By Francesca Hangeior.

The Major Energies Marketers Association of Nigeria, MEMAN, has put the landing cost of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, also known as petrol at N971 per litre.

The association said the estimated Nigeria’s landing cost of petrol dropped by 20.34 per cent to N971.57 per litre over the past three months.

Despite the reduction, the retail price of petrol increased by N443, or 71.79 per cent, from N617 per litre on August 1, 2024, to N1, 060 per litre by November 8, 2024.

Data released by MEMAN’s competency centre indicated that oil marketers imported petrol at N1, 219 per litre while Brent crude oil price stood at $80.72 per barrel at an exchange rate of N1, 611 per dollar in August.

However, in November, with an estimated landing cost of N971.57, a Brent crude price benchmark of $75.57 per barrel and an exchange rate of N1,665.84 per dollar, the product currently sells at N1,060 at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL retail stations and N1,180 at the outlets of independent marketers.

By Francesca Hangeior.

A United States man, Anthony Nephew, shot himself, his wife, ex-partner, and two children after the November 5 election that brought President-elect Donald Trump into office.

According to authorities who spoke to the New York Post on Sunday, the 46-year-old Minnesota father had expressed anger over Trump’s election.

The shooter, aged 46, had a “pattern of mental health issues,” Duluth Police Chief Mike Ceynowa said on Friday — one day after authorities found five people dead inside two homes in the city.

Authorities found Anthony Nephew’s ex-partner, Erin Abramson, 47, and their son, Jacob Nephew, 15, dead from apparent gunshot wounds inside their home on Thursday afternoon, police said.

After identifying Anthony Nephew as a suspect, police found his 45-year-old wife, Kathryn Nephew, and their 7-year-old son, Oliver Nephew, dead from gunshot wounds inside their family home nearby.

Before the tragedy, Anthony Nephew had been sharing left-wing and anti-Trump posts on his Facebook account.

“My mental health and the world can no longer peacefully coexist, and a lot of the reason is religion,” Anthony Nephew wrote in July.

“I am terrified of religious zealots inflicting their misguided beliefs on me and my family. I have intrusive thoughts of being burned at the stake as a witch or crucified on a burning cross.

“Having people actually believe that I or my child are Satan, or the anti-Christ, or whatever their favourite boogeyman they are afraid of this week.”

In another post, he accused Republicans of “making it harder for women to leave” abusive relationships.

“Gilead here we come,” he wrote, referencing The Handmaid’s Tale, a dystopian novel turned Hulu series in which women, stripped of their rights, are forced to reproduce for the ruling class.

Anthony Nephew also shared other political posts, including an image of former President Barack Obama, Trump, President Joe Biden, and Vice President Kamala Harris. The word “hate” was under Trump’s face, while the words “hope,” “heal,” and “grow” corresponded with the Democratic politicians.

“Not that anyone cares, but as an Independent voter, I would really like to see both the political parties in our country pick better candidates,” he wrote in July. “We can do better than a binary choice between fascism and not fascism.”

Anthony Nephew had previously issued a chilling warning about his struggles with mental health, writing in an op-ed for the Duluth News Tribune in 2021, “For millions of Americans, a breakdown leads to suicide — or homicide before suicide.”

“Mental health in this country is stigmatised, ignored, or treated as a burden for the individual to bear alone, with little help and even less understanding,” he wrote.

“Americans deny they have mental health struggles — because they have to, because they’re told to, or because they don’t realise their mind is broken.”

Police in Duluth, a city of nearly 90,000 residents about 135 miles north of Minneapolis, have not yet determined a motive for the shootings.

Police said there is no ongoing threat to the community.

By Francesca Hangeior.

The Deputy Spokesman of the House of Representatives, Mr Philip Agbese, has stated that his decision to lead parliamentary support for President Bola Tinubu’s Tax Reform Bills, currently before the National Assembly, stems from the need to stimulate the economy and establish a streamlined tax administration system, free from multiple taxation.

On September 3, 2024, the President submitted four tax reform bills to the National Assembly for consideration, based on recommendations from the Presidential Committee on Fiscal and Tax Reforms, led by Taiwo Oyedele, to review existing tax laws.

The bills include the Nigeria Tax Bill 2024, aimed at providing a fiscal framework for taxation in the country, and the Tax Administration Bill, which seeks to offer a clear and concise legal framework for all taxes, reducing disputes.

The other bills are the Nigeria Revenue Service Establishment Bill, which proposes to repeal the Federal Inland Revenue Service Act and establish the Nigeria Revenue Service, and the Joint Revenue Board Establishment Bill, which would create a tax tribunal and tax ombudsman.

The executive bills have faced opposition from state governors, who requested their withdrawal a fortnight ago to allow for more consultation, a proposal rejected by President Tinubu.

Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Monday, Agbese, a known supporter of the President, expressed his conviction that the reform bills would stimulate the economy if enacted and implemented.

He said, “I am one of the strongest advocates of President Tinubu’s tax bills because I am a reformer and believe in changes that will benefit the country. I have studied the document and am convinced beyond doubt that it will help to improve the nation’s economy.”

Agbese noted that he is lobbying his colleagues to highlight the importance of the bills, adding that if implemented, the proposals “will not only benefit Benue State, where I come from, but will also benefit everyone who generates and dutifully pays taxes.”

He continued, “Those who are afraid fear accountability and transparency. These bills will bring awareness to taxpayers, and once people understand what they pay to the government and what the government earns, there will be a greater demand for accountability.”

He urged the 36 state governors to reconsider and support the Federal Government, highlighting that over-taxation complaints are widespread, and a significant number of businesses fail to remit taxes to the government.

“Everyone talks about nations that provide social services to their citizens. Those citizens pay their taxes promptly. The truth is, in recent years, many Nigerians have raised concerns about multiple taxation, and these proposed reforms aim to address that.

“Additionally, some companies operating in this country exploit gaps in our tax laws to evade taxes, leading to substantial revenue losses for the government, which must be addressed. Therefore, I appeal to our respected state governors to support these bills because, ultimately, Nigeria will benefit,” he added.