News
Senate meets FG team, plans public hearing on Tax bills
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
The Senate and the Federal Government’s team, led by the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), finally met on Monday to iron out the grey areas in the four Tax Reform Bills sent by President Bola Tinubu to the National Assembly.
Amid the controversy generated by the bills, the President had last year expressed his willingness for a review, directing that the AGF should meet with the legislators to iron out grey areas.
The two teams met on Monday behind closed doors for over two hours.
Emerging from the meeting, Senator Abba Moro, who chairs the Senate’s ad hoc committee on tax reforms, said the discussions were fruitful, with significant progress made, while also hinting at a public hearing soon.
He said, “We interfaced with the AGF, the RMAFC Chairman, and the FIRS Chairman to evaluate the contentious points regarding the tax bills. We have agreed to streamline the processes to ensure the final law serves the interest of all Nigerians.”
Moro said the upcoming public hearing would provide an opportunity for broader stakeholder engagement.
“We are now working towards synthesising input from all parties, and we are optimistic about finalizing the process soon,” he added.
The Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Zacch Adedeji, expressed optimism about the bills passing legislative scrutiny, noting that the meeting had resolved all previously identified concerns.
“All grey areas were clarified today. The AGF, lawmakers, and we, the operators, are now aligned. We’re confident the laws will meet the expectations of Nigerians,” Adedeji said.
The proposed reforms include the Nigeria Tax Bill, Nigeria Tax Administration Bill, Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill, and Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Bill.
These bills aim to overhaul the nation’s tax system to enhance efficiency and revenue collection.
The bills, which passed second reading in the Senate on November 28, 2024, have drawn significant attention due to their potential impact on Nigeria’s fiscal landscape. With the planned public hearing, the Senate seeks to ensure the final legislation reflects diverse perspectives and garners broad support.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has released the results of candidates who wrote the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, on Monday.
The spokesperson of the commission, Fabian Benjamin, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday.
The statement directs affected candidates to the board’s standard result-checking channels.
According to the statement, candidates can access their scores by sending “UTMERESULT” to 55019 or 66019 via SMS, using the phone number with which they registered for the examination.
Monday’s UTME results are the latest in a series of daily result announcements that JAMB has been making since the 2026 UTME commenced on Thursday, April 16.
The examination involves over two million candidates sitting computer-based tests at centres across the country.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the appointment of Dr. Fatima Suleiman Zuntu as the new Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA)
Her appointment is for an initial term of four years and is in accordance with the provisions of the National Biosafety Management Agency Act of 2015, which governs leadership appointments within the agency.
This was disclosed in a statement from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, issued by the Head of Information and Public Relations, Chris Ugwuegbulam.
The statement highlighted Dr. Zuntu’s extensive experience in public health administration and policy formulation, noting her involvement in several nationwide programmes, particularly in the health sector and public service delivery.
President Tinubu charged her to apply her expertise in advancing the agency’s objectives and contributing to national development.
The National Biosafety Management Agency is responsible for regulating modern biotechnology in Nigeria, ensuring that its application does not pose risks to human health or the environment.
The Federal Government has finally revealed the identities of individuals who allegedly plotted to forcefully overthrow the government of President Bola Tinubu.
The suspects include a former governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Timipre Sylva, said to be at large in the charge.
Others are Major General Mohammed Ibrahim Gana, Captain Erasmus Ochegobia Victor, Inspector Ahmed Ibrahim, Zekeri Umoru, Bukar Kashim Goni and Abdulkadir Sani.
In a 13-count charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/206/2026 filed at the Federal High Court on Tuesday, they were accused of plotting to levy war against the Federal Republic of Nigeria to overthrow President Tinubu.
The alleged offence is said to be contrary and punishable under Section 37 (2) of the Criminal Code.
The alleged coup plotters are scheduled to be arraigned on April 22, before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
The charge was filed by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and signed by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN.
The Federal Government accused the defendants of treason, terrorism, and failure to disclose security intelligence and money laundering linked to terrorism financing.
The prosecution further alleged that the defendants had prior knowledge of a planned treasonable act involving one Colonel Mohammed Alhassan Ma’aji and others but failed to alert authorities.
The federal government is also prosecuting the defendants for terrorism-related offences under the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act, 2022.
JAMB Releases Monday’s UTME Results
Tinubu Makes Fresh Key Appointment In Government
FG Reveals Identities Of Alleged Coup Plotters, Files Treason Charges
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