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Nigerian Economy Remains under Great Threat, US Warns

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  • Nigerian Economy Remains under Great Threat, US Warns

The United States military yesterday warned that the Nigerian economy remains under great threat following the surge in criminal activities in the Niger Delta and the threats by militants to resume bombing of oil facilities in the region. The rise in lawless activities around the Gulf of Guinea was also identified as another threat to Nigeria’s economy.

The warning from the Commander of the United States Naval Forces in charge of Europe and Africa, Admiral Michelle Howard, is coming amid a ray of hope by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) that Nigeria was now out of economic recession with a growth rate of 0.55 per cent.

Howard, who was speaking while presenting the US Presidential Medal of Honour to Nigeria’s Deputy Military Attachee to the US, Navy Captain Kolawole Oguntuda, at the Naval Headquarters in Abuja said: “Oil extraction and production accounts for 75% of Nigeria’s revenue with the vast majority of oil infrastructure existing off shore or really close inshore. So terrorism, criminal networks, illegal bunkering with damages of oil pipeline directly threatens Nigeria economy.

“That is where navies come in. I, as the commander, regards the Nigerian Navy as a key regional partner in securing the Gulf of Guinea and I seek to strengthen our relationship by assisting in economic security and enhancing regional stability.”

Speaking, the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas assured that the Nigerian Navy was ready and capable of containing threats posed by the Niger Delta militants.

“We actually don’t need people from outside to tell us how strategic Nigerian Navy is in securing our environment, maritime space and the Gulf of Guinea.

“The maritime environment has seen a spate of piracy attacks, robbery, especially last year. We also saw some elements of resource theft, including illegal fishing in our waters, human trafficking, arms trafficking as well as drug trafficking, not to mention waste dumbing and environmental concerns.

“The strategic role Nigeria plays is what has brought in America. For the threats you mentioned in the Niger Delta, one thing I want to assure you is that so long as human beings exist, there will always be conflicts, and once there are conflicts, there would always be ways of resolving those conflicts.

“For Nigerian Navy, we will continue to build our capacity and capabilities to enable us contain such threats,” Ibas stated.

On securing Nigeria’s maritime territory, the CNS added: “If Nigeria is the main concern to look at in the sub-region, Nigeria therefore becomes an important country for those who have interest in this region, to come and have conversation to see how they can enhance the maritime law enforcement agencies, in this case, the Nigerian Navy in particular, to see how we can make the maritime environment secured and promote trade and prosperity in the region.

“US government has always been offering us support. The sea do not belong to any particular individual, they are global commons, and transnational crimes that occur, means that from one country to the other, your security can be compromised if the sea space is not properly governed.

“So, for US, wherever they have interest, they are ready to provide the needed support. And I think it stands for Nigeria also, where we have to ensure that the Gulf of Guinea is secured, including the security of neighbouring states.”

Udoma: Steps Taken to Reflate Economy Got Nigeria Out of Recession

In a related development, the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udo Udoma has declared that the steps taken by the federal government to reflate the economy through the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) culminated in the country exiting recession in the second quarter of 2017.

Udoma, who was a guest of Arise TV recalled that earlier in the year, the Buhari administration unveiled its flagship programme – Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) – “that sets out strategy for the next four years on what we intend to do to get the economy firstly out of recession and on to a sustained diversified inclusive growth.”

According to the minister, the target was to achieve a 7 per cent growth by 2020, adding that focusing on the five execution priorities of the ERGP helped in seeing the economy out of contraction.

Udoma added: “The steps that we have been taking to reflate the economy, to make it easier to do business, focused on the five execution priorities – stabilising the macroeconomic framework, agriculture, transportation, power and energy and manufacturing. These are things that have helped to get us out of the recession and those are things that are going to get us into the path of sustaining it.”

The Budget and National Planning Minister said the administration was taking some measures to ensure that the economy takes a firm footing.

He said: “What we are trying to do basically is to diversify the economy. It is true I do agree that at the moment we are dependent on one commodity – crude oil. That is something that we inherited and our plan is to move out of that dependency, but to move out of that dependency, we need the resources from crude oil and that is why we have a lot of initiatives in the Niger Delta to try and get oil production back.

“Yes, we are dependent but our plan is to move out of that dependency and therefore we are putting a lot of resources on agriculture and agriculture has been moving up, production has moved up. We are putting a lot of resources as well as to get manufacturing going, and in the 2017 Budget, we allocated funds for special economic zones in each of the geo-political zones of Nigeria.

Is the CEO and Founder of Investors King Limited. He is a seasoned foreign exchange research analyst and a published author on Yahoo Finance, Business Insider, Nasdaq, Entrepreneur.com, Investorplace, and other prominent platforms. With over two decades of experience in global financial markets, Olukoya is well-recognized in the industry.

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Gov Aiyedatiwa Signs ₦96 Billion Supplementary Budget Into Law, Hails Ondo House of Assembly For Swift Passage

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The Governor of Ondo State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has expressed gratitude to the State House of Assembly for the swift passage of the Supplementary Budget as he signs the ₦96 billion budget into law.

Governor Aiyedatiwa spoke on Tuesday, November 15, during the signing of the supplementary budget in Akure.

The governor explained that the supplementary budget is necessary to help his administration address the economic challenges in the state.

According to him, the new budget signed into law is also essential for the state government to implement the new ₦73,000 minimum wage for civil servants and new employees, as well as for the recruitment of workers in the state.

Aiyedatiwa said, “The supplementary budget is necessary because of the time we are in and the trends of what is happening in the state and country in general; the new minimum wage, subsidy removal, and the recent recruitment of workers.”

Aiyedatiwa stated that his administration was grateful to the leadership and members of the House of Assembly for passing the bill.

He highlighted the harmonious relations between the two arms of the state and reaffirmed that his administration will continue to work with the House of Assembly for the betterment of the Ondo people.

The Speaker of the House of Assembly, Olamide Oladiji, thanked the Governor, stating that the steps taken by his administration have not only transformed the state but also proven the governor’s ability and capacity to deliver on the job ahead.

He expressed optimism that the bill signed into law would positively impact the lives of the citizens.

“These giant strides have not only transformed the state in all facets but have clearly demonstrated your vision, capacity, intellectual ability, zeal, passion, direction, and a clear understanding of the enormous job ahead.

“It is therefore hoped that the implementation of these laws will meaningfully impact the lives of the good people of the state.”

Oladiji pledged the continuous support of the House to Aiyedatiwa’s administration, saying, “I want to, on behalf of my colleagues, assure you, Mr. Governor, of our continuous support and cooperation to ensure the success of this administration.”

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MEND Tackles Ex-Agitators For Threatening To Bomb Oil Installations In Rivers 

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A war of words has ensued between a militant group, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) and a coalition of ex-agitators over alleged plan to attack oil installations in the region by the latter group.

Following the political crisis rocking Rivers State, a coalition of ex-agitators and fighters in the region under the aegis of Niger Delta Development Force had last week threatened to blow-up oil facilities in the region over what it termed a plot to seize financial allocations meant for local government areas in Rivers State through the courts.

The former warlords dared the Federal Government and the Central Bank of Nigeria, saying if they proceeded in withholding the funds for the state, it would have grave consequences.

Kicking against the threat, MEND’s spokesman, Jomo Gbomo, in a statement on Friday, said it will support security operatives in safeguarding crude oil installations from any attack.

Gbomo also said MEND is not in support of the violence that Rivers State has been experiencing due to the lingering feud between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and his successor and estranged political godson, Siminalayi Fubara.

Describing the attack plan as threat to the economy of the country, Gbomo said it would be most unfortunate for a political dispute between two politicians to cost the state and Nigeria assets that are pivotal to nation’s survival.

Noting that the both feuding political gladiators are sons of the Niger Delta, the spokesman asked those making the threats not to allow themselves be tricked using the present circumstance into carrying arms against the Nigerian state on behalf of any of them, not even for any price.

He said as an Ijaw son, he knows the gains of having an Ijaw man as governor in Rivers, adding that it is an achievement which would not have been possible but for the collaboration of other ethnic groups.

According to him, the current healthy collaboration from the various ethnic groups which produced an Ijaw son as governor was spearheaded by the FCT Minister.

The statement said not only would MEND back the Federal Government in protecting oil facilities, but it would also ensure that the masterminds of the threats to attack oil installations are fished out and meant to face justice.

The MEND spokesman, however, urged the elders and traditional institutions in the region to intervene in the face-off between Governor Fubara and the FCT Minister.

He also urged parties in the festering political crisis to seek judicial redress if peaceful dialogue fails.

 

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Northern Governors Oppose New VAT Model as FG Defends Tax Reform Bills

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The Federal Government has addressed concerns raised by the Northern Governors’ Forum regarding the proposed tax reform bills before the National Assembly.

Investors King gathered that Governors of 19 Northern States of Nigeria, under the platform of the Northern Governors’ Forum met with the traditional rulers from the region to agree to disagree with the Federal Government’s new value-added tax model.

In a communiqué read by the chairman of the forum, Governor Muhammed Yahaya of Gombe State, the governors strongly opposed the new derivation-based model for Value-Added Tax (VAT) distribution in the new tax reform bills proposed by President Tinubu’s government.

Addressing the governors’ concern, the FG in a statement on Thursday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga stated that the proposed bills will streamline Nigeria’s tax administration processes, enhance efficiency and eliminate redundancies across the country’s tax operations.

According to Onanuga, the bills which is currently before the National Assembly for consideration emerged after extensive review of existing tax laws.

The statement reads, “While we commend the Governors and traditional rulers for supporting President Bola Tinubu over the success recorded in addressing the country’s security challenges, we consider it necessary to address the misunderstandings and misgivings around the tax reform already embarked upon by the administration.

“President Tinubu and the Federal Executive Council recently endorsed new policy initiatives aimed at streamlining Nigeria’s tax administration processes, enhancing efficiency and eliminating redundancies across the nation’s tax operations.

“These reforms emerged after an extensive review of existing tax laws. The National Assembly is considering four executive bills designed to transform and modernise Nigeria’s tax landscape.

“First is the Nigeria Tax Bill, which aims to eliminate unintended multiple taxation and make Nigeria’s economy more competitive by simplifying tax obligations for businesses and individuals nationwide.

“Second, the Nigeria Tax Administration Bill (NTAB) proposes new rules governing the administration of all taxes in the country. Its objective is to harmonise tax administrative processes across federal, state and local jurisdictions for ease of compliance for taxpayers in all parts of the country.

“Third, the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill seeks to rename the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) as the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) to better reflect the mandate of the Service as the revenue agency for the entire federation, not just the Federal Government.

“Fourth, the Joint Revenue Board Establishment Bill proposes the creation of a Joint Revenue Board to replace the Joint Tax Board, covering federal and all states’ tax authorities.

“The fourth bill also suggests establishing the Office of Tax Ombudsman under the Joint Revenue Board, which would serve as a complaint resolution body for taxpayers.

“It is instructive to note that these proposed laws will not increase the number of taxes currently in operation. Instead, they are designed to optimise and simplify existing tax frameworks.

“The tax rates or percentages will remain the same under these reforms, as they focus on ensuring a more equitable distribution of tax obligations without adding to the burden on Nigerians.

“The reforms will not lead to job losses. On the contrary, they are structured to stimulate new avenues for job creation by supporting a dynamic, growth-oriented economy.

“Importantly, these laws will not absorb or eliminate the duties of any existing department, agency, or ministry. Instead, they aim to harmonise revenue collection and administration across the federation to ensure efficiency and cooperation.

“At the moment, tax administration lacks coordination among federal, state, and local tax authorities, often resulting in overlapping responsibilities, confusion, and inefficiency. Without reform, this inefficiency will persist.

“The proposed laws aim to coordinate efforts between different tiers of government, resulting in better tax resource management and greater clarity for taxpayers.

“Under existing laws, taxes like Company Income Tax (CIT), Personal Income Tax (PIT), Capital Gains Tax (CGT), Petroleum Profits Tax (PPT), Tertiary Education Tax (TET), Value-Added Tax (VAT), and other taxing provisions in numerous laws are administered separately, with individual legislative frameworks.

“The proposed reforms seek to consolidate these multiple taxes, integrating CIT, PIT, CGT, VAT, PPT, and excise duties into a unified structure to reduce administrative fragmentation.

“On the proposed derivation-based VAT distribution model, which the Northern Governors oppose, it must be stressed that the new proposal, as enunciated in the Bill, is designed to create a fairer system.

“The current model for distributing VAT is based on where the tax is remitted rather than where goods and services are supplied or consumed. The ongoing tax reform seeks to correct the inherent inequity in the current derivation model as a basis for distributing VAT revenue.

“The new proposal before the National Assembly outlines a different form of derivation which considers the place of supply or consumption for relevant goods and services. This means that states in the Northern region that produce the food we eat should not lose out just because their products are VAT-exempt or consumed in other states.

“These reforms are critical to improving the lives of Nigerians and were not put forward by President Tinubu to undermine any part of the country. There is no better time than now for the National Assembly to give due consideration to these bills that will overhaul our tax systems and create the revenue all the tiers of government require to fund the development our country and people urgently need.”

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