The Federal Government has stated its willingness to continue working with South Africa to develop creative and effective programs that would engage both nations’ young in order to avoid the negative consequences of recent events.

Mr. Sunday Dare, the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, made the announcement yesterday in Abuja during a courtesy call from Mr. Thamsanga Mseleka, the South African High Commissioner to Nigeria.

He stated that both countries’ youth may be involved in sports, education, ICT skills, and culture to help the countries’ socioeconomic development.

Mr. Dare went on to say that the two countries’ exchanges, which began today, are intended to work out systems that will allow for constant conversation and the development of solutions that will be implemented by both governments.

“I am glad that, just as Nigeria is discussing how to defend its citizens’ rights, South Africa is doing the same.” This, he claims, will ensure that both countries’ goal for mutual cooperation is realized.

The Minister stressed that the discussion should extend beyond youth meetings to stakeholder consultations in order to deepen relationships between the two countries, noting that Nigeria and South Africa have a long-standing diplomatic relationship that should not be allowed to sour.

Mr. Nebeolisa Anako, the Permanent Secretary, had earlier stated that the engagement that would improve the bilateral connection between the two countries had been long overdue, especially given the fact that both countries share so many shared interests such as sports, youth, and culture.

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Mr. Thamsanga Mseleka, the South African High Commissioner to Nigeria, stated that he was in the Ministry to brief the Minister on his country’s readiness to open up areas that will solidify the two countries’ long-standing diplomatic relationship.

He stated that South Africa was willing to cooperate with Nigeria to develop mechanisms that would improve their connection, particularly through the involvement of both nations’ youth in sports, culture, and education.

Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, a controversial Islamic cleric, has criticized Femi Adesina, President Muhammadu Buhari’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, for calling him a “bandit lover.”

“My objective has not failed,” Gumi claims, “but it was undermined or discouraged by the same powerful people who profit from the chaos.” Gumi revealed his opinions on Thursday morning via his well-known Facebook page.

Read the rest of Gumi’s post here:

WAR HAS NEVER BEEN A SOLUTION IN ANY PART OF THE WORLD AT ANY TIME.

You bootlicker who referred to me as a “bandit-lover”! I am a country-lover, a region-lover, a state-lover, a people-lover, and a humanity-lover, to name a few.

I am a board-certified medical doctor who understands how to accurately extract a brain tumor without harming the delicate brain tissues in the process. I was a commissioned military officer who understands the purpose of the military and its capabilities. I am a scholar with a Ph.D. from another country. I am an Islamic scholar who understands the depravity of taking the lives of innocent people. So, in this sea of forgetfulness, silence is not an option for me.

Only a fool would allow his home to be used as a battleground. Unfortunately, there are a lot of fools out there. Killing rats with an iron rod in your rat-infested living room will most likely destroy your devices and furniture without killing any. We should not use weaponry to cover up bad governance.

Some deceitful people claim that peace talks with herdsmen bandits have failed, and that your goal has failed as well.

My objective, I added, had not failed, but it had been undermined or discouraged by the same powerful people who profit from turmoil or who want us to destroy ourselves and leave the herders in permanent ignorance.

We tried amnesty, some remarked, but it didn’t work. You tried amnesia rather than amnesty. Amnesty isn’t amnesty unless it includes rehabilitation, reconciliation, and compensation. If you want to know what an amnesty is, ask former Niger Delta Militants who have slain security personnel in the past. What’s stopping us from establishing a federal ministry of Nomadic Affairs to handle their issues and complaints?

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All of the bandit leaders we met stated that after surrendering their guns, some remorseful ones were selected and extrajudicially executed. Peace and negotiations with them will not succeed until they trust the very unjust system that all Nigerians complain about and for which they used guns to fight. This brings us to our mediation duty. They know we won’t fool them as holy men, so they came out in force to see us. To our surprise, the same unfair system swings around and betrays our peace effort. Some in the press, whom I also refer to as criminals-in-purpose, and some politicians, whom I refer to as urban-bandits, cause the death and infirmity of more people than the bandits do as a result of their shared misuse of our meager resources and misplacement of priorities.

How many Nigerians have died recently from cholera, a water-borne disease, or typhoid, malaria, and malnutrition due to a lack of simply clean water to drink? Because of a lack of suitable maternal health facilities and competent workers, the country has a maternal death rate of almost 500000 per year. A country whose high-priced medical personnel are hunting for a way out of the blaze. Please, such a country!

By the way, you might not know that the bandits have created escape routes from aerial bombardment over time. They warned us that your attacks could only murder our women and children!

Just yesterday, two groups of banditry victims approached me, claiming that their loved ones had been kidnapped by bandits in the Kaduna suburbs of Rigachukun and Keke. When he overheard and realized they were outsiders in the region as they were summoning the villagers to guide them, an escapee engineer in the later said it gave him the courage to slip through heavily cultivated maize crops to escape. The argument is that if Zamfara is on fire for them, it is a foregone conclusion that they will seek refuge elsewhere. So, will the entire country of Nigeria be imprisoned incommunicado?

When it comes to the economic consequences of the places currently under siege, it’ll only be a matter of time before you hear them wailing. A man from Tsafe came begging yesterday because of economic stagnation; one would think that Gusau, the capital, is closer to beg than Kaduna.

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We know the substance of those cynics who have nothing useful to contribute to the situation other than vituperation and abuses. There are no reservations! You don’t expect poo to smell good.

So, what’s the answer?

Excellent Intelligence! Good policing, including the involvement of local herders in policing, as well as the rehabilitation, reconciliation, and recompense of all banditry victims. The protection of people’s rights by a good, honest judiciary. Money and time well spent on these will undoubtedly cure the sickness of delinquency, crime, and poor governance in the country.

The Federal Inland Revenue Service has warned that value added tax collection in Nigeria can only be done at the national level, not at the state level. Issues such as the input-output mechanism and multiple tax rates, according to the agency, will obstruct VAT collection at the state level.

This was revealed in a statement made by Muhammad Nami, FIRS’ Executive Chairman, in a meeting with journalists on Wednesday evening.

What the FIRS boss had to say
“VAT is based on an input-output mechanism,” he explained. What this means is that a company importing or purchasing products will have to pay VAT, either at the port if importing or to the manufacturer if purchasing from a local manufacturer.

“And when that business pays VAT, it is accounted for as input tax in the business, so that when it starts selling in any part of Nigeria and charges VAT to its own customers, it is able to recoup the input tax paid either at the port if it is an imported item or paid to the manufacturer if it is a locally purchased item,” he added.

He stated that VAT can only be applied at the national level and not at the subnational level, in order to avoid consumer confusion and multiple payments.

“It only works at the national level,” he explained. VAT cannot be implemented at the subnational level.

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“And there is no country in the world where VAT operates at the subnational level, for the simple reason that VAT is based on an input-output mechanism.”

“For instance, suppose a business person purchased an item in Osun state and paid VAT, and then took the item to sell in Sokoto state. Remember, he paid VAT when purchasing the product in Osun state, and when selling in Sokoto state, will charge VAT, and by the operations of the input/output mechanism, the business person will deduct the input tax paid in Osun state.

“In this case, because the VAT is handled by a single tax authority, the same authority that receives the VAT in Osun State will also receive the additional VAT due in Sokoto State.

“As a result, figuring out the input/output mechanism is simple, and there is no risk of a business being shortchanged or a consumer having to pay VAT more than once.”

He went on to say that the current system makes it simple to figure out the mechanism, and that there is no risk of the business being shortchanged or the consumer having to pay VAT twice.

“However, if this is done at the state level, it means that when a business person pays VAT in the state of origin, such as Osun, the state will collect the money, and when that person sells the item in Sokoto, the state will charge VAT.

“Here’s the conundrum: how does the company recoup VAT it has already paid?

“One of two things will occur. Either Osun state will have to refund the VAT collected, or Sokoto state will have to absorb the loss, which creates additional uncertainty.

He went on to say that another issue that could arise is the disparity in rates. “If Osun charges 10% VAT and Sokoto charges 5%, the businessman would have paid 10% VAT when purchasing the goods and will charge 5% VAT when selling.

“As a result, the input is greater than the output.” “Then who is responsible for the 5% shortfall?” he enquired.

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In case you missed it, here’s a reminder.
1. A Federal High Court in Port Harcourt ruled that Rivers State, not the Federal Inland Revenue Service, should be responsible for collecting Value Added Tax (VAT) and Personal Income Tax (PIT) in the state.
2 On August 9, Justice Stephen Dalyop Pam issued an order of perpetual injunction prohibiting FIRS and the Attorney General of the Federation, the first and second defendants in the suit, from collecting, demanding, threatening, or intimidating residents of Rivers State to pay FIRS personnel income tax and VAT.
3. However, a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, dismissed an application by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to prevent the Rivers State Government from collecting Value Added Tax this week (VAT).
4. Following the court defeat, the FIRS urged taxpayers not to be alarmed by a recent court ruling on Value Added Tax (VAT) by the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, which directed taxpayers to continue to honor their tax obligations under the VAT act to the agency.
5. Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has stated that the state government will continue its efforts to prevent the federal government from collecting VAT from the oil-rich state.

Navin Ramgoolam, the former Prime Minister of Mauritius, has been transferred to India for treatment after testing positive for Covid-19.

On Thursday, the leader of the opposition Labour Party left Mauritius aboard an air ambulance and arrived in India.

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A Mauritian medical team transported him from a private clinic to the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam airport tarmac.

He hasn’t traveled outside of the country since losing the general elections in 2014 and being arrested.

The Mauritian government has assumed responsibility for guaranteeing the medical trip’s costs, which will be paid by the Labour Party later.

Since last week, Mauritius has seen an increase in Covid-19 deaths.