12092019

10 — VANGUARD, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2019
FIRS recovers N97.7bn
from tax defaulters
By Emma Ujah,
Abuja Bureau Chief
A Federal
BUJA—THE
Inland
Revenue Service (FIRS)
has recovered about
N97.7 billion from tax
defaulters since banks put
a lien on the affected
individual’s and
corporate accounts, on the
instruction of the service.
The Executive
Chairman, FIRS Mr
Babatunde Fowler,
disclosed this at the 2019
Annual Accountants
Conference of the Institute
of Chartered Accountants
of Nigeria, ICAN, in
Abuja, yesterday.
He said that the N97.7
billion was paid by about
3,976 defaulting tax payers,
out of 44,293.
Fowler added that 74 out
of 406 companies have
paid about N4 billion under
the special tax audit
substitution exercise and
another N3.84 billion
defaulters under the
Voluntary Assets and
Income Declaration
Scheme (VAIDS).
FIRS has intensified its
tax collection drive lately,
especially given the
revenue challenges
facing the federal and
Fire guts NNPC Ibadan depot
By Ola Ajayi
IBADAN—A section of
the Nigeria National
Petroleum Corporation,
NNPC, Apata, Ibadan
depot was yesterday,
gutted by an inferno that
left more than three tankers
burnt.
The fire incident occurred
at the loading section of the
depot, destroying a better
part of the loading section.
Journalists, Red Cross
officials were prevented
from gaining entry into the
premises of NNPC by its
officials who appeared to be
covering the extent of the
L Chairman
AGOS—THE
of
Channels Media Group,
Dr. John Momoh, will chair
the 2019 Institute of
Chartered Secretaries and
Administrators of Nigeria,
ICSAN, annual conference,
beginning today in Lagos.
Disclosing this in a
statement in Lagos,
yesterday, the institute’s
President/Chairman-in-
Council, Bode Ayeku, said
this year’s theme: “Ease of
Doing Business in Nigeria:
The role of Regulatory
Agencies” is aimed at
promoting good
governance in both the
private and public sectors
of the Nigerian economy,
with a view to ensuring
compliance with
international best practices.
He said the program,
which begins today and
state governments.
It decided to enlist
banks as tax collecting
agents when it became
clear that some of the
defaulters deliberately
refused to pay taxes, even
when they had robust
bank accounts.
The FIRS chairman said
that his team was
determined to whip
defaulters into line and
was prepared to use every
legal means in doing so.
He warned banks caught
sabotaging the new policy
would be heavily
sanctioned, saying that
there existed many
defaulters with tax
liabilities totaling N254
billion.
His words, “As at today
there are a total of 23,141
tax defaulters who are yet
to come forward to clear
their outstanding liabilities
of about N254 billion.
“FIRS in collaboration
with the banks have started
engaging in compliance
measures with regards to
the tax defaulters and their
accounts.
“Failure to carry out
this directive will result
in the banks being
sanctioned according to
Section 31 subsection 1-
3 and 32 respectively of
FIRS Act 2007.”
damage wrecked by the
suspicious fire.
Vanguard gathered that
the fire could have been
curtailed by the safety
department of the
corporation but a senior staff
that could have checked the
outbreak was said to have
gone to the mosque to
observe afternoon prayer
leaving junior staff behind
in the office.
Although the details of the
incident were still sketchy,
Vanguard correspondent
at the scene gathered that
the fire was as a result of
carelessness on the part of
NNPC staff.
Channels Chairman, Momoh,
others for ICSAN conference
ends tomorrow, will focus
on how to do business in
Nigeria with ease and the
role various regulatory
agencies have to play in
achieving same.
Ayeku stated that the
keynote speaker is Ms.
Yewande Sadiku, the
Executive Secretary of
Nigerian Investment
Promotion Commission,
NIPC.
He added that the subtheme
speakers are Dr.
Folarin Gbadebo-Smith,
Director-General, Nigeria
Institute of Social and
Economic Research,
NISER; Mr. Wole
Obayomi, Partner and
Head, Tax, Regulatory and
People Services, KPMG,
and Mrs. Uto Ukpanah,
Company Secretary, MTN
Communications, and an
array of discussants.
IGBINEDION @ 85: From left; Chief Gabriel Osawaru Igbinedion; his wife, Lady Cherry Igbinedion,
former Edo State governor, Lucky Igbinedion and another guest during the 85th birthday celebration
of Chief Igbinedion with friends and well wishers in Benin City. Photo: Barnabas Uzosike.
OPC, VGC, Agbekoya, others begin
S’West security mapping
•As Aare Adams calls for collaboration with govs, police
By Gabriel Olawale
L Coalition AGOS—THE
of Yoruba
Local Security
Organization, under the
auspices of South West
Security Stakeholders
Group, yesterday,
commenced strategizing
on the best way to secure
the South West to
complement the efforts of
governors and Nigeria
Police.
The Coalition, which
comprises of Oodua
People’s Congress, OPC;
Vigilante Group of Nigeria;
Agbekoya Farmers
Association, Hunters
Association of Nigeria,
Yoruba Youth Council
among others said that
protecting the Southwest
against invasion remains
their major priority.
In a communiqué issued
at the end of the maiden
edition of security summit
organised by the Office of
Aare Ona Kakanfo of
Yorubaland, the group
urged Aare Gani Adams to
use his office and position
to unite all the traditional
rulers, who are the
custodians of culture and
tradition.
The Communiqué, which
was signed by all the
leaders, agreed to use the
medium to foster peace,
love, understanding and
unity among all the
paramilitary and security
stakeholders in the
southwest.
The Communiqué reads:
“The group admonished all
the leaders of various
groups to sensitize and
educate their followers not
to betray the course of
Yoruba interest. The group
also urged the Nigeria
Police Force and all
other security agencies
not to see the
partnership as a threat to
their establishment but
an attempt to support in
achieving common goal
and objective of securing
lives and properties.”
Speaking at the meeting,
the Aare Ona Kakanfo of
Yorubaland, Iba Adams
called on the respective
organizations in the
Southwest to set aside their
differences and collaborate
to tackle insecurity in the
zone.
He said: “I, hereby,
task all the groups that
came together to form the
coalition to, at all times,
support the Nigeria
Police and the South
West governors in
protecting lives and
properties. You should
complement the efforts
of all security agencies
towards community
policing in Nigeria.”
MTN Group makes broad leadership changes
MTN Group is
making a number
of changes to its executive
leadership team across
Africa.
The JSE-listed
telecommunications
operator said that the
CEO of MTN Zambia,
Philip van Dalsen, will
leave at the end of the
month, with MTN
Rwanda CEO Bart
Hofker set to the reins.
Van Dalsen joined the
group in 2012 as head of
MTN Cyprus, before
taking on the Zambia
role in January 2019.
Mitwa Kaemba
Ng’ambi has, meanwhile,
been appointed as the
new CEO of MTN
Rwanda. Ng’ambi returns
to MTN where she
previously held the role of
chief marketing officer at
MTN Benin and several
other roles at MTN Zambia.
Ng’ambi joins MTN from
Airtel Tigo Ghana, where
she held the role of CEO.
Prior to that, she was CEO
of Tigo Senegal.
Rescheduled 46th AAAN AGM/confab holds in Lagos
L Association
AGOS—THE
of
Advertising Agencies of
Nigeria, AAAN, has
concluded plans to hold
its rescheduled
46thAnnual General
Meeting/Congress at the
Orchid Hotel, Lekki/
Ajah, Lagos, on 20 and
21 September 2019.
In a statement by
AAAN Publicity
Secretary, Jenkins
Alumona, the AGM/
Congress, which was
scheduled to hold in
July in Asaba, Delta
State, was rescheduled
due to circumstances
beyond the Association’s
control.
The theme for this
year’s AGM/Congress
is The War Within:
Solutions for Survival.
President of the
Association, Mr. Ikechi
Odigbo reiterated that
the Association aims to
use the AGM as a
platform to engage in
intellectual and critical
discourse on the
challenges facing the
business and practice of
Advertising in Nigeria
and
advocate
unorthodox solutions in
rebuilding and
rebranding the industry.
Chairman of the Events
Planning Committee,
Mr. Doyin Adewumi,
disclosed that the
Association will invite its
distinguished senior
members to lead the
discourse on the theme.
To underscore the
importance of the AGM,
the Association has
invited Mr. Jimi
Awosika, Vice Chairman,
Lastly, MTN Côte
d’Ivoire CEO, Freddy
Tchala will leave MTN at
the end of September.
Tchala has been with
MTN for 17 years. After
leaving MTN Cameroon,
he served as CEO in
Guinea, Conakry and
Congo Brazzaville, before
joining MTN Côte d’Ivoire
four years ago.
“MTN will make an
announcement in due
course regarding a
successor to Tchala,” the
group said.
Troyka Holdings, as the
keynote speaker.
Panellists will include
Mr. Steve Babaeko,
Group CEO, X3M Ideas;
Mrs. Chizor Malize,
CEO, Brandzone LLC;
and Mr. Igbo Amadi-
Obi, CEO, BBDO.
Adewunmi also
revealed that in
recognition of
meritorious service,
some senior members
will be honoured and
given special recognition
awards at the AGM/
Congress.