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36 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2019 acchaeus and the perils of a ta collector WHEN the tenure of a chief executive is coming to an end, there’s usually a feverish outbreak of schemes to push him over the edge, for good or bad reasons. Lobbyists are masters of the game. They keep a diary of appointment and termination dates - including possible renewal where the law permits - and also keep a meticulous dossier of everything that happens in-between to sway public opinion and, possibly, the appointor. If the chief executive under scrutiny is a tax collector, then he is despised with the venom reserved for acchaeus, the biblical tax collector. acchaeus was the Israelite hired by the occupying Roman government to collect taxes and levies from his own people. Even though he appeared to be an honest guy, doing his ob as best as he could, the system was so badly tainted that anyone who held that ob was viewed with suspicion. Being a rich and short man only made things worse for acchaeus. Many modern-day acchaeuses like the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Tunde Fowler, may be taller and, therefore, have no need to climb a sycamore tree to find salvation, but their professional perils have not changed much. As Fowler’s first term comes to an end, there has been heightened interest in whether or not he would be retained, with arguments flying on both sides. In a country so spoilt by oil rent that government is only ust beginning to take taxation seriously against a wall of resentment by the public that considers paying taxes punishment, tax collectors are still as despised today as they were in the days of acchaeus. And their enemies are vocal and influential. With oil revenues ever more precarious and politicians promising heaven on earth, tax collectors need the skills of acchaeus, if not his stature, to survive. n his appointment as the nation’s chief tax collector in 2015, Fowler was under pressure to live up to the hype following his accomplishments as the chairman of Lagos State Internal Revenue Service, LIRS, where he raised the internally generated revenue from N600million in 1999 to N20billion in 2015. The challenges at FIRS were daunting, yet Fowler was also under pressure to meet the high standards set by his predecessor, Ifueko moigui- kauru. With crude oil prices plunging as low as $30 per barrel at some point in the life of the Buhari administration, Fowler needed something beyond the precarious balancing act of acchaeus to raise revenue from taxes. The economic recession compounded his misery. The plunge But he took the plunge. Fowler plugged internal leakages and loopholes instigated by insiders; adopted more efficient tax collection methods; and enticed a large army of tax defaulters through the oluntary Assets Income Declaration Scheme, which raked in N17billion within the first six months of introduction. By 2016, FIRS had brought into the tax net 800,000 new corporate taxpayers and by the first half of 2018, tax revenue had increased by 42 per cent. Non-oil tax revenue in the same year was a record N2.852trillion, representing more than 50 per cent of N5.3trillion that year. By the end of 2018, he had almost doubled the revenue benchmark from N3.2trillion in 2015 to N5.3trillion. Also, the FIRS generated N1.5 trillion revenue in the first quarter of 2019, and revenue from nonoil taxes had increased to 11 percent compared to the previous year. With more reforms, including but not limited to tackling multiple taxes duties levies; improvements in infrastructure; removal of red tape and better regulatory environment; reduction in corporate taxes; and possibly, introduction of flat rate tax, the revenue from the tax pie could grow beyond its present level. As things are now, the relatively narrow taxable base, comprising mainly distressed formal sector workers and struggling small business owners, is reaching its elastic limits. While going after the big-time dodgers, the government needs to grow the economy more aggressively and nurture small businesses to expand the tax base. Also, the challenge for countries like Nigeria is how to substantially fund their budgets from incomes not determined by the outside world, which include extractive resources, loans and grants. Collaboration and involvement, as well as deploying technology have been crucial to the changes at the FIRS in the last four years. The service signed a memorandum of understanding with the state revenue boards to exchange taxpayer information. It also broadened its AT collection scope with the adoption of States Accountants General, SAG, collection platform, AT Auto- Collect, integration of GIFMIS platform with ministries, departments and agencies, MDAs, and through e-Service payment option. Due to these efforts, FIRS and states have over 19 million taxpayers nationwide by 2018. Collabo Through collaborative efforts, monitoring and compliance tracking have also improved. And because technology has been put to better use, it is easier to file tax obligations. By aggressively enforcing the Taxpayers Identification Number, TIN, registration exercise, 45 million taxpayers would be captured in the tax net by December 2019. The figure was less than half of that when Fowler took over in 2015. About 6,772 accounts with balances of between N1billion and N5billion were identified without their owners having TIN and did not file any tax returns. They are reportedly being engaged on what they should henceforth be paying to FIRS yearly as tax. Some other Will the hawks in government allow Fowler to carry through the reforms required to further strengthen the FIRS? measures Fowler introduced to grow FIRS tax returns in the last four years i n c l u d e automation and incentives for taxpayers Integrated Tax Administration System, ITAS; e- registration; e- Filing; e-Payment; e-Receipt; e-TCC, Electronic tax certificate. He is also focusing on big players in the property market who control big portfolios in key cities like Lagos, Abu a and Port Harcourt and don’t pay tax on them. Also worthy of note is that within the last four years, FIRS has helped facilitate the payment of N135.8b as outstanding Pay As You Earn, PAYE, tax liabilities owed the states by Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, from 2002 to 2016. The recent reclassification of Nigeria by the World Bank among the most improved countries with regards to the Ease of Doing Business, attributed substantially to the institutional reforms introduced by Fowler at FIRS, means that the future is not gloomy without oil. With Nigeria’s 2020 national budget estimated at N10trillion and considered perhaps the most ambitious ever laid down by a Nigerian government, taxation becomes a core source of revenue pro ections, especially with unstable oil price. It is a reminder of the conveniently reminisced glorious past, particularly pre-Independence Nigeria, when regions funded their budgets from taxation, agriculture and real production, not oil rent. Will the hawks in government allow Fowler to carry through the reforms required to further strengthen the FIRS or will the lobbyists’ pressure for change prove too hard to resist Whichever way the government decides, the peddling of the long knives that started with acchaeus in Jericho won’t end with Fowler. But the government’s answer will send an important message about how serious the government is with its reforms. :Van- :@vanguardnews :@vanguardnewsNEWS HOTLINES: VIVO launches V17 Pro smartphone S MARTPHONE company, VIVO has launched the V17 Pro smartphone, a stylish device with amazing features that will not only compete with flagships from competitors but could displace them. The company said it is not deterred by the Nigerian mobile phone market, with its over 20 mobile phone brands, which presumably shipped over 100 million devices and served about 40 million users. It noted that these and more were considered when it was about to launch its flagship product, V17 Pro into the Nigerian market. According to a statement, the firm stated that ''Vivo V17 Pro boast of six highend cameras and debuts the first ever Elevating Dual Pop-Up Front Camera of 32MP and 8MP (Wide Angle Camera). The front camera also comes with a selfie softlight which makes pictures clear in lowlight environments. ‘’Due to the peculiarity of the camera, many would assume there would be a notch on the phone to accommodate all of these, but then, Vivo has found a way to brilliantly conceal the camera, earpiece and sensor, in order to allow users enjoy a fantastic visual experience.''
FRIDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 29, 2019 — 37 By Benjamin Njoku 08111813022 End of beef: 2Baba drops N50m lawsuit against Blackface ‘I’m relieved that this matter has been settled’ After weeks of mediation, legendary singer, 2Baba, has agreed to end his legal battle by an out-of-court settlement with his former band mate, Augustine Ahmedu popularly called Blackface. . 2Baba had in 2018 dragged Blackface to court for defamation of character, following several claims made by Blackface across several media platforms. The latter had accused 2Baba and his manager/business partner, Efe Omorogbe of intellectual property theft, claiming that 2Baba stole his songs "African Queen" and "Let Somebody Love You". He also accused the duo of blacklisting him in the industry, and sabotaging his career. After Blackface ignored a cease and desist request from Mr. Justin Ige, principal at Creative Legal on behalf of Innocent Idibia and Efe Omorogbe, the only legal option was the filing of a defamation suit with a N50m damages claim. Blackface's preliminary objection was dismissed by the court in April 2019 by the Honourable Justice Oyefeso and his counter claim was withdrawn in October. Justice Oyefeso who then proceeded to refer the matter to the Lagos Multi Door Court for mediation. The mediation process anchored by Mrs. Ronke Koku resulted in the out-of-court settlement that was finalized on Wednesday, November 27, 2019. Blackface submitted to apologize to 2Baba and to desist from making any such defamatory claims in the future. His apology reads: “Having consulted with my Solicitors, I do hereby revoke all allegations of intellectual property theft and career sabotage previously made against Mr. Innocent Idibia and Mr. Efe Omorogbe. These statements were erroneously made under misapprehension as to their accuracy, due to prevailing circumstances at the time. I have been advised on the inaccuracy of my previous allegations and retract them entirely. I undertake to refrain from making any such subsequent statements against the persons of Mr. Innocent Idibia and Mr. Efe Omorogbe in future”. 2Baba and his manager, Efe Omorogbe, on their part, graciously accepted the apology and agreed not to proceed with the N50million claim in damages against Blackface bringing to an end, the long drawn media drama that has threatened to completely destroy the Plantashun Boiz legacy. Parties also agreed to work together to effect name change of Blackface from Ahmedu Austin to Ahmedu Augustine at appropriate quarters. Reacting to the development, 2Baba said ; "I'm happy and relieved that this matter has been settled and Efe Omorogbe and I are satisfied with the outcome. I can't thank family, friends and fans enough for their steadfast love and support. Thanks also to our lawyer, Mr. Justin Ige. Blessings to one and all. God bless Blackface too. Time to move on." Also, his manager, Efe Omorogbe confirmed that 2Baba has accepted the apology in good faith. Orits Wiliki celebrates 35 years on stage with double album release Reggae star and pro ducer, Orits Wiliki has revealed plans to release a double album to celebrate his three and half decades of being on stage. The reggae legend made this revelation, while in a chat with WG, last weekend. According to him, the celebration of his 35 years on stage will take place on the 22nd of February, 2020, at the Bamoral hall of Federal Palace hotel, Victoria island, Lagos. He also added that he intends to release a double album to mark the milestone in addition to launching a music college foundation for kids. “There are a lot of things happening now. We need to redirect our youths in terms of music writing and composition. It will an evening of fun and performance,” Wiliki stated. Describing his journey into the world of music, “as a mixture of joy, pain, loss and gains”, Wiliki noted that he's beginning of another phase in his career after 35 years on stage. The dreadlock musician, however, expressed happiness following his success story in the entertainment industry in the past 35 years. He also added that he intends to release a double album to mark the milestone. MultiChoice, VIMN Africa renew partnership, retain BET, MTV Base, Nickelodeon, others ultiChoice Group, MAfrica’s leading video entertainment company, has announced the renewal of its distribution partnership with Viacom International Media Networks Africa (VIMN Africa). The renewal guarantees the continuous broadcast of a host of VIMN Africa’s channels such as BET, Comedy Central, MTV, MTV Base, MTV Music 24, Nickelodeon, NickToons and Nick Jr. on MultiChoice’s platforms, DStv and GOtv. It also highlights the investment in local content, bringing programming that showcases the best of Africa’s creativity and talent and offers a broad range of original entertainment content across every age demographic. Yolisa Phahle, MultiChoice Chief Executive Officer, General Entertainment, said: “As Africa’s most-loved storyteller, we are pleased to share this market announcement of VIMN Africa. Our content offering ensures that we provide our partners platforms to tell their own stories in an authentic way. We invest over US $164,850 million in local content to keep bringing exciting and engaging African content to market and the industry.” “This continued partnership demonstrates the shared commitment between VIMN Africa and MultiChoice to invest in local and international content that resonates with our •Orits audiences across the continent. We truly value our collaboration with MultiChoice as it also enables us to consistently deliver great African productions,” said Alex Okosi, Executive Vice President and Managing Director for VIMN Africa and BET International. BET continues to celebrate black excellence across the African continent with its broadcast of locally produced programmes. A biopic that portrays one of South Africa’s legendary musicians in Dream: The Lebo Mathosa Story, featuring a joint lead cast of KB Motsilanyane and Bahumi Madisakwane will air on the channel. CALL TO BAR — Akpokona Omafuaire Esq of Vanguard Newspapers (middle) with family and friends, during his call to bar in Abuja. GRADUATION — From left— HRH Oba Oyebamiji Fadare, Olupo of Oluponna; Mrs. Abimbola Oshikoya, CSR Education Officer, Total Nigeria; Makinde Ayobami, one of the TotalPreneur graduands receiving starter pack; Mr. Azu Azuike, Manager, CSR Education, Total; Dr. Charles Ngeribara, CSR Advisor, Total Nigeria; Mrs. Moji Ladipo, Chairperson of the occasion with some graduands at the 2019 TotalPreneur graduation ceremony at Oluponna, Iwo, Osun State. Photo: Lamidi Bamidele. PROMO: From left— Managing Director, The La Casera Company, Chinedum Okereke; La Casera Refresh & Connect Promo Smart TV winner, Jeremiah Amobi; iPhone X winner, Oluwatobi Femi and La Casera dealer in Lagos, Fair Bridge, at the Lagos Grand Draw of the La Casera Refresh & Connect promo in Lagos. AWARD: — From right— Divisional Police Officer in-charge of FESTAC Division, Lagos, CSP Obong Okon receiving the West African Regional Partnership Award for Community Policing from the representative and Head of Research, West African Regional Summit on Peace, Security and Development, Bar. Desmond Rinse, with them are other police officers of the division.
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