The Senator representing Borno South, Ali Ndume, has stated that his stance remains the same on President Bola Tinubu’s tax reform bills.

Lawmaker had earlier condemned the timing of the bills, arguing that the focus should be on governance reforms before tax reforms.

Speaking further on the situation during an interview with Punch, Ndume insisted that the withdrawal of the bill is the best decision for the executive to allow for wider consultation.

He said, “This issue of VAT and derivation is one of the major issues in the bills. Also, why introduce a taxing system instead of solving critical issues like problems with the budget?”

He further explained that the country spent over 50 per cent of its budget on recurrent expenditure and debt servicing.

“Yes, reform. But even with reforms, you have to prioritise, time it correctly, and ensure the buy-in of Nigerians because this is a democracy. It is the government of the people, for the people, and by the people. We should be looking at cutting down our recurrent expenditure if we are trying to save money, not tax.

“I have studied this thing. I have given it to the professionals, even the lecturers of those who are promoting it, those people who taught them. I approached some of them and they said ‘Look, this tax reform is good, it is good to do tax reform but the timing is wrong,” he said.

Ndume added, “The introduction of the tax bills at the time is an unneeded distraction to the country. It is just unnecessarily heating the polity. That is why I am advocating that the executive withdraw the bills, consult wider, and take out the parts that clash with the Constitution.

“They are just confusing themselves with these bills that contradict the Constitution. So, seeing all of their errors, I think that they should just withdraw the bills, do the proper things, and resend them to the National Assembly for consideration.”

Ndume argued that Northern senators are not divided, adding that anyone who supports the passage of the bills should come and openly say so.

He said, “We are not divided, Northern senators who are in support of the bills should come out openly and bear their fathers’ names. I have openly expressed my stance on the bills, they also should do the same.

“Even if we, who are opposed to the bills, are in the minority, the majority will have their way, but the minority will have their say.”

The Labour Party has announced its decision to initiate legal action to reclaim the seats of four lawmakers who defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The party criticized the lawmakers for retaining their parliamentary positions after switching allegiance to the ruling party.

Obiora Ifoh, the Labour Party’s National Publicity Secretary, disclosed this during an interview with The PUNCH.

His statement follows the defection of the lawmakers, whose letters of resignation were read by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, on Thursday.

The defectors—Tochukwu Okere (Imo), Donatus Mathew (Kaduna), Bassey Akiba (Cross River), Iyawe Esosa (Edo), and Daulyop Fom (Plateau)—have been accused of betraying the party’s mandate.

Ifoh condemned their actions, describing them as “unfortunate, irrational, and inconsistent with democratic principles.”

Referring to Section 68(g) of the 1999 Constitution, Ifoh emphasized that lawmakers sponsored by a political party must vacate their seats upon defection unless the party is experiencing a crisis.

He outlined the party’s three-step response to the defections: condemning the act, petitioning the Speaker to declare the seats vacant, and pursuing legal action.

“We have asked the Speaker to declare their seats vacant, but given his open support for the defectors, we are not optimistic about his compliance. Consequently, we will escalate the matter to the courts. Our legal department has been instructed to proceed with filing the case,” Ifoh stated.

He also announced the establishment of a “Hall of Shame” register to document the identities of “defected public office holders, rebels and troublemakers” who, in his words, have disgraced the Labour Party. The register is set to be publicly unveiled on Monday (today).

“Let me tell you that significantly by tomorrow, Monday, we are going to publish the register of the hall of shame. We will make it available and publish it in the media generally.

“This will be done for people to know that it is wrong to take a party’s mandate to another party without doing what Section 68, Subsection 1(g) says concerning defection, especially when the party is not in crisis.

“But when leaving, you are supposed to drop the mandate. So, the register will be published tomorrow. On Monday, you will see it,” Ifoh affirmed.

The presidential candidate of the Labor Party (LP) in last year’s presidential election, Mr Peter Obi has condemned the sudden disappearance of the emeritus Archbishop of Niger Province, Most Rev. Prof. Godwin Okpala in Anambra State

According to the former governor of Anambra State, the revered cleric was on his way to a public function in Anambra State, alongside his driver when he disappeared.

Posting on his X handle, Obi also condemned the level of insecurity in the country saying people are living in fear and uncertainty.

“I have just read the ugly news of the sudden disappearance of the emeritus Archbishop of the Niger Province, Most Rev. Prof. Godwin Okpala, yesterday.

“This deplorable level of insecurity in every part of the nation remains condemned. In almost every part of the nation, our people live in fear and uncertainty, not knowing when the terror will strike.

“It is even more worrisome how many of our people who are victims of insecurity go unreported. Every Nigerian citizen should be able to move freely for their productive endeavours in any part of the nation without fear of terror or harm.

“The government, at all levels, must ensure this by ensuring the protection of lives and property of the people.

“I remain in earnest prayers with the Okpala family and the entire Anglican Communion for the safe return of the Archbishop and that his driver while calling on the security agencies to take urgent actions to unravel the Archbishop’s disappearance and ensure their safe return.”

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) says the country generated N1.78 trillion as value-added tax (VAT) in the third quarter (Q3) of 2024.

The figure represents an increase of 14.16 percent when compared to the N1.56 trillion recorded in the second quarter (Q2) of 2024.

VAT is a consumption tax that is administered by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

The revenue generated from VAT is usually disbursed to the three tiers of government through the federation accounts allocation committee (FAAC).

In its latest report on the sectoral distribution of VAT for Q3 2024, the NBS said the figure (N1.78 trillion) represents an 88 percent increase compared to the N948 billion generated in Q3 2023.

“On the aggregate, Value Added Tax (VAT) for Q3 2024 was reported at N1.78 trillion, showing a growth rate of 14.16% on a quarter-on-quarter basis from N1.56 trillion in Q2 2024,” NBS said.

“Local payments recorded were N922.87 billion, Foreign VAT Payments were N448.85 billion, while import VAT contributed N410.62 billion in Q3 2024.

“On a quarter-on-quarter basis, Human heath and social work activities recorded the highest growth rate with 250.39%, followed by the Activities of households as employers, undiffer-entiated goods- and services-producing activities of households for own use with 102.09%.

“On the other hand, Water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation activities had the least growth rate with –41.92%, followed by Activities of extraterritorial organizations and bodies with –36.14%.”

In terms of sectoral contributions, the statistics firm said the top three largest shares in Q3 2024 were manufacturing (22.21 percent), information and communication (20.89 percent), and mining and quarrying activities (18.90 percent).

The NBS added that activities of households as employers, undifferentiated goods-and services-producing activities of households for own use recorded the least share (0.01 percent), followed by activities of extraterritorial organisations and bodies (0.01 percent), and water supply, sewerage, waste management, and remediation activities (0.03 percent).

Jay-Z, the star rapper and entrepreneur whose real name is Shawn Carter, was accused in a lawsuit Sunday of raping a 13-year-old girl in 2000 allegedly along with Sean “Diddy” Combs.

A report public on NBC News stated that an anonymous accuser, identified only as “Jane Doe,” said the assault happened after she was driven to an MTV Video Music Awards after-party.

The federal lawsuit was said to have been filed in October in the Southern District of New York, listing Combs as a defendant. It was refiled Sunday to include Carter.

Texas-based attorney Tony Buzbee, who filed the suit, did not comment.

Carter called the allegations “idiotic” in a lengthy statement Sunday evening and alleged that Buzbee was engaged in unprofessional behavior.

“These allegations are so heinous in nature that I implore you to file a criminal complaint, not a civil one!! Whomever would commit such a crime against a minor should be locked away, would you not agree?” Carter said in a statement to NBC News. “These alleged victims would deserve real justice if that were the case.”

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York declined to comment on whether the office is pursuing the case when shown NBC News’ report on the lawsuit.

Buzbee has filed several lawsuits in recent months — all have withheld their complainants’ names — accusing Combs of assault and rape. This is the first suit in which he has named another high-profile defendant.

In a statement, legal representatives for Combs called the suits “shameless publicity stunts, designed to extract payments from celebrities who fear having lies spread about them, just as lies have been spread about Mr. Combs.”

“As his legal team has said before, Mr. Combs has full confidence in the facts and the integrity of the judicial process. In court, the truth will prevail: that Mr. Combs never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone—man or woman, adult or minor,” the statement read.

Federal prosecutors in New York criminally charged Combs in September with racketeering, sex trafficking and other offenses, and he is behind bars at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center after he was denied bail for a third time last month. His trial is scheduled for May 5.

Prosecutors said in a court hearing last month that they are in the process of potentially bringing more charges against Combs in a superseding indictment.

Before the lawsuit was refiled Sunday, “Carter received a letter from Plaintiff’s counsel requesting a mediation to resolve this matter,” Buzbee wrote in the suit. In response to the letter, which NBC News has seen, Carter filed his own lawsuit against the accuser’s attorneys, Buzbee wrote in the suit.

“You have made a terrible error in judgement thinking that all ‘celebrities’ are the same,” Carter added in his statement Sunday. “I’m not from your world. I’m a young man who made it out of the project of Brooklyn. We don’t play these types of games. We have very strict codes and honor. We protect children.”

The lawsuit claims that in 2000, when Doe was 13, Combs and Carter raped her at a house party after the MTV Video Music Awards in New York.

Popular Nigerian actress, Eniola Badmus has spoken about her weight loss transformation.

She stated that she would one day tell her major story on her weight loss journey, revealing that it was between life and death for her.

The actress shared a Before and Now photo of herself, as she stepped out yesterday.

Boasting about how she has inspired others with her weight loss, the aide to the Speaker of Nigeria's 10th House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas asked those reading her post to admit she indeed inspired them.

Admitting it was never an easy journey, Baddosky captioned the post;

”The journey so far……….Oju ri tooooooo

When am ready I will tell my major story but it was between life and de.ath……DONT FORGET I MOTIVATED YOU, YES YOU”.

USD now N1,500, may hit N1,200 —Black market operators

Other foreign currencies also affected, P/Sterling now N1,750

Gold, other commodities are declining —Dealers

Time will tell of sustainability —Banker

There are indications that the newly introduced foreign exchange market system by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, is the driving force behind the recent massive appreciation of Nigeria’s local currency, the Naira, against the world’s major currencies.

Bankers who spoke to Vanguard attributed the appreciation of the Naira to the Electronic Foreign Exchange Matching System (EFEMS), which commenced last Monday.

In a circular directing banks to go live in the use of the Bloomberg BMatch as the Electronic Foreign Exchange Matching System (EFEMS) for trading activities in the forex market effective December 2nd, 2024, the CBN said: “Banks are strongly advised to liaise with Bloomberg representatives to expedite the onboarding process and address any technical or operational concerns promptly.

“The CBN will deploy its regulatory power to enhance the implementation of this directive and reserves the right to impose sanctions when necessary.”

For the first time since May 2024 the Naira recorded five consecutive days of appreciation across all segments of the foreign exchange market last week. It closed at N1,535 and N1,555 to one USdollar in the official (otherwise known as the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market, NFEM) and parallel market (otherwise known as black market) respectively at the weekend.

Impact of new e-Forex system

Providing insight on the impact of the new forex system, a bank executive who spoke to Vanguard on condition of anonymity said: “The system seems to be quite good. It seems to be achieving its goal as you get a feel of where the market is, real time.

“People are putting up orders on the system, matching trades and helping with market colour. It looks and seems to be good and the Naira has appreciated since its launch. CBN also intervened using the system.
“Time will tell if the market appreciation can be sustained. But there will definitely be some equilibrium down the line.”

Following this development, the margin between the parallel market and NAFEM rate narrowed to N20 per dollar from N118 per dollar as at close of trading last weekend.

Data from the Daily Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM) published by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, showed that Naira has gained It also represents N168 or 9.8 per cent appreciation from N1,720 per dollar previous week’s closing rate, the largest weekly gain since this year.

Data from FMDQ showed that the naira suffered sustained depreciation this year in the official market moving from N907.11 per dollar in January 2024 to N1,520.4 per dollar by May; N1,603.8 per dollar in July and N1,730 per dollar in October. The trend reversed to N1,600 threshold in the same month through November.

The rate of depreciation was worse in the parallel market where it hit as low as N1,775/$1 at end of November, 2024.

Black market operators give insight

Black market traders noted that the continuous daily appreciation of naira in the parallel market was due to availability of dollars which has even made individuals struggle to sell.

One of the operators, Mr. Yakubu Giwa said: “Today (last Saturday) the Niara stood at N1,500 per dollar. We black market traders are struggling to sell what we bought.

“The current appreciation of the Naira is as a result of activities such as people in the diaspora returning home, and those in the country are spending their money on food items and other preparations for the festive season. This is so every year during this period.

“Those in the diaspora are also sending money to their families and relatives in Nigeria resulting in more inflows.

“Individuals with dollars are bringing it out seeing the intense appreciation going on now but many are unable to sell it because those in the business are still struggling to sell theirs.

“The market dealers are also afraid of bearing losses because the naira might appreciate to N1,300 or N1,200 per dollar before next weekend. So they are cautiously buying dollars.”

Apart from the dollar, the exchange rate of other foreign currencies and prices of commodities like gold are also going down.

Mr. Umoru Yahaya, another black market trader and gold seller, said: “Apart from the appreciation of the naira against the dollar, it is also appreciating against the pound sterling, euro, and other foreign currencies.

“Yesterday I traded sterling at around N2,200, today (last Saturday) it is around N1,700.
“Look at the value of gold that was N150,000 per gram two weeks ago. It has also dropped to N120,000 and going to N115,000 per gram as of today.

“The price of silver per gram now is N20,000 per gram, we sold for N50,000 per gram two weeks ago.
“Those harbouring dollars in their houses are unable to sell it because of the appreciation pressure that has made many of us very cautious of the quantity of dollars we buy so as not to be on the losing side.
“This morning the dollar traded for as low as N1,500 per dollar and before the close of the day it might reach N1,450 per dollar “

The Federal Government has opened up on the reason for including more youths in the country’s decision making policy.

Speaking at the grand finale of the 60th Anniversary celebration of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) in Port Harcourt, Vice President Kashim Shettima explained that no nation can plan for the future without involving the young generation in decision-making.

Shettima, who was represented by his Technical Adviser on Women and Youth Engagement, Hauwa Liman, reassured Nigerian youths of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to their inclusion in all levels of governance.

He emphasized that youth inclusion is a fundamental principle of the Tinubu administration, stating that it remains the only government that has provided significant opportunities for young people.

“His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has assembled some of the finest young people in the country to form the backbone of his government, and this is based on his belief that youth inclusion is not just a promise, but the cornerstone of our administration’s vision for Nigeria,” Shettima said.

The Vice President noted that the Tinubu administration has created unprecedented opportunities for youths to thrive in various sectors. He mentioned that many of the administration’s ministers are young people, reflecting the government’s commitment to youth empowerment.

“This administration has opened doors for young people like never before. We have prioritised initiatives that empower youths in education, entrepreneurship, and the creative and data industries,” Shettima added.

Mahmood Yakubu, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), says the just-concluded presidential and parliamentary elections in Ghana showed that the country has learnt some lessons from Nigeria.

On Saturday, Ghanaians headed to the polls to elect a new president and members of the parliament.

John Mahama, candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has been elected president.

The INEC chairman described the electoral process as “commendable” and one that provides stability for Ghana and its citizens.

“It has been a very interesting election. We came here as part of the ECOWAS network of electoral commissions with colleagues from Sierra Leone, Liberia, and the Southern African region,” he said.

“We are grateful that the election has gone very well. The process and its outcome so far have been commendable, and we continue to support our colleagues in Ghana’s electoral commission.

“There are many things that I’ve observed; the first thing is the political parties. Rarely in Ghana do you see people moving from one party to another with every general election. So, that is important. It provides stability.

“It also provides their supporters with stability. So, there are people who have supported political parties for many years.

“So, whether the party is in power or opposition, they stick to the political party.

“The second thing for me is the lesson that Ghana also learnt from Nigeria in the area of managing constituency election results.

“Until the last election in Ghana, all results come to the Electoral Commission’s headquarters in Accra, which is parliamentary and presidential.

“Although Ghana is not a federal system, they learnt from Nigeria, where you have returning officers who announce results for parliamentary elections in the various constituencies around the country. Only the presidential election results come to Accra.

“In Nigeria, this is what we have done, and they borrowed a leave from us, and this is the second time they are implementing that.

“That is why, as you can see, the declaration of the presidential election result was a lot faster than it used to be in the past.”

Three Nigerians have been arrested in Delhi and face a minimum of three years imprisonment for allegedly defrauding an Indian woman of over Rs 2.62 lakh.

A report by The Times of India on Saturday stated that the cybercrime police apprehended Lezhu John, Gibril Mohammed, and Egboola Ekena in connection with a case involving the alleged defrauding of an Indian woman.

Although the three suspects have not yet been formally charged in court, findings by PUNCH Metro revealed that if convicted, each suspect faces a minimum of three years imprisonment under the Information Technology Act (IT Act, 2000) and the Indian Penal Code.

According to Section 66D of the Indian IT Act, as cited on the website of India-based law firm, S.S. Rana & Co. on Sunday, “Punishment for cheating by personation by using computer resources; whoever, by means of any communication device or computer resource, cheats by personation shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term, which may extend to three years, and shall also be liable to a fine, which may extend to one lakh rupees.”

The suspects were allegedly operating a cybercrime racket that led to numerous individuals across India becoming victims.

According to the India cybercrime police, the most recent victim filed a complaint at the Cybercrime Police Station after realising she had been defrauded by a suspect she had connected with on her Instagram account.

The suspects reportedly had numerous photographs of men and women stored on their mobile phones, which they allegedly used to create fake social media profiles and deceive people.

“Investigations revealed that the accused used over 500 bank accounts to commit the fraud. Over 900 complaints have been filed across the country in connection with these bank accounts,” said the ACP (Cybercrime), Vadodara, M.M. Rajput.

One of the accused had allegedly introduced himself as Sohn Yunmin, claiming to be a chemical engineer from the United States.

The suspect allegedly told the woman he would soon be working in Assam, and through their growing friendship, she eventually sent him a gift.

The report partly read, “In April this year, the accused told the woman that he needed to buy some machinery and his friend, who was supposed to pay for it, didn’t have money in his bank account. He asked her to transfer him Rs 50,000, and she obliged. After some days, the accused told her he was coming to Assam as he got a job offer there and his parcel would soon land in India.

“After some days, she got a call from a woman called Niharika who asked for Rs 35,500 for the parcel that had US dollars. She transferred the amount, but Niharika kept asking for more money by giving various reasons. The complainant ended up transferring Rs 1.69 lakh, but she soon realised that she was being duped.”

The police stated that the suspects were tracked down using the details of the bank transactions. It remains unclear when the three Nigerians will be charged in court.