Politics
Hotel Licence Bill RSHA Cautions Against Multiple Taxation Of Investors
Members of the Rivers State House of Assembly have called for a critical look at the proposed bill on the establishment of state hotel licence agency to avoid multiple taxations that would chase away investors in the state.
The lawmakers made their views known during the debate on the state Hotel Licence Bill, 2009 after it passed its second reading at the floor of the House, last Wednesday.
The lawmakers were of the opinion that having a hotel licence agency in the state would make the state’s law on tourism development ineffective, adding that the Tourism Bill passed by the House had already captured the intention of the proposed bill as well as the interest of the state in that regard.
Taken lead on the debate, Hon. Golden Chioma, (Etche I) while commending the sponsor of the bill for his courage, observed that page 19 of the bill if passed into law would create a difficult environment for hotel operators in the state.
According to him, the N1 million proposed charge imposed per room annually for five star hotels would adversely affect the operators of the business in the state, adding that the bill would not encourage the tourism programme of the present administration.
“Section 19 of the bill if passed into law, would make some hotels in the state like the Presidential Hotel not to be in existence. We are supposed to encourage investors and not to chase them out. The one million naira charges as proposed in this bill would make hotel business in the state a difficult one”, he stated.
He therefore, urged his colleagues to take a second look at the matter so as to encourage business sustainability in the state.
Also speaking, Hon. Henry Ogiri (Abua/Odual), Tamunosisi Gogo Jaja (Opobo/Nkoro) and Hon. Maureen Tamuno (Ogu/Bolo) stated that multiple taxes through the establishment of the licence agency would discourage hotel business as well as affect tourism development in the state.
The lawmakers suggested that relevant agencies and authorities should be consulted before passing the bill into law, so as to avoid unnecessary levies and taxes to be imposed on hotel operators as doing otherwise was capable of crippling hotel business activities in the state.
They also urged the House to tarry a while before passing the bill into law, adding that before a hotel was established in any state, it must pass a registration process through the National Tourism Development Board.
However, in their own views, Hon Chidi Lloyd (Emohua), sponsor of the bill and Hon. Hope Ikiriko (Ahoada West) explained that the essence of the bill was to document customers that check into hotels in the state.
The lawmakers were of the opinion that most of the crimes in the state were been perpetrated by some people who checked into various hotels in the state and carry out their nefarious activities without being noticed.
They opined that the bill when passed into law would promote sanity in hotel operations in the state. The lawmakers pleaded with their colleagues to give the bill the support it deserved so that the state would benefit from the intention of the bill.
In his ruling, the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Tonye Harry who presided over the session, thanked the lawmakers for their contributions during the debate.
Hon Harry while committing the bill into the committee state directed the House Committee on Commerce and Industry chaired by Hon. Emmanuel Okatta to ensure that all the sentiments raised by the lawmakers on the bill were taken into consideration.
Anita Aluka
Politics
Reps Constitution Review Committee Holds Zonal Hearing For Rivers, C’River, Akwa Ibom In Calabar

A press statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Cross River State Governor, Mr Linus Obogo, disclosed that the Calabar Centre — designated as Centre B — will host representatives and stakeholders from Cross River, Rivers, and Akwa Ibom States.
The public hearing is scheduled to take place on Saturday, July 19, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at the Transcorp (Metropolitan) Hotel, Calabar.
The initiative, according to the statement, is designed to promote inclusive dialogue and capture the aspirations of Nigerians from all regions.
It aims to serve as a platform for citizens to contribute meaningfully to the ongoing national efforts to refine and strengthen the country’s legal and institutional frameworks.
“Citizens, civil society groups, professional bodies, traditional rulers, and other interest blocs are invited to participate in this landmark engagement aimed at advancing a more just, equitable, and responsive Nigerian Constitution,” the statement read.
The hearing forms part of the broader review process of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), and is seen as a strategic move toward fostering national unity and addressing structural legal issues within the federation.
Politics
Tinubu’s Contribution To Buhari’s Presidency Marginal – Ex-SGF

For the first time since 2022, when then-presidential aspirant Alhaji Bola Tinubu declared he made former President Buhari Nigeria’s President in 2015, Mr Mustapha dismissed the claims, stressing that the merger only contributed about three million votes in addition to Buhari’s existing 12 million votes in the North.
He insisted that former President Buhari’s integrity, national stature, and disciplined messaging were central to the breakthrough, not the three million votes from the merging parties, which he described as insignificant.
Speaking on the role of the merging parties, particularly President Tinubu, the leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Mr Mustapha, who was the keynote speaker at the launch of the book ‘According to the President: Lessons from a Presidential Spokesman’s Experience’ authored by Mallam Garba Shehu, described the impact of the votes from other merging parties as very insignificant.
In attendance were former Head of State Yakubu Gowon, chair of the event; immediate past Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; SGF George Akume, who represented President Tinubu; PDP’s 2023 presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar; former Chief of Staff to Buhari Ibrahim Gambari; elder statesman Babagana Kingibe; former governors Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Chris Ngige (Anambra), Rauf Aregbesola (Osun), Raji Babatunde Fashola (Lagos); former ministers Solomon Dalung and Sunday Dare; former Army Chief Tukur Buratai, and Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu’s spokesman, among others.
According to Mr Mustapha, “I do not intend to stir up any controversy. The merger in 2013 was midwifed to create a Buhari presidency. Let us look at the statistics. In the 2003 election, it was the Obasanjo-Buhari presidential contest where Buhari recorded 12.7 million votes. In 2007, it came to 6.6 million, and it went back to 12.2 million in 2011.
“When we were conceptualising the merger, what would give us a headstart? Obviously, it was at the back of our consciousness that the merger with the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), though it had only one state, the ACN had six states, ANPP three states, and when you sum up the total votes that we had as the presidency in 2015, the aggregate of the total votes was 15.4 million.
“So, basically, what we brought to the table after the merger outside the Buhari 12.5 million votes was three million. Before turning to that presidency, it is important to recognise the former President’s role in reshaping Nigeria’s political trajectory.
“In early 2013, as the leader of the CPC, Buhari formally requested and supported the creation of a CPC merger committee, part of a broader coalition-building process that brought together the ACN, ANPP, APGA faction, and elements of the ruling party through the breakaway ‘new PDP’ group. His endorsement and participation, along with other party leaders such as President Tinubu and Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, lent credibility and direction to the merger, helping to unify disparate party factions under the banner of the APC. That coalition-building paved the way for the first democratic defeat of an incumbent ruling party in Nigeria’s history.
“President Buhari’s integrity, national stature, and disciplined messaging were central to that breakthrough. No account of President Buhari’s tenure would be complete without acknowledging the extended periods he spent on medical leave. These moments, while politically delicate, were also telling of his leadership philosophy and personality,” he said.
In his remarks, President Tinubu promised to build on the legacies of former President Buhari, stressing that “nation-building is a relay. The efforts of one administration lay the foundation for the next.
“In this regard, I acknowledge the efforts of my predecessor, President Buhari, and assure all Nigerians that the reform-oriented path he initiated will be consolidated and strengthened under this administration. Our Renewed Hope Agenda is inspired by the desire to build a resilient, just, and inclusive Nigeria—a nation that delivers dividends of democracy to all its citizens”.
Politics
Your Lies Chasing Investors From Nigeria, Omokri Slams Obi
Speaking during an appearance on live television on Wednesday, Mr Omokri alleged that Mr Obi’s statements were misleading and damaging to the country’s economic prospects.
Mr Omokri said some investors currently operating in Nigeria were considering exiting the market due to Mr Obi’s remarks.
“That is not true. He doesn’t rile me up. I rile him up. The reason why I came here is because I’m a patriot. Peter Obi lied. You know, foreign direct investors are watching your programme, who are making investment decisions not to come to Nigeria. There are foreign investors in Nigeria that are making investment decisions to leave Nigeria because of the lie he told.
“One of the lies he told is that President Tinubu has borrowed more than the administrations of Yar’Adua, Jonathan, Buhari. That is a blatant lie”, Mr Omokri said.
To buttress his claims, Mr Omokri referenced figures from the Debt Management Office (DMO), maintaining that President Tinubu had actually reduced Nigeria’s external debt burden since assuming office.
“I have here with me data from the Debt Management Office, and Nigerians who are watching can go to DMO.com and search Debt Management Office, Nigeria State of Indebtedness 2015.
“As of 2015, Nigeria was owing a total of $63 billion. When Buhari was leaving office, Nigeria was owing $113 billion. Today, from the DMO, our debt has gone from $113 billion to $97 billion, meaning that Tinubu has reduced our debt by over $14 billion.
“We should be appreciating this man. Yet Peter Obi came here and lied to the Nigerian people. He took the debts and translated them into naira to make it look like the debts have increased”, he said.
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