N140m tax evasion: Lagos shuts down 13 more companies

Thirteen more companies have been shut down by the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service, LIRS, for allegedly defaulting to pay over N140 million in company taxes.
The affected companies owed taxes ranging from one to six years, the Head of LIRS Distrain Unit, Folasade Coker-Afolayan, said on Friday.
Lagos state has closed dozens of defaulting companies in the last few weeks as it steps up its tax drive, reputed as the nation’s most aggressive.
Eleven companies were sealed for tax debts of over N181.4 million last week.
Mrs. Coker-Afolayan said on Friday the additional companies were not legally known to the state government, and had been shut down between September 17 and 26.
“It is only the state government that is authorized to unseal these companies after remitting their taxes to government coffers,” she said.
The closures were ordered by the State High Court, and is in accordance with the Personal Income Tax Amendment Act of 2011, she said.
The Act provides that the LIRS could apply to the court for a warrant to close down companies defaulting in tax remittance.
Mrs. Coker- Afolayan described the state-wide company tax enforcement drive as successful and advised taxpayers to cooperate with officials of LIRS.
“It is better for companies to pay their taxes as at when due to avoid any sanction and by extension loss of productivity,” she said.
BusinessNews

“PIB is considerate, refreshing and competitive” – Petroleum minister responds to Shell’s claims

inShare

by Stanley Azuakola

On Thursday, in the United States of America, at a forum themed - Nigeria-Africa’s Frontier in the Global Economy, the Nigerian government gave what qualifies as its first rebuttal of claims by International Oil Companies (IOCs) that the new Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) does not give them a fair shake.
At the roundtable, which was declared open by President Goodluck Jonathan, with former British prime minister, Tony Blair, and former U.S. secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, as special guests, Nigeria’s minister of petroleum resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, defended the terms of the proposed bill.
She said that the increment of the FG’s share from deep offshore oil blocks production from 61 to 73 per cent as contained in the draft Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, before the National Assembly, was in order.
The parts of the PIB which are not going down well with the oil companies include the Nigerian Hydrocarbon Tax, of 50 per cent on profits from production in onshore and shallow water areas; 25 per cent tax from frontier acreages and deep offshore water areas; and a company income tax of 30 per cent, which they would all be expected to pay.
Shell’s country chair, Mutiu Sunmonu had argued at a stakeholders forum in Lagos last week that the fiscal terms of the law was uncompetitive and would stifle investments. However, the government insists that the two-tier tax rate is in line with its resolve to establish a progressive fiscal framework that would encourage further investment in the petroleum industry, while at the same time optimising revenues accruing to the government.
(Read: Wow! Oil companies owe Nigeria N1.57 trillion, greater than our capital budget)
According to Alison-Madueke: “I like to state that the proposed increase of government take to about 73 per cent is not only competitive, but also considerate, when we look at the scale of other entities around the world, like Norway, Indonesia and even Angola, with even higher government takes.
“The new PIB provides for a refreshing fiscal regime, which has strong incentives for enhanced exploration of new frontiers, especially in the Inland Sedimentary Basins as well as providing strong support base for the complete activation of the Gas Master Plan.
“Under the new arrangement, fiscal regime is anchored on royalty and tax, which is now predicated on production, as opposed to terrain and investment as was previously done.
“Royalty by production as outlined in the Bill is designed to capture the output of company as opposed to its location while creating a fair balance between small and big operators operating in the same terrain, thus giving operators the opportunity to make fair returns during field decline,” she added.
YNaija.com

Saudi Arabia deports more Nigerian women pilgrims

Saudi Arabia yesterday ignored protests by the Nigerian government over the deportation of female pilgrims to the holyland as the Saudi authorities deported another batch of 510 Nigerian female pilgrims to this year’s hajj. 171 pilgrims had earlier been deported on Wednesday.
The authorities of Saudi Arabia insisted that the women were unaccompanied by male relations which was considered against laid down rules of the kingdom.
An adamant Saudi Arabia has so far refused to yield any ground to Nigeria on the issue of alleged unaccompanied female pilgrims, in spite of spirited diplomatic efforts by the Federal Government.
An intriguing development was that the husband of one of the female deportees also returned home with his wife, in protest, when the Saudi Authorities refused to clear his wife, even after explaining that he was the husband of the woman.
A highly placed source at the National Hajj Commission who disclosed this said that the return (in protest) by the male pilgrim in question was an indication that there was more to the stance of the Saudi authorities than meets the eyes.
He said: “On board of the plane bringing the women is also a male pilgrim.  He decided to return home with his wife in protest when his explanations and entreaties to the fact that his wife was accompanied fell on deaf ears. That shows clearly that there is more to the issue than meets the eyes”.
It was learnt that the Chairman of the commission, Mallam Mohammed Bello, had a hectic day in Abuja, yesterday, as he had to shuttle between the Presidency and the National Assembly to brief his bosses in the executive, as well as, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, who is the leader of the Federal Government delegation to this year’s hajj.
Officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, were, until yesterday, still making efforts to get the necessary clearance for a Federal Government delegation to visit Saudi Arabia with a view to resolving the issue.
President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan  had on Wednesday constituted a Presidential delegation to interface with the Saudi authorities over the issue surrounding the detained Nigerian female pilgrims at King Abdul-Azziz International Airport, Jeddah.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, named Aminu  Tambuwal as leader of that delegation.
Other members are: Minister of State II for  Foreign Affairs,  Dr. Nuruddeen Mohammed, Ambassador Shehu Galadanchi;  Sheikh Sherif Saleh and Chairman of the Hajj Commission, Muhammad Bello.
The delegation is expected to depart for Saudi Arabia as soon as an appointment is finalised with the appropriate Saudi authorities.
Senate had on Wednesday asked President Goodluck Jonathan to liaise with the King of Saudi Arabia, King Fahad Abdulaziz to allow over 1, 500 Nigerian female pilgrims stranded in Saudi airport entry into the holy land to perform their hajj.
The directive was upon the adoption of a motion entitled, ‘Refusal of the Saudi Arabian Authority to grant entry to over 500 Nigerian female pilgrims’ sponsored by Senator Atiku Bagudu.
Leading debate on the motion, Bagudu lamented the refusal of Saudi Arabian authorities to allow the pilgrims entry into the country despite fulfilling all visa requirements.
He said, “Over 500 Nigerian female pilgrims from the various states of the federation that arrived Saudi Arabia for this year’s hajj were denied entry upon arrival at the airport in Jedda and Medina.
“All the requirements for visa and entry into Saudi Arabia had been met by the pilgrims and were still denied entry.”
The motion was widely supported by Senators as some of them that spoke yesterday urged Nigerian government to quickly intervene in the crisis, adding that the stranded pilgrims are going through untold hardships.
Senator Uche Chukwumerije, PDP, Abia while contributing to the motion asked the Federal Government to develop a new foreign policy that will protect Nigerians abroad.
He said, “Nigeria must take a robust diplomatic position and make it clear to the world that any Nigeria anywhere must be given protection of that place, if they failed, we are going to visit same on their citizens here.”
Chukwumerije also urged the Senate to mandate local coordinating authorities to ensure that pilgrims fulfill all the legal requirements of Saudi Arabia before embarking on pilgrimage.
Senate President, David Mark, who presided over the motion in his ruling, decried the situation despite interventions from Federal Government.
Mark urged the Saudi Arabia authorities to allow the pilgrims perform their religious obligation having arrived in the country.
He said, “I think that from the effort so made by the Minister of foreign affairs, rather than urge government, I think that we should ask the President to talk directly with the Saudi king because the way they operate there, nobody else may make any difference. The foreign Affairs Minister has done all he can, he has spoken to his counterpart, he has invited the ambassador, they have done whatever they possibly can and nothing has changed
“Our pilgrim having gone this far, we should insist that they should be allowed to perform the hajj and if there are lessons, we will take the necessary corrections.”
It will be recalled that no fewer than 1200  Nigerian female pilgrims from Taraba and Katsina states who were denied entry into Saudi Arabia and deported from the Medina airport, yesterday  arrived the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, ..
Meanwhile, the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Khalid Abdrabuh yesterday gave an  assurance that the controversy over the detention of  about 1,200   female Nigerian pilgrims in Saudi Arabia will be resolved today.
More than 908 women were detained at the Jeddah Airport  while   171 of them were deported to Nigeria on Wednesday.
The Saudi Ambassador  explained that the issue of detention of pilgrims who failed to meet entry requirements was not restricted to Nigeria. According to him, some pilgrims from other countries have also been subjected to similar screening on arrival at the Holy Land.
He also  hinted that  officials of the Saudi  Ministry of Hajj were already  holding talks with a delegation of the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Mecca on the issue.
He  made the pledge shortly after meeting with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal at the National Assembly.
The Federal Government had  on Wednesday given  the Saudi Arabian government 24 hours to resolve the issue. The Vice President, Namadi Sambo who  gave the order also appointed  Tambuwal as  head of federal government delegation to Saudi Arabia to resolve the impasse.
On the strenght of that presidential intervention, Tambuwal met with the Saudi Arabian envoy behind closed doors on Thursday where the duo deliberated on the way out of the pilgrimage  standoff.
Tambuwal who spoke to journalists at the end of the meeting also   disclosed   that the Nigerian mission in Riyadh has been  meeting with the  Saudi authorities to resolve the situation.
However,  chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Hon. Nnenna Elendu-Ukeje, has warned that Nigeria will not hesitate to bring back her people if the issue was  not resolved today.
The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria had on Wednesday briefed the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House on the matter. The standoff began when the Saudi Arabian authorities discovered that hundreds of
female Nigerian pilgrims  were without their statutory male escorts which is a prerequisite to  entry into Saudi Arabia.
Vanguard

Police Invade Uzere Community For Holding Delta State Deputy Governor And Entourage Hostage

Police in Oleh mobilizing to invade Uzere earlier today

By SaharaReporters, New York

The truckloads of the stern looking anti- riot mobile policemen have just arrived Uzere kingdom  arresting youths indiscriminately. Residents say that if care is not taken there could be a major break down of law and order in the area.
The arrests is related to yesterday's protest action against Delta state deputy governor, Professor Amos Utuama at Uzere kingdom.
Mr. Utuama was held hostage by youths in the area when he visited the area to assess areas submerged by flood water.
However, hs visit ignited a major row regarding the involvement of the Delta State government in the pending ten months old kingship crisis rocking Uzere kingdom in Isoko South local government area of Delta state.
Sources on the deputy Governor’s entourage told SaharaReporters that trouble started shortly Mr. Utuama    entered the town and drove straight to the palace of the deposed king to pay a courtesy call, an move that infuriated the indigenes who immediately mobilized and held him (Utuama) and his entourage hostage for over two hours.
It was learnt that youths loyal to the dethroned king, Isaac Udogri and the newly installed king, HRM Henry Ukenukpepia Etuwede 111 openly brandished dangerous weapons, those opposed to Utuama's visit began felling trees to barricade all entry and exit routes in the area.
A source told our reporter that it took the effort of the men of the Oleh police station as well as Nigerian mobile police unit in the area  to rescue the deputy governor and his entourage.
People in the community said the attack on Utuama was targetted  against the state Governor Emmanuel  Uduaghan  who is perceived as taking side with the dethroned king.

Strange object causes panic at US Consulate in Lagos

A suspicious object caused panic at the United States Consulate in Lagos Thursday forcing workers to disperse hurriedly just as the embassy promptly issued a fresh travel warning to its citizens on its website.
The consulate staff that normally closed duty by 4.pm had to leave the premises of the foreign mission as early as 2.pm leaving only few essential workers behind.
“A suspicious package was found at the US Consulate in Lagos. We are working with the Nigerian authorities and security agencies concerning the matter,” Mr. Omotunde Ajoke, an information specialist at the Public Affairs Section of the consulate told THISDAY.
According to her, the object was discovered around 2.pm and transferred to local security officials for investigation. A more detailed warning on the embassy’s website reminded Americans of the continued threat to terrorist attacks but failed to mention the suspicious object found at the consulate.
It mentioned the upcoming 52nd Independence anniversary and the recent anti-American demonstrations sparked by a US anti-Islam movie and warned the citizens to consider their personal security in the forefront of their planning.
The statement did not clearly state if the embassy anticipates a terror attack on the occasion of the celebration of Nigeria’s 52nd Independence anniversary.
  DailyPost

Diezani Alison-Madueke Maintained Rooms In Two New York Luxury Hotels During UN Assembly

Super minister: Diezani Allison-Maduekwe

By SaharaReporters, New York

Investigations by SaharaReporters revealed that Nigeria’s Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, booked and paid for two rooms in two separate high-cost hotels during the four nights she spent in New York City during the just concluded United Nations General Assembly.
Impeccable sources within the Presidency and the delegation of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) disclosed that the minister’s two rooms were booked under a pseudonym.
Saharareporters discovered that Joe Mordi, one of the minister’s closest aides who works at the NNPC office in London, booked her into a one-bedroom suite at Four Seasons Hotel located at 57 East 57th Street, New York.
When SaharaReporters inquired at the hotel, a staff said that the suite cost $5,000 per night. Ms. Alison-Madueke, who is known around Presidency circles as “Prime Minister,” was also booked into another room at the Pierre Hotel on 2 East 61st Street in New York where President Goodluck Jonathan lodged during his stay in New York. SaharaReporters found out that her room on the 28th floor of the Pierre Hotel cost Nigerian tax payers $3,000 per night. There were also additional charges in taxes and service fees.
Ms. Alison-Madueke arrived in New York in style on a private jet on Monday from London where she had made a brief stop to continue treatment for an undisclosed ailment. She is billed to return to London today. President Jonathan left New York last night around 6:00 p.m. and has arrived in Nigeria very early today.
SaharaReporters also learnt that, apart from the lavish double accommodation enjoyed by the Petroleum minister in two of New York City’s most expensive hotels, her delegation of seven NNPC officials also engaged in other acts of reckless spending. “The NNPC hired ten limousines to ferry its 7 officials, including the General Managing Director,” said our source. Five of the limousines, rented for $1,800 each per day, were stationed permanently in front of the Pierre Hotel while another five were put to the service of the NNPC officials at the Four Seasons.
The Nigerian delegation’s profligacy during the New York trip earned the attraction of America’s mainstream media. New York-based National Broadcasting Corporation ((NBC), one of the top three television networks in the US, yesterday reported that African delegates from the poorest countries stayed in some of the most expensive hotels and shopped in high-priced retail stores during the UN General Assembly. The network focused on delegates from such countries as Togo, Swaziland, and Nigeria. SaharaReporters had earlier reported that President Jonathan was quartered at the Pierre Hotel in a suite that cost $10,000 per night.
International measurements of social indices routinely rank Nigeria as one of the world’s least developed countries. Some 70% of Nigerians live on less than 2 dollars per day. “It is sad that the mindless waste of public resources in New York by President Jonathan and other Nigerian officials was happening at a time when two million Nigerians have been displaced from their homes by ravaging floods,” said an Abuja-based civil society activist.

Murder Of Newlywed: “Ugo’s friend has serious questions to answer” – Police

The late Ugo on his wedding day

As the murder of newly-wed, Ugochukwu Ozuah remains a mystery, the police in Lagos yesterday declared that Mr. Irikefe Omene, the friend who the deceased was seeing-off when he was fatally shot has questions to answer.
The Ozuah family had accused policemen of being responsible for the killing, but the police had dismissed the allegation as flawed, absolving their men of complicity.
Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Ngozi Braide told Daily Sun that Omene traveled out of the country only 48 hours after the incident, adding that he was needed to answer questions as the sole witness to Ugochukwu’s killing. Braide said the police commiserated with the family of the deceased but wanted them to assist by giving information on the whereabouts of the eyewitness who was with the deceased when he was shot.
The police spokesperson argued that Omene flew down to Nigeria for the deceased’s wedding and should not have been in a hurry to fly back after his friend was killed. “He was the sole eyewitness and we understand that he fled the country 48 hours after the man was shot dead. We need him to assist us in our investigation. He came down from abroad for the man’s wedding and should not have been in a hurry to flee the country when the police needed him most. He is the sole eyewitness that will be able to state categorically what actually transpired.” Continuing, she said it would not be proper to conclude that the man was shot dead by the police.
“We need to talk to his runaway friend. He has some questions to answer. We need his address. We are presently waiting for him to return home to assist the force in its investigation but if he fails to come home, we have the means to bring him back.” She maintained that, “the sole witness did not make any statement at the police station. He also left his friend in the pool of his own blood and ran to the deceased’s family instead of rushing him to the hospital. His action is questionable. He has serious questions to answer.” “Nigerians will be shocked after the investigation is concluded. We are still investigating, we will still brief Nigerians when we conclude our investigation.”
She further said that it was very strange for the empty shell of the bullet used in killing the man to have disappeared because “we would have taken it to the ballistic section for analysis but all the same, the autopsy result will unravel many things because the man was shot at very close range.”
Ozuah was shot dead at the UPS Junction in Gbagada, at about 10.00p.m last Thursday while seeing off his friend who had visited him at home. He was murdered five days after he got married to his wife, Joan at The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM).
 DailyPost