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Veteran Nollywood actor, Sunday Omobolanle popularly known as Pa Aluwe turned 70 on Thursday, October 10.
To celebrate his special day, he expressed gratitude to his maker writing;
”Thank God for life ??? Happy 70th Birthday to me ??? I wish myself long life and prosperity in good health in Jesus name ??? pappyluwe omo iya alaro ??? @70”
Nigerian TikToker, Ojesanmi Afeez, popularly known as Salo, has reportedly been shot in the Lekki area of Lagos State.
Salo was shot in the leg at a filling station in Lekki by assailants who robbed him of his gold chain.
An eyewitness who spoke with Punch on anonymity said the content creator is currently fighting for his life at Perez Medcare Hospital, Lekki Phase 2.
The source said, “When I got to the hospital, I was not allowed to enter, the nurse just said we should keep praying for him because his condition is critical.
“We don’t know who he offended. Just like he might not know too. You cannot be wiser and tricky than the person watching you. I just advise him to be careful if he eventually survives this.”
Confirming the incident, the Lagos State Police spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, said,“Salo was truly shot yesterday at Admiralty Way, Lekki. We have begun investigation into the incident and I will give you further updates.”
Before the incident, Salo reportedly had an altercation with his fellow TikToker, Tobi Nation, over the purchase of a new apartment.
Salo claimed to have connected Tobi Nation with the agent that sold his Lekki house to him, but Tobi Nation disagreed, saying that he didn’t subscribe to the payment option he suggested.
However, reacting to the attack, Tobi Nation said it was sad to hear the news, stressing that he had visited the hospital where Salo was admitted but was not allowed in.
339 students of the Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, have bagged First-Class degrees at the institution.
Naija News learnt that the Registrar, Regina Tobi-David, disclosed this during the 19th convocation ceremony, conferment of First and Higher Degrees, and presentation of prizes in Ota.
This year’s convocation, themed “Release of Eagles for 2024,” celebrated the graduation of 1,607 students, including 1,456 undergraduates and 151 postgraduates.
While congratulating the students, Regina stated that the first class record was the first in the institution’s history.
This comes a few days after the private institution was named Nigeria’s top university in the 2024 Times Higher Education Rankings.
Covenant University, UNIBEN, UNILAG Make THE 2024 Rankings
Meanwhile, Covenant University (CU), a prominent private institution, has been named Nigeria’s top university in the 2024 Times Higher Education (THE) Rankings.
Published annually, THE Rankings evaluate universities on a global scale, with the 2024 edition covering 1,907 institutions from 108 countries and regions.
Rankings are based on 18 criteria that assess teaching, research environment, research quality, industry collaboration, and international outlook.
The 2024 ranking analyzed data from over 134 million citations on 16.5 million research publications and included responses from 68,402 academics worldwide. THE collected 411,789 data points from over 2,673 universities for this analysis.
On the global stage, the UK’s University of Oxford maintained its top spot for the ninth consecutive year, making it the longest-standing leader in THE’s history, surpassing Harvard University’s eight-year record, which ended in 2011.
Stanford University moved up to second place, while Harvard dropped to fourth. The University of Cambridge also shifted to fifth after holding a joint third position in 2023.
KEY POINTS
- Zahra Bahrololoumi, CEO of UK and Ireland at Salesforce, told CNBC that the tech giant takes all legislation “seriously” — but it wants regulations in Britain to be “proportional and tailored.”
- Salesforce’s UK boss noted a difference between companies that develop consumer-facing AI tools and firms making enterprise AI systems which, she said, have to meet higher privacy standards and comply with corporate guidelines.
- A spokesperson for the UK’s Department of Science, Innovation and Technology said that planned AI rules would be “highly targeted to the handful of companies developing the most powerful AI models,” rather than applying “blanket rules on the use of AI.”
The UK chief executive of Salesforce wants the Labor government to regulate artificial intelligence — but says it’s important that policymakers don’t tar all technology companies developing AI systems with the same brush.
Speaking to CNBC in London, Zahra Bahrololoumi, CEO of UK and Ireland at Salesforce, said the American enterprise software giant takes all legislation “seriously.” However, she added that any British proposals aimed at regulating AI should be “proportional and tailored.”
Bahrololoumi noted that there’s a difference between companies developing consumer-facing AI tools — like OpenAI — and firms like Salesforce making enterprise AI systems. She said consumer-facing AI systems, such as ChatGPT , face fewer restrictions than enterprise-grade products, which have to meet higher privacy standards and comply with corporate guidelines.
“What we look for is targeted, proportional, and tailored legislation,” Bahrololoumi told CNBC on Wednesday.
“There’s definitely a difference between those organizations that are operating with consumer facing technology and consumer tech, and those that are enterprise tech. And we each have different roles in the ecosystem, [but] we’re a B2B organization,” she said.
A spokesperson for the UK’s Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) said that planned AI rules would be “highly targeted to the handful of companies developing the most powerful AI models,” rather than applying “blanket rules on the use of AI. ”
That indicates that the rules might not apply to companies like Salesforce, which don’t make their own foundational models like OpenAI.
“We recognize the power of AI to kickstart growth and improve productivity and are absolutely committed to supporting the development of our AI sector, particularly as we speed up the adoption of the technology across our economy,” the DSIT spokesperson added.
Data security
Salesforce has been heavily touting the ethics and safety considerations embedded in its Agentforce AI technology platform, which allows enterprise organizations to spin up their own AI “agents” — essentially, autonomous digital workers that carry out tasks for different functions, like sales, service or marketing.
For example, one feature called “zero retention” means no customer data can ever be stored outside of Salesforce. As a result, generative AI prompts and outputs aren’t stored in Salesforce’s large language models — the programs that form the bedrock of today’s genAI chatbots, like ChatGPT.
With consumer AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Anthropic’s Claude or Meta’s AI assistant, it’s unclear what data is being used to train them or where that data gets stored, according to Bahrololoumi.
“To train these models you need so much data,” she told CNBC. “And so, with something like ChatGPT and these consumer models, you don’t know what it’s using.”
Even Microsoft’s Copilot, which is marketed at enterprise customers, comes with heightened risks, Bahrololoumi said, citing a Gartner report calling out the tech giant’s AI personal assistant over the security risks it poses to organizations.
OpenAI and Microsoft were not immediately available for comment when contacted by CNBC.
AI concerns ‘apply at all levels’
Bola Rotibi, chief of enterprise research at analyst firm CCS Insight, told CNBC that, while enterprise-focused AI suppliers are “more cognizant of enterprise-level requirements” around security and data privacy, it would be wrong to assume regulations wouldn’t scrutinize both consumer and business-facing firms.
“All the concerns around things like consent, privacy, transparency, data sovereignty apply at all levels no matter if it is consumer or enterprise as such details are governed by regulations such as GDPR,” Rotibi told CNBC via email. GDPR, or the General Data Protection Regulation, became law in the UK in 2018.
However, Rotibi said that regulators may feel “more confident” in AI compliance measures adopted by enterprise application providers like Salesforce, “because they understand what it means to deliver enterprise-level solutions and management support.”
“A more nuanced review process is likely for the AI services from widely deployed enterprise solution providers like Salesforce,” she added.
Bahrololoumi spoke to CNBC at Salesforce’s Agentforce World Tour in London, an event designed to promote the use of the company’s new “agentic” AI technology by partners and customers.
Her remarks come after U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour refrained from introducing an AI bill in the King’s Speech, which is written by the government to outline its priorities for the coming months. The government at the time said it plans to establish “appropriate legislation” for AI, without offering further details.
[CNBC]
Tesla boss Elon Musk has unveiled the firm's long-awaited robotaxi, the Cybercab, at the Warner Bros Studios in Burbank, California.
The futuristic-looking vehicle featuring two wing-like doors and no pedals or steering wheel deposited Mr Musk in front of an audience eager to hear details about a project he considers key to Tesla's next chapter.
At the event, billed "We, Robot," the multi-billionaire reiterated his view that fully self-driving vehicles will be safer than those operated by humans and could even earn owners money by being rented out for rides.
But Mr Musk's prediction that production would begin some time "before 2027" raised questions about whether he will once again fail to meet his own deadlines.
"I tend to be optimistic with time frames," he quipped during the event.
He said the Cybercab - which would compete with rivals including Alphabet-owned Waymo - would cost less than $30,000 (£23,000).
However analysts have cast doubt on how realistic that plan is.
"It will be extremely difficult for Tesla to offer a new vehicle at that price within that timescale," said Paul Miller, from research Forrester.
"Without external subsidies, or Tesla making a loss on every vehicle, it doesn't seem plausible to launch at anything close to that price this decade," he added.
Safety concerns
Mr Musk also said he expected to see "fully autonomous unsupervised" technology available in Tesla's Model 3 and Model Y in Texas and California next year "with permission where ever regulators approve it."
But that approval is far from guaranteed.
"It is a big chunk of metal driving on roads at high speeds, so safety concerns are big," said Samitha Samaranayake, an associate professor in engineering at Cornell University.
Tesla's self-driving ambitions rely on cameras that are cheaper than radar and Lidar (light detection and ranging) sensors that are the technology backbone of many competitors' vehicles.
By teaching its cars to drive, Tesla plans to use artificial intelligence (AI) trained by the raw data it collects from its millions of vehicles.
But the research community "is not sold on whether the Tesla style of doing things can give the safety guarantees that we would like," Mr Samaranayake said.
Playing catch up
The cybercab project has undergone delays, having originally been due for release in August.
This summer, in a post on X , formerly Twitter, Mr Musk said the wait was due to design changes he felt were important.
Meanwhile, competing robotaxis are already operating on some US roads.
Tesla also seems poised to post its first ever decline in annual sales as competitors pile into the electric vehicle market, even as sales have softened.
Despite that dour backdrop, Tuesday's event was heavy on spectacle - complete with Tesla's humanoid robots dancing and serving drinks to attendees.
Mr Musk also unveiled another prototype for a "Robovan" which can ferry up to 20 passengers around at a time.
The sleek shuttle "could be a mode of transportation over the coming years that Tesla leverages," said Wedbush Securities managing director Dan Ives who attended the event in person.
Tesla/ReutersAnother analyst said the event felt like a step back into memory lane while also signalling the path ahead.
"Musk did a fantastic job of painting an ideal future for transportation that promises to both free up our time and increase safety," said Jessica Caldwell, head of insights at Edmunds.
But despite the showmanship, there are doubts about whether he can deliver the vision he sketched out.
"Many questions remain about how this will be achieved from a practical standpoint," Caldwell added.
State of the robotaxi market
The deployment of robotaxis has encountered setbacks, with driverless cars operated by General Motors subsidiary Cruise being suspended in San Francisco after a pedestrian was knocked down.
But the sector continues to expand.
Waymo said in early October it would add the Hyundai Ioniq 5 to its robotaxi fleet after the vehicles undergo on-road testing with the company's technology.
Ride-hailing giant Uber also wants to add more autonomous vehicles to its fleet to expand on its delivery and ridesharing options for customers.
It announced a multi-year alliance with driverless car developer Cruise in August.
Chinese tech company Baidu is also reportedly looking to expand its robotaxi division, Apollo Go, beyond China - where the vehicles are active in several cities.
[BBC]
Social media platform TikTok is laying off hundreds of employees from its global workforce, including a large number of staff in Malaysia, the company said on Friday, as it shifts focus towards a greater use of AI in content moderation.
Two sources familiar with the matter earlier told Reuters that more than 700 jobs were slashed in Malaysia. TikTok, owned by China's ByteDance, later clarified that less than 500 employees in the country were affected.
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The employees, most of whom were involved in the firm's content moderation operations, were informed of their dismissal by email late Wednesday, the sources said, requesting anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to media.
In response to Reuters' queries, TikTok confirmed the layoffs and said that several hundred employees were expected to be impacted globally as part of a wider plan to improve its moderation operations.
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TikTok employs a mix of automated detection and human moderators to review content posted on the site.
ByteDance has over 110,000 employees in more than 200 cities globally, according to the company website.
The ByteDance logo is seen at the company's office in Shanghai, China July 4, 2023. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab
The technology firm is also planning more retrenchments next month as it looks to consolidate some of its regional operations, one of the sources said.
"We're making these changes as part of our ongoing efforts to further strengthen our global operating model for content moderation," a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement.
The company expects to invest $2 billion globally in trust and safety this year and will continue to improve efficiency, with 80% of guidelines-violating content now removed by automated technologies, the spokesperson said.
The layoffs were first reported by business portal The Malaysian Reserve on Thursday.
The job cuts occur as global technology firms face greater regulatory pressure in Malaysia, where the government has asked social media operators to apply for an operating licence by January as part of an effort to combat cyber offences.
Malaysia reported a sharp increase in harmful social media content earlier this year and urged firms, including TikTok, to step up monitoring on their platforms.
[Reuters]
It seems OpenAI’s Realtime Voice API, announced a week ago, is taking the world by storm. Developers are going berserk on X, sharing their creations using the realtime voice API.
The new offering from the Sam Altman-led AI powerhouse allows apps to have natural, real-time conversations with their users. Ever since its announcement, each new day has brought new possibilities. Watching these demos would make AI assistants or other popular chatbots seem puny.
Here are some wild examples shared on X by developers.
Speech to Picasso
This incredible use case brings forth a voice-controlled painting app. Jordan Singer, who as per his X bio is the founder of Mainframe, a generative computing company, shared his new creation with OpenAI’s realtime voice API on X. Singer calls it Teledraw, an experimental drawing app that is a fusion of real-time voice and image models. It explores innovative interfaces by using the latest latent consistency models which allows users to create art through voice commands. Singer showed the unique UI, which mimics a phone call, pushing the boundaries of interactive technology.
PDF mind reader
Another X user, Marcus Schiesser, who calls himself a tech enthusiast, has created a voice chat for documents. Known as Voice Chat PDF, the tool is built using OpenAI Realtime API, Llama Index, and Next.js. The app allows users to chat with their own documents. The demo shared by Schiesser shows the feature using a document on physical mailing standards, highlighting how a user can interact with content using voice in real-time.
Assistant for mock interviews
Kenn Ejima, former head of Japan Quora, shared an AI interviewer who conducts mock interviews, essentially quizzing people on their resume. The new mock interview app lets users practice interview skills by uploading their CVs or resumes for AI-driven questions. It currently supports Stanford MBA applications and allows one free trial every 24 hours. It is built with Remix, Render, Quadrant, and Cloudflare R2.
Voice-controlled browser
Software engineer Sawyer Hood shared a voice-controlled browser on X. With this browser, one simply needs to open and say out loud what they are searching for. The browser is built using OpenAI’s Realtime API and lets users navigate the internet through voice commands. The system deploys a custom DOM format for reliable page understanding, avoiding the intricacies of raw HTML. The browser is currently in development and according to Hood, the browser aims to offer seamless voice-based web interactions.
Your trading assistant
Wily Douhard, a developer, has made a voice assistant that can track the price of multiple stocks using your voice. Douhard has created something known as Chainlit Realtime which supports WebSockets for real-time audio interactions by integrating OpenAI’s Realtime Voice API. This app shows how developers can build responsive assistants that stream audio commands and responses seamlessly.
Your realtime-anime friend
Bryan Pratte, founder of Hallway.AI, showed how OpenAI’s Realtime API when combined with ExpressionEngine, can bring anime characters to life. Based on the demo, this integration seems to enable real-time voice interactions with animated characters. It offers an immersive experience as seen in the demo below.
On October 1, OpenAI introduced the Realtime API that allows developers to build applications with live interactions. This API supports speech-to-text, text-to-speech, and real-time conversation abilities which makes it possible to create dynamic assistants and voice experiences. With audio and text being streamed back and forth, the Realtime API allows for highly responsive applications.
According to OpenAI, this API has been designed for use cases like virtual assistants, live collaboration tools, and interactive educational apps. The Realtime API uses OpenAI’s powerful language models which offer seamless real-time conversations that enhance user engagement and interaction across a wide range of use cases.
[indianexpress]
The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, has said that Africa must be fully involved in the regulation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to ensure that the technology is not tilted towards the interests of the advanced nations.
Inuwa stated this on Thursday while presenting a keynote for Day 3 of the Nigeria Finech Week 2024.
According to him, Africa’s participation in AI regulation and governance is crucial to ensure that AI serves the interests of all humanities, not just the privileged few.
The NITDA DG, who was represented at the event by the Director of Standard, Regulation and Framework at the Agency, Mr Emmanuel Edet, noted that AI is not just another technology but a paradigm shift that promises to reshape every aspect of people’s lives, from healthcare education to agriculture and even governance.
Proactive measures
Inuwa asserted that despite the transformation power of AI, it also comes with unique challenges that require careful consideration and proactive measures.
“As we witness the rapid deployment of AI technologies, primarily in the Global North, it is crucial that we, the nations of Africa and the Global South, assert our place in this evolving landscape.
“Our participation is not just beneficial. It is essential to ensure that AI serves the interest of all humanities, not just the privileged few,” he said.
“Issues of data, privacy, algorithm algorithmic bias, job displacement and geopolitical competition have underscored the need for a clear, fair and inclusive regulatory regime at the heart of this regulatory discussion must be the voices of the Global South, particularly Africa,” the DG added.
- Inuwa called attention to the regulatory efforts underway in regions like the United States, China, and the European Union, noting that these frameworks often reflect specific local contexts and priorities.
- However, he emphasized that the voices of the Global South—particularly Africa—must be central in shaping global AI regulations.
- He called for a regulatory framework that acknowledges diverse cultural, economic, and social contexts, stressing that challenges and opportunities in cities like Lagos, Nairobi, and Johannesburg differ significantly from those in Silicon Valley or Schengen.
Positioning Africa in the AI space
To position Africa as an active player in global AI regulation, Inuwa highlighted the need for substantial investment in building local capacity, including the development of AI talent, support for research and development, and fostering homegrown innovations.
- He urged for the creation of indigenous AI solutions tailored to Africa’s unique challenges in areas like agriculture, healthcare, and education, which would also enable the continent to contribute meaningfully to global AI standards.
- However, he acknowledged the hurdles faced by many African nations, such as limited digital infrastructure, regulatory frameworks, and financial resources needed to fully exploit AI’s potential.
- He pointed out that these challenges present an opportunity for collaboration, calling for strategic alliances among nations in the Global South to amplify their collective voice in global AI governance.
What you should know
The NITDA DG’s position on equal participation in AI regulation resonates with the recent report released by the United Nations (UN), which expressed concern that only seven countries are currently involved in the governance of AI and making decisions that affect other countries.
The UN Secretary-General’s High-level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence in its final report titled “Governing AI for Humanity” stated that the seven countries involved in AI governance for the rest of the world include Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
- The body noted that equity demands that more voices play meaningful roles in decisions about how to govern technology that affects them.
- It emphasized that the concentration of decision-making in the AI technology sector cannot be justified, adding that historically many communities have been entirely excluded from AI governance conversations that impact them.
[Nairametrics]
A bail application by the detained Binance executive, Tigran Gambaryan, was rejected on Friday by the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The bail was rejected by Justice Emeka Nwite, who presided over the case.
On September 4, 2024, the Federal High Court in Abuja heard arguments regarding Gambaryan’s new bail application between his lawyer, Mark Mordi, SAN, and counsel for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ekele Iheanacho.
It would be recalled that Mordi applied for the court to admit his client to bail on liberal terms, or alternatively, to admit him to bail for six weeks on the basis of ill health.
He submitted that his client is managing serious health challenges that cannot be adequately managed in Nigeria.
The lawyer presented exhibits before the court including medical reports, showing his client needs medical care, and strongly recommended surgery.
Gambaryan’s family also submitted that he “can no longer walk” due to a health condition involving a disk issue.
However, the EFCC contested these claims.
The anti-graft agency presented a medical report (as an exhibit before the court) from the State House Annex Clinic in Asokoro, Abuja, in which it claimed that the detained Binance executive, Tigran Gambaryan, refused prescribed medications and food when attended to by a neurosurgeon in July 2024.
Delivering judgement on the bail application on Friday, Justice Nwite held that it is not in dispute that Gambaryan’s first bail application, which concerns health, has been appealed.
Nwite stated that the current bail application amounts to an abuse of court process because Gambaryan has a pending appeal against the refusal of the first bail.
He added that there are no new facts regarding medical care in the fresh bail application, as the EFCC has shown that Nigerian authorities and hospitals are capable of treating Gambaryan.
He said that since an appeal has been filed, a lawyer is restrained from re-litigating, especially having not withdrawn that appeal.
“On this leg alone, this bail application is bound to fail,” he said.
Furthermore, Nwite said that based on medical records at his disposal, renowned Nigerian medical experts are already managing Gambaryan’s health.
However, the court ordered the Nigerian Correctional Service to refer Gambaryan to any standard hospital in Abuja under security supervision.
Gambaryan has been in detention since February over allegations of money laundering.
[NaijaNews]
The United Nations Association of Africa (UNAA) has appointed Amb. Sylvester Okafor as its new President General, marking a significant milestone in the organisation’s history.
The appointment, which was made in Abuja Nigeria during the celebration of the 64th anniversary of Nigeria’s membership of the United Nations, witnessed the attendance of several dignitaries including the World Peace President, Amb Per Stafsen, from the Kingdom of Denmark
A statement by the chairman, Board of Directors of the association, Amb Emmanuel Nkweke, said this esteemed position is a testament to Amb. Okafor’s tireless efforts in promoting global peace, development, and humanitarian causes.
He noted that as the founder and CEO of First Foster Care Foundation Incorporated in the USA, Amb. Okafor has demonstrated exceptional leadership and commitment to improving the lives of vulnerable populations, stressing that his expertise in international relations, diplomacy, and social development will undoubtedly propel UNAA’s mission forward.
Under Amb. Okafor’s visionary leadership, UNAA is poised to strengthen partnerships, foster collaborative initiatives, and advance Africa’s interests on the global stage. His appointment is a source of pride for Nigeria, reflecting the country’s growing influence in international affairs.
The statement emphasised that Amb. Sylvester Okafor is a renowned diplomat and humanitarian, founder and CEO, First Foster Care Foundation Incorporated, US, with a track record of promoting peace, development, and social justice
“This appointment is a well-deserved recognition of Amb. Okafor’s dedication to global peace and development. We look forward to his leadership in driving UNAA’s agenda and promoting African interests worldwide.
“As Amb. Okafor assumes this critical role, Nigerians and the international community eagerly anticipate his strategic vision and impactful contributions,” the statement added.
[Leadership]
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The Pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, has called on President Bola Tinubu to call to order those using federal might to disrupt states.
It specifically condemned the situation in Rivers and what it called it “growing abuse of power by the Federal government” during the conduct of local government elections in the state.
Afenifere’s position was contained in a statement by its Deputy Leader, HRH Oba Oladipo Olaitan, and Prince Justice Faloye Afenifere, the National Publicity Secretary.
According to the Yoruba group, “The role of the Judiciary to muddy the election process and the refusal of the Police to do the obligatory duty of protecting the peace of the state is strongly condemned. The two institutions are complicit in the breakdown in that state.
Afenifere also called on “all patriotic citizens, especially state assemblies” to reject the Local Autonomy Independent Electoral Commission Establishment Bill 2024 currently being pushed through the National Assembly, insisting the move to take over the conduct of LG elections from SIECs would amount to state capture and abuse of the country’s federalism.
The Afenifere group loyal to Chief Ayo Adebanjo insisted that “Nigerian citizens would be effectively silenced and conquered by a one party dictatorship if the move to take over LG elections scales through.
“Ultimately, Afenifere reiterates its stance that only a decentralization of power from the federal government can bring true representative and efficient governance to Nigeria,” it added.
The statement read further: “Afenifere has been warning of the dangers of the Tinubu administration’s move towards overcentralized unitarist governance with his attempt to take over Local Government finance and electoral administration, whose motivation has played out in River State with the botched attempt to seize control of Rivers State.
“Unable to use other means to frustrate and usurp the Rivers State Governor, the federal government has been used by the Governor’s previous Godfather, Mr Nyesom Wike, to go for the jugular by attempting to takeover the control of the local governments. The inherent abuse and inefficiency of our overcentralized structure was deployed in favor of Nyesom Wike, the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, to pursue his personal political ambitions to undemocratically control the state after falling out with his political protege.
“Following the further bastardization of the Judiciary to sabotage the Rivers State local government elections with a kangaroo court judgement to withhold Rivers State voters register, the federally controlled police was withdrawn from its statutory obligations to safeguard true and fair elections in Rivers State.
“With a spirit of defiance to uphold the principles of federalism, the River State government went ahead to hold elections in its administrative units aka local governments.
“As absolute power corrupts absolutely, Nyesom Wike went ahead to carry out his earlier threats to burn down any State that doesn’t conform to his personal dictates backed by federal might, as his emboldened loyalists set fire on local government offices across River State without fear of laws only enforceable by the federal police.”
Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun to understand that the Nigerian Police is an instrument to not only serve the Nigerian federal government but the Nigerian federation as a whole, adding that he “should not lend himself to abuse of the federation by the federal government.”
[DailyTrust]
More trouble looms for Nigerians as the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria has rejected the ex-depot price of Premium Motor Spirit by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.
The marketers with over 70 percent of filling stations in Nigeria threatened that they will stop operation if NNPCL refuses to back down on its new petrol ex-depot price of N1,010 per liter.
The spokesperson of IPMAN, Chinedu Ukadike disclosed this to DAILY POST in an interview on Friday morning.
His comments come as NNPCL on Wednesday announced a fresh price hike across its retail outlets nationwide to between N998 and N1,030 in Abuja and Lagos State.
The state-owned company also announced between N1,040 to N1,010 as the per liter prices they will sell to marketers.
Reacting, Ukadike said the ex-depot petrol prices announced by NNPCL showed that the company is poised to inflict continued suffering on Nigerians.
He stressed that IPMAN members will not accept a petrol price higher than what NNPCL sells at its retail outlets.
According to him, the action of NNPCL cannot be termed as deregulation.
He noted that with the NNPCL petrol ex-depot price of N1010, oil marketers who own the majority of filling stations nationwide will sell the product at N1,200 per liter.
“NNPCL is selling ex-depot in Port Harcourt at N1045 per liter, Calabar (N1040), Lagos (1010).
“We refuse the price by NNPCL. We cannot comply with the price. We will not lift NNPCL petrol, we are not interested.
“NNPCL will continue to suffer the masses. They are selling N998, why are they selling to us above the price they are selling to IPMAN members at N1010, by the time logistics cost is added, the petrol price will get to N1200,” he fumed.
This portends a looming fuel scarcity nationwide.
DAILY POST observed that in Abuja, the majority of filling stations were not dispensing fuel on Thursday.
Earlier, the Nigeria Labour Congress called for an immediate reversal of the latest fuel price hike by NNPCL.
However, the Nigerian government on Wednesday blamed market forces for the fuel price hike in the country.
[Dailypost]
Former Big Brother Naija contestant, Victoria Adeleye popularly known as Veeiye, has voiced frustration with Nigeria’s economic challenges, likening the situation to a “social experiment.”
In a post on her X page, Veeiye stated: “Nigeria: too expensive to live, too expensive to leave. Almost feels like a social experiment. It’s like they want to see how much people can take.”
[TheNation]
A new bill has been proposed in Nigeria that will require individuals engaged in banking, insurance, stock-broking, or other financial services to provide a Tax Identification Number as a precondition for opening a new account or operating an existing one.
According to the bill, titled “A Bill for an Act to Provide for the Assessment, Collection of, and Accounting for Revenue Accruing to the Federation, Federal, States, and Local Governments; Prescribe the Powers and Functions of Tax Authorities, and for Related Matters”, this legislation aims to enhance tax compliance and improve the country’s revenue collection process.
The bill, obtained from the National Assembly and dated October 4, 2024, stated, “A person engaged in banking, insurance, stock-broking, or other financial services in Nigeria shall make the provision of a tax ID, a precondition for opening a new account or operating an existing account.”
This requirement is part of broader efforts to ensure that all individuals and entities participating in financial activities are properly registered for tax purposes.
The bill also outlines that any non-resident person supplying taxable goods or services to any individual in Nigeria or deriving income from the country must register for tax purposes and obtain a Tax ID.
However, non-resident individuals who derive only passive income from investments in Nigeria will not be required to register, although they must provide relevant information as prescribed by the relevant tax authority.
The proposed legislation also empowers the relevant tax authority to automatically register and issue a Tax ID to individuals who should apply for one but fail to do so.
In such cases, the tax authority is required to promptly notify the individual of their registration and the issuance of the tax ID.
Failure to comply with these requirements may result in administrative penalties. According to the bill, a taxable person who fails to register for tax will incur a penalty of N50,000 in the first month of non-compliance, followed by N25,000 for each subsequent month.
[Punch]