two applications at the high court — one seeking leave to appeal the magistrate court’s judgment and the other for a stay of further execution of its terms. Speaking when the court sat on Thursday, Atiku argued ...

The Wife of Nigerian President, Mrs Aisha Buhari, has taken the battle against scourge of maternal and child death to the private sector. She wants stakeholders in the private sector to support the fight through massive investment in health. She sought for shift of attention to the fight at a private sector meeting for investment in Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent Health and Nutrition in Nigeria (RMNCAH and N) at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Thursday night. The event was organised by the Future Assured initiative of Mrs Aisha Buhari to galvanise the private sector participation to boost investment in preventing increase in maternal and child death in Nigeria. The meeting was aimed at sensitising stakeholders from private sector to understand the need to draw more attention to rising cases of Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent Health and Nutrition challenges by advocating increase investment of private sector in the health...

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has called on Nigerians to prevail on the National Assembly to override President Muhammadu Buhari’s veto of the 2010 Electoral Act Amendment Bill to guarantee free, fair and credible electoral system in the country. Addressing the 2018 Annual Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) Section on Legal Practice Conference in Port Harcourt on Thursday , Governor Wike urged Nigerian legal practitioners to rise up and insist on the relevance of the amended Electoral Act 2010. “We must all stand up against the devilish efforts by some anti-democratic forces to kill the ongoing process to amend the 2010 Electoral Act on the whimsical excuse that the order of elections proposed in the Amendment Bill contravenes the discretionary powers of INEC, which, in any case, has not complained of any mischief occasioned by the new order. “Let me remind us that a defining feature of the legal profession is the commitment to promote both the substantive rules and the proc...

Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has said that the state government has robust policies and laws to cater for the needs of children to ensure that none of them is left unattended to on the street. The governor said this in commemoration of International Day for Street Children marked every April 12, by the United Kingdom-based Consortium on Street Children and other partners across the world. *770# Mobile He said that the state’s Child Rights Law has provisions for the protection of children against abuse, urging people to blow the whistle on parents who abandon their children. “The state’s Child Rights Law is clear on punishment for people who abandon their children. On this day, I want to make it categorically clear that we will come hard on people who violate the law. I also want to call on people to report parents who abandon or abuse their children,” he said. He added that the state government has made adequate provision to cater for children in the state, especially to...

Buhari made the comments at a meeting with the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby in London, where he is scheduled for talks with British Prime Minister Theresa May later this month. “I felt I should break the ice,” said Buhari in a statement released by the presidency on Wednesday, “the majority of Nigerians appreciate what we are doing, and that is why I am re-contesting.” Buhari, a 75-year-old former general who rarely speaks publicly at length, then turned to the issue of security. Along with fighting Boko Haram jihadists in the northeast, Nigeria is battling to contain bloody clashes between nomadic pastoralists and farmers that have led to scores of deaths this year. The problem has been “made worse by the influx of armed gunmen from the Sahel region into different parts of the West African sub-region,” claimed Buhari in the statement. “These gunmen were trained and armed by Muammar Gadaffi (Moamer Kadhafi) of Libya. When he was killed, the gunmen escaped with their arms. We...

The Senator representing Enugu North senatorial district, Chukwuka Utazi has sought the intervention of the Senate into ownership status of oil wells which have been the subject of controversy between Enugu, Kogi, and Anambra states. Speaking through order 43, the lawmaker stated that Anambra state government had used one of its appointees, Prince Emu to grant an interview in a popular newspaper earlier in the week stating that Anambra was an oil producing state. Utazi reminded the Senate that the federal government has since realised that it was an error for the Jonathan administration to have conferred on Anambra an oil producing state when the ownership of oil wells have not been decided upon. According to him, “Mr. President, distinguished colleagues, the oil producing status on Anambra state has since been withdrawn.” The Enugu North lawmaker stated that latest moves by Anambra state was already brewing crisis among communities laying claim to the wells, even as he asked the Sen...

Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has described as political witch-hunt by an illegal body, the assets’ forfeiture case launched against him. Uche Anichukwu, media aide to Ekweremadu said it was against natural justice for lawyers of the All Progressives Congress, APC, extraction to constitute themselves into a panel to try members of the opposition, relying on Decree 3 of 1984, now known as the Recovery of Public Property (Special Provisions) Act, 2004. The Federal Government had asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to freeze undeclared assets that were traced to him. Anichukwu in a statement noted that not only was the law already overtaken by the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act, 2004, but that the Panel was also not Gazetted in any publication by the Federal Government of Nigeria Gazette or inaugurated by the President. “So, considering the Senator ’s ordeals since his re-emergence as the Deputy President of the Senate in 2015, and with 2019 electi...

The Lagos state police command has given an update concerning the murder of Nigerian singer, Alizee and her daughter. In a press statement released on their Facebook page, the command says it has decided to take Mr Peter Nielson to court on two count charge of murder. Mr Peter Nielson fingered to have murdered his wife, Alizee and their four year old daughter,. The late 37 year old Nigerian singer, Zainab Ali-Nielsen, aka Alizee and her daughter were found dead on Thursday in the kitchen at their residence in Banana Island, Lagos. Alizee’s father said, “I have known my late daughter’s husband for over seven years now. At the outset, he was of good character but last year, he started fighting his wife. Last November, a case was reported at the police station when he beat her to a coma. He then wrote an undertaking that he would never batter her again.” Read the statement from the police below: The Lagos State Police Command hereby notifies the general public t...