Public Affairs Analyst

The rains are here and in torrents, we are indeed at the peak period of the season. There is now widespread flooding across many states. This newspaper on Monday, July 24, 2017 published pictures of flooding in states like Rivers, Delta, Lagos, and Ogun. In Niger State, about 25 persons were reported dead as a result of flooding. A young man, whose name was given simply as Izuchukwu purportedly died in a flood at West End Road area of  Owerri  last Saturday  while a  member of the All Progressives Congress, Alhaji Lateef Ajikanle, was also allegedly  electrocuted when he mistakenly touched live electricity wire while trying to clear debris from the flood in his compound  on Bolaji Omupo Street, Somolu, Lagos State, also last Saturday. On June 11, 2017 as a result of heavy flooding the bridge in Tatabu, Mokwa Local Government Area of Niger State collapsed. The bridge links Northern and Western parts of the country. Since then, more pressure has been put o...

If you cannot feed the world, feed yourself!    - Dr. David Oyedepo, Chancellor, Landmark University, Omu Aran, Kwara State. It was a great privilege and honour to be the guest of Landmark University during her just concluded 4 th Convocation Ceremony held last week from Wednesday, July 12 to Sunday, July 16, 2017. Though I was not there for all the time but the two full days I spent in that citadel of learning was an eye opener for me.  I learnt a lot from some of the wisdom nuggets shared by Bishop David Oyedepo as well as the convocation lecture delivered by Mr. Mezuo Nwuneli as well as the keynote address by Professor Suleiman Elias Bogoro. Since then, I have come to realise the full import of agriculture both for food security as well as economic development. Erroneously, many of us look at agriculture as mere cultivation for food production, sales and consumption. It is more than that.  At Landmark, I learnt about agribusiness and agripreneurship. ...

“The tragic consequences of wars and conflicts in Africa are self-evident. The millions killed and maimed, the millions displaced, children out of school, set us back decades economically and socially. Our resolve to end wars and conflicts in Africa is therefore our vote for a future of real growth and development for our continent.” – Acting President of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo on July 3, 2017 at the 29 th AU Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Africa Union held its 29 th Summit last week and it was another rainbow coalition of leaders from the 54 African countries.  They   jaw-jawed once again to find lasting solutions to the myriads of challenges confronting the continent.  Nigeria’s delegate to the summit was ably led by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo.  Incidentally, Nigeria, this July, officially assumed the one-month rotational chairmanship of the African Union Peace and Security Council. Nigeria's Permanent Representative to the AU, Mr. Bankole ...

Last Thursday, June 29, 2017, Acting President Yemi Osinbajo signed an Executive Order birthing Voluntary Asset and Income Declaration Scheme known as VAIDS. The scheme outlines the federal government’s plan to increase tax awareness and compliance, and grant taxpayers a time-limited opportunity to regularise their tax status without penalty. Taking a cue  from similar actions that have been successfully implemented in South Africa, Indonesia and India in 2016, Nigeria’s government hopes to bring more people to the tax net,  increase government revenue and reduce borrowing to finance budget.  Indeed the country’s narrative of tax compliance is very appalling and heart rending. Unlike several African countries whose Tax to Gross Domestic Product Ratio is average of 15 per cent, while that of many advanced countries is 30 per cent and above, Nigeria’s Tax to GDP ratio is mere six per cent. According to the National Bureau of Statistics figures, Nigeria has a taxable clas...