The Federal Government has apologised for asking all account holders in the country’s financial institutions to register their details again. Journalists  report that the FG earlier asked   all account holders in banks, including insurance companies, to fill and submit a Self-Confirmation form . The order was given despite the possession of the Bank Verification Number and the National Identification Number by account holders on Thursday. Failure to do so, the Nigerian government threatened to block access to defaulters’ accounts or impose a monetary penalty. The order to fill another Self-Confirmation form, despite the existing BVN and NIN, had attracted condemnations on social media. However, in a tweet on Friday, the government apologised for misinformation. It tweeted, “We apologise for the misleading tweets (now deleted) that went up yesterday, regarding the completion of self-certification forms by Reportable Persons. The message contained in the @firsNigeria Notice does...

Head of Tax and Corporate Advisory Services at PwC Nigeria,  Taiwo Oyedele,  has explained the federal government’s directive to Nigerians on Self-Certification Forms. On Thursday, the President Muhammadu Buhari administration directed all account holders in banks, insurance companies and other financial institutions to obtain, complete and submit the forms. The government noted that this would enable institutions to do due diligence procedures in line with the Income Tax Regulations 2019. Consequences include monetary penalty or inability to operate the account. In his explanation, Oyedele said the development is in connection with the commencement of automatic exchange of taxpayers information between Nigeria and other countries. He noted that the information required is to enable reporting financial institutions to determine the tax residency of their customers to know which countries to share your information with. In the case of corporate accounts, the exercise is require...

Good morning! Here is today’s summary from Nigerian Newspapers 1. Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has reacted to the visa ban the United States slammed on some Nigerians involved in election rigging and violence. He told America and Britain to publish the names of citizens indicted till date. In a statement yesterday by Paulinus Nsirim, Commissioner for Information, Wike also commended the countries for their actions. 2. The Pro-Chancellor, University of Lagos, Wale Babalakin, has tendered his resignation letter. This followed the alleged disagreement with the federal government’s visitation panel sent to the university. Babalakin said there were too many vested interests in the UNILAG leadership issue. His letter of resignation was addressed to the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, and copied to President Muhammadu Buhari. 3. The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has announced the opening of a special link for the registration of additional National Youth Serv...

Good morning! Here is today’s summary from Nigerian Newspapers 1. The United States of America has imposed visa ban on politicians, who it claimed undermined the conducts of the November 2019 governorship elections in Kogi and Bayelsa States. The spokesperson for the Department of State, Morgan Ortagus, who disclosed this in a statement yesterday, said these individuals whose identities were not revealed, operated with impunity at the expense of the Nigerian people and have undermined democratic principles. 2. The Nigerian government  yesterday  announced the reopening of all domestic airports in the country. This was disclosed by the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, during the daily briefing of the Presidential Taskforce, PTF, on COVID-19 in Abuja. 3. Conference of Nigeria Political Parties, CNPP, has said that all is ready for a mass action against the President Muhammadu Buhari government. The CNPP said it has mobilized a coalition of civil society groups to join lab...

Good morning! Here is today’s summary from Nigerian Newspapers 1. The Lagos State Commissioner for Education, Folasade Adefisayo, has confirmed that only current JSS3 and SS2 students, will resume school on September 21. The Head, Public Affairs, Lagos State Ministry of Education, Kayode Abayomi, who made this disclosure in a statement yesterday, emphasized that the state will adopt a phased approach in opening public schools. 2. The presidency has accused former President, Olusegun Obasanjo of dividing Nigeria. The President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity Garba Shehu in an article  yesterday , alleged that a recent statement by the former President was an attempt to divide the nation, insisting that President Buhari had continued to promote nation-building and the unity of Nigeria. He maintained that the difference between the two leaders was clear. 3. The Southern Kaduna Peoples Union, SOKAPU, has expressed concern on the continuous invitation of the forme...

President Muhammadu Buhari has sympathized the family of former Managing Director of Nigeria Airways, Captain Paul Mamman Thahal over the death of the pilot. Buhari, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in Abuja yesterday, consoled with former Head of State, Yakubu Gowon over the loss of a good friend, confidant and prayer partner. He sympathized with Thahal’s wife, Mrs Atsa Thahal and daughter, Dr Adzira Thahal as well as all former members of staff of the Nigeria Airways and the entire aviation industry. The president believes that the resonating testimonies from the life of the deceased had proved him to be a man dedicated to promoting the kingdom of God on earth. He also lauded the deceased for committing himself to the virtues of practical Christianity like generosity, humility and selfless service. Journalists report that Late Thahal served meritoriously as Captain of Gen. Yakubu Gowon’s Presidential Flight for nine years. He a...

Good morning! Here is today’s summary from Nigerian Newspapers   1. The Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Governor’s Forum, Aminu Tambuwal, has expressed worry over the fire which engulfed the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, headquarters in Akure ahead of the Ondo State governorship election. Tambuwal, during the Ondo PDP campaign flag-off yesterday, said the party suspected foul play by the All Progressives Congress, APC, in order to rig the poll. 2. Unknown gunmen,  yesterday  stormed Banigo Isile-Ogono community in Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State, shot sporadically and abducted several persons in a gory operation. Some of the abducted victims are identified as Sunny Hart, Thomas Allison and Theophilus Ibiama, among several others. Chairman of Bonny Local Government Council, David Irimagha and lawmaker representing Bonny Constituency in the Rivers State House of Assembly, Abinye Blessing Pepple, escaped being killed in the attack...

President Muhammadu Buhari has received accolades for his recent pronouncement on importation of food items and fertilizers. The Federal Government has for years now placed a ban on importation of food items as a way of boosting local production. Journalists reports that Buhari had, in a renewal of that directive, ordered the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, not to release a kobo from the country’s foreign reserve for food and fertilizer importation. As the country continues a push for self sustenance and economic revival, the President believes that local production remains key. He also advised that the fertilizer production and supply chain should be monitored by the State governments to ensure that it got to the farmers at minimal cost. Reacting, the President of the Fertilizer Producers and Suppliers Association of Nigeria (FEPSAN) Mr. Thomas Etuh commended Buhari for taking the bold initiative. Etuh disclosed that the President’s action had encouraged local producers, and created emp...

Former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, has said the country is becoming a failed state and divided under President Muhammadu. Obasanjo claimed Nigeria needs to be rescued from the brink of collapse. He said this while delivering a speech titled, ‘Moving Nigeria Away from Tipping Over’ at a consultative dialogue attended by representatives of Afenifere, Middle Belt Forum, Northern Elders Forum, Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo and Pan Niger Delta Forum. The event was held in Abuja on Thursday. Obasanjo also said the country is becoming a ‘basket case’ economically “Today, Nigeria is fast drifting to a failed and badly divided state; economically our country is becoming a basket case and poverty capital of the world, and socially, we are firming up as an unwholesome and insecure country. “And these manifestations are the products of recent mismanagement of diversity and socio-economic development of our country. “Old fault lines that were disappearing have opened up in greater fissures and wit...

Good morning! Here is today’s summary from Nigerian Newspapers   1. The Ondo State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Salami Bolaji, has described the fire which engulfed the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Headquarters, in Akure as an unfortunate occurrence. Bolaji, who visited the scene of the inferno yesterday, said the Police Command, in conjunction with INEC management and the Ondo State Fire Service, will launch an investigation into the cause of the fire outbreak. 2. The Inspector-General of Police, IG, Mr. Mohammed Adamu, has barred security aides from accompanying VIPs and political appointees during the Edo State governorship election. The Force Public Relations Officer, FPRO, Mr Frank Mba, who announced the ban in a statement released  yesterday , said the IG had warned that anyone who flouted the order would be severely reprimanded. 3. Suspected Fulani militia has killed a 60-year-old widow, a mother of 6 children and a 56-year-old man in Manyi-Mashi...

The Presidency today says the prices of food items in the country are dropping as a result of the agricultural reforms of the regime of President Muhammadu Buhari. The President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr Garba Shehu, made this known while featuring on a  Television programme . Shehu was reacting to the President’s directive yesterday that the Central Bank of Nigeria should not release money for food and fertilizer importation henceforth. Journalists had earlier reported that the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria and the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in their reactions, warned that  the directive could cause further inflation, saying the country was not sufficient in food production and still needed forex to import some food items. Speaking also on the TV programme today, a senior lecturer in the Department of Economics, University of Abuja, Dr Ahmed Adamu, faulted the timing of the policy because of the inflation already in th...

The Department of State Services has extended the third invitation to a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Dr. Obadiah Mailafia. Mailafia, who was the Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, said this during an interview with  journalists  today. “It is true. I have been invited to their office in Jos. I was asked to appear at 11 am on Monday,” he said. Mailafia, who is also being investigated by the Nigeria Police Force, got into trouble with security agencies for his interview on  Nigeria Info 99.3FM  wherein he claimed that a repentant terrorist told him that a northern governor was a Boko Haram commander. The former deputy governor of the apex bank had also claimed that during the lockdown, weapons were distributed to several parts of the country, adding that terrorists had infiltrated Lagos. He later withdrew his comment, stating that he got the information from a third party. Last month, Mailafia had approached a High Cour...

Good morning! Here is today’s summary from Nigerian Newspapers   1. The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Akure Office, Ondo State was gutted by fire yesterday evening. It was gathered that t he inferno which started around 8 p.m., destroyed over 5,000 card readers. 2. The Delta State Police Command has arrested two notorious members of armed robbery and kidnapping gang terrorizing Otu-Jeremi community and its environs in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State. The two suspects include Stanley Samuel ‘M’ 22 years old and Zion John ‘M’ 21 years old, both of Ewu community in Ughelli South Local Government Area. 3. Prominent leaders from the North-Central geopolitical zone have exited from the Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF and announced the formation of the North Central Peoples Forum, NCPF. According to them, the new group will fight insecurity and marginalization, as they cited the worsening insecurity in the north as their reason for breaking away. 4...