Business

Remove VAT From Diesel, Tax Committee’s Boss Urges …MDAs may be stopped from tax collection

Published

3 years ago

August 11, 2023

The Chairman, Presidential Committee on Tax Policy and Fiscal Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, has said stated the need to remove Value Added Tax (VAT) on Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), popularly known as diesel to offset the impact of removal of petrol subsidy.

He said in order to ease the economic strains warranted by the removal of fuel subsidy, the committee need consider suspending VAT on diesel.

Oyedele, formerly a Fiscal Policy Partner and Africa Tax Leader at Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC), emphasised the urgency to address pressing economic concerns within the initial 30 days of the committee’s tenure.

“Personally, for example, this is not promising that it would be done. I think that we should suspend VAT on diesel because we removed fuel subsidy on petrol and prices are going up. We are going to table it before the committee. These are the things we want to do in the first 30 days”, he said.

Oyedele’s committee was inaugurated by President Bola Tinubu in Abuja on Tuesday and is charged with accomplishing crucial tax reforms, streamlining and harmonisation of tax laws, executive order issuance, regulatory implementation, and more over the following six months.

Although the committee has a one-year timeline for policy implementation, Oyedele clarified that the 30-day, six-month, and one-year milestones run concurrently.

The committee also intends to address excessive bank charges and reduce the exorbitant number of levies and taxes paid by businesses.

Oyedele revealed that businesses are burdened by as many as 65 to 70 different taxes and levies, while the committee’s objective is to curtail this number to around 10.

He said the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and 62 other Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government should not collect revenue directly.

He, however, said the revenue collecting agencies of the federation can continue to collect revenue until a definite decision is taken to stop the practice.

He said the details of stopping revenue collecting agencies other than the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) from collecting such revenues “will be discussed by the committee with extensive engagements with key stakeholders including the affected MDAs”.

According to him, “it’s still a long way as many of the MDAs revenue collection functions are enshrined in their establishment laws”.

Oyedele had on Channels TV had hinted that the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) will now be responsible for collecting revenue for the MDAs.

He explained that this change will bring several benefits, including improved efficiency and reduced collection costs.

Oyedele stated that the current cost of collection is high due to the numerous agencies involved, noting that the MDAs are being distracted from their primary functions and are not equipped to efficiently collect revenue.

By transferring the revenue collection duties to the FIRS, Oyedele believed two advantages can be achieved, saying there will be a reduction in collection costs and an improvement in efficiency, and that the MDAs can focus on their core responsibilities, ultimately benefiting the economy.

Oyedele emphasized that agencies like Customs should concentrate on trade facilitation and border protection, while the NCC should solely regulate telecommunications.

Revenue collection, he said, can be outsourced to specialized entities like the FIRS, leading to increased transparency and accountability in how funds are utilized.

Additionally, Oyedele noted the existence of a significant tax gap, estimated to be around N20 trillion or more, stressing the importance of focusing on major taxes such as Value Added Tax, Corporate Income Tax, and Personal Income Tax.

“Many individuals, particularly the middle class and elite, are not fully compliant with their tax obligations, with some only paying a fraction of what they should be contributing”, he said.

According to him, the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) is best-suited to collect revenue for the MDAs.

“Ironically, our cost of collection is one of the highest. And the reason for that is that we’ve got all manners of agencies. The Federal Government alone, we have 63 MDAs that were given revenue targets last year, no; actually in the 2023 budget”, he said.

“And two things that would come up from that: on one hand, these agencies are being distracted from doing their primary function which is to facilitate the economy. Number two, they were not set up to collect revenue, so, they won’t be able to collect revenue efficiently.

“So, move those revenue collection function to the FIRS. It has two advantages: the cost of collection and efficiency will improve, these guys will focus on their work, and the economy will benefit as a result.

Business

Boat Mishap Kills Pastor, Wife And Church Members In Brass Water

Published

5 days ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

A boat accident in Bayelsa state has killed a serving Pastor, Wife and other church members along Brass waterways

The sad incident happened at Odioama in Brass local government area of Bayelsa State when the Pastor, wife and members of his church were in a programme.

?Tide confirmed that the lifeless body of the Pastor’s wife has been found and deposited in a mortuary while the remains of her husband ,the Pastor is yet to be recovered

as search party are still ongoing.

Although the real cause of the boat Mishap is not yet known as at the time of this report, our Correspondent gathered that the identities of the Pastor, wife and church members were not disclosed to the public.

The mishap, Tide gathered occurred on Friday morning when the church members were on a boat transit

The Bayelsa State government and the state police command are yet to issue official statement’s on the sad accident

By: CHINEDU WOSU

Business

Rivers Workers Seek Scrapping Of Contributory Pension Scheme

Published

5 days ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

The Rivers State Council of Nigeria Civil Service Union has called on the State Government to urgently scrap the contributory pension scheme, describing it as unfavourable to long-serving civil servants in the state.

Chairman of the union, Chukwuka Osuma, said this in an interview with newsmen in Port Harcourt, recently.

Osuma said the current pension structure has continued to worsen post-retirement hardship for workers.

He noted that the contributory pension scheme had failed to provide adequate retirement security for workers who had spent many years in service, especially those approaching retirement age.

According to him, civil servants who had served for more than 20 years were among the worst affected under the scheme, insisting that many retirees could no longer cope with prevailing economic realities.

He also informed that the Union has made moves to showcase their concerns, pleading with Governor Siminalayi Fubara to abolish the pension policy and introduce a more favourable arrangement for affected workers.

“The union was not opposed to pension reforms, the contributory scheme should only apply to newly employed workers or those with fewer years in service”, he said.

Osuma explained that workers who had already spent decades in the civil service ought to remain under a more secure pension structure capable of guaranteeing stability after retirement.

The labour leader further noted that inflation and the rising cost of living had continued to erode the value of retirement savings, thereby increasing the suffering of pensioners across the country.

He also appealed to the state government to consider extending the years of service in the civil service from 35 to 40 years and the retirement age from 60 to 65 years.

Osuma argued that such adjustment had become necessary in view of present-day economic realities and changing conditions in the workplace.

The unionist also reviewed that similar policies had already been adopted in some sectors and jurisdictions, expressing optimism that the State could also implement the reforms for the benefit of workers.

He however, commended Governor Fubara for approving an N85,000 minimum wage for workers in the state, noting that the amount was above the national benchmark of N70,000.

Osuma also acknowledged the government’s efforts in the area of workers’ promotions and bonuses, but insisted that pension reforms and extension of years of service remained critical to the long-term welfare and stability of civil servants in Rivers State.

By: King Onunwor

Business

FG Begins South-West Tour To Promote New Cooperative Bank

Published

1 week ago

May 13, 2026

The Tide

The Federal Government has launched the South-West zonal engagement and ministerial advocacy tour on the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria share capital mobilisation, sensitisation and cooperative sector digitalisation.

Reports say the initiative was launched through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.

According to reports, the advocacy tour, organised by the ministry’s Federal Department of Cooperatives, began on Monday in Lagos.

Speaking at the event, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security and Supervising Minister of Cooperative Affairs, Dr Aliyu Abdullahi, said the initiative was part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Abdullahi described the exercise as a strategic effort to reposition the cooperative sector as a key driver of inclusive economic growth, financial inclusion, enterprise development, food security and national prosperity.

“Today represents a defining moment in our collective determination to reposition the cooperative sector as a major driver of inclusive economic growth, financial inclusion, enterprise development, food security and national prosperity,” he said.

The minister noted the modern cooperative movement in Nigeria originated in the South-West following the 1934 Strickland Report, which led to the enactment of the Cooperative Societies Ordinance of 1935.

According to him, the decision to commence the sensitisation and share capital mobilisation tour in the region is symbolic, as it marks a return to the roots of cooperative development in the country.

Abdullahi said the advocacy tour was a direct outcome of resolutions reached at the 8th Regular Meeting of the National Council on Cooperative Affairs held in Abuja in March 2026.

He said the council approved the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme, a comprehensive framework designed to strengthen the cooperative sector and align it with the administration’s goal of building a one-trillion-dollar economy.

“The reform programme focuses on seven strategic pillars, including governance reforms, cooperative financing and the establishment of the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria, digitalisation, capacity building, value chain development, inclusion of youths, women and persons with disabilities, and strategic partnerships,” he said.

He said the establishment of the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria and the digitalisation of the cooperative sector were the two major transformational initiatives under the programme.

“The Cooperative Bank of Nigeria is aimed at rebuilding a strong cooperative financial system capable of supporting cooperators, farmers, artisans, traders, SMEs, youths, women and persons with disabilities with accessible and affordable financial services,” he said.

Abdullahi emphasised that the proposed bank would be government-enabled but not government-funded.

“Government is not establishing the bank as an owner, nor will it rely on Treasury Single Account funds.

“The role of government through the FMAFS is to provide policy support, stakeholder coordination, regulatory facilitation and an enabling environment under the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme,” he said.

Also speaking, the Lagos State Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment, Mrs Folashade Ambrose-Medebem, reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to cooperative sector transformation.

She described cooperatives as critical tools for promoting inclusive growth, grassroots productivity, food security, financial inclusion and community wealth creation.

Ambrose-Medebem said Lagos State would continue to support reforms and collaborate with stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme (2025–2030).

“Together, let us build a cooperative ecosystem that is modern, transparent, digitally enabled, financially inclusive and globally competitive.

“Let us build cooperatives that not only mobilise savings, but also mobilise prosperity,” she said.