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Enugu govt directs firm to pay ₦1bn for alleged tax non remittances

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Enugu govt directs firm to pay ₦1bn for alleged tax non remittances

The Enugu State Government has directed a coal mining firm, Milhouse Energy Services Limited, located in the state to pay ₦1 billion into the Enugu State Environmental Remediation Trust Fund.

 

The Commissioner for Environment and Climate Change, Prof. Sam Ugwu, disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday in Enugu.

 

Ugwu directed that the firm located at Awhum in the Udi Local Government Area of the state would also pay an ₦100,000 tax on every truckload of coal evacuated from a mining site.

 

The commissioner said that the company had mined and evacuated coal from the site since February 2022 without any payments or recourse whatsoever to the state government.

 

He said the fund would be transparently managed by an independent committee of professionals specifically for the remediation and healing of the affected environment.

 

The commissioner recalled that the mining site was one of the many sealed by the Enugu State Committee on Review of Mining Activities headed by him following a crackdown by the Governor Peter Mbah administration on illegal mining sites in the state.

 

He added that the sealing included those without environmental impact certification and remediation plans.

 

He explained that an Enugu State High Court had earlier granted an interim injunction restraining Milhouse Energy Services and African Pits and Quarries Limited, their agents, servants, privies, workers, among others, from “carrying on further activities on the site”.

 

Ugwu stated that the order entailed environmental degradation, damaging and interfering in whatsoever manner with the large expanse of land situated at Ibite Awhum.

 

The commissioner said that following discussions with the state government, Milhouse Energy Services Ltd may return to the site in earnest following an agreement with the state government.

 

According to him, the agreement will see the company paying the sum of ₦1 billion for environmental remediation while also paying the sum of ₦100,000 as tax per truckload of coal evacuated from the site.

 

“The company had mined and evacuated coal from the site since February 2022 without any payments or recourse whatsoever to the Government of Enugu State.

 

“While the state is not contesting the fact that solid minerals are on the Exclusive Legislative List, we will not accept indiscriminate mining activities and degradation of our environment.

 

“We will not accept that people will enter our state and start carting away our resources without recourse to the Enugu State Government.

 

“We want to see the veracity of the license, which they claim they have from the Federal Government, and we have given them a letter inviting them to a meeting.

 

“We also want to find out how they have been remitting environmental fees to the Enugu State Ministry of Environment because we will not fold our hands and watch our environment destroyed and lives endangered”.

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NJC RECOMENDS ELEVEN SUPREME COURT JUSTICES, ONE COURT OF APPEAL JUSTICE, HEADS OF COURT 

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The National Judicial Commision has recommended the appointment of 11 Supreme Court Justices, one Justice of Court of Appeal, 6 Heads of Courts and 26 other Judicial Officers.

 

This was the consencus at the Councils 104 Meeting after considering the list of candidates presented by its Interview Committee

 

 

According to a statement signed by the Director Of Information, Soji Oye, the council after much deliberations, recommended Justice Hannatu Sankey, Justice Chidiebere Uwa, Justice Chioma Nwosu-Iheme, Justice Haruna Tsammani and

Justice Aseimo Adumein as Supreme court Justices.

 

Others are Justice Obande Ogbuinya, Justice Stephen Adah, Justice Habeeb Abiru, Justice Jamilu Tukur, Justice Abubakar Umar, and Justice Mohammed Idris.

 

The NJC also recommended Justice Mohammed Ramat as a Justice of the Court of Appeal.

 

Some heads of court nominated are Justice Joel Agya, as the Chief Judge Taraba State,

Justice Umar Abubakar, Chief Judge of Taraba State amongst others.

 

The Council has said that all recommended candidates to the Supreme Court Bench would be sworn-in after the approval of their recommendation by President Bola Tinubu and the subsequent confirmation of their appointment by the Senate.

 

NJC has also noted that the various Heads of Court recommended would also be sworn-in upon the approval of their appointment by their various State Governors and subsequent confirmation of same by their respective State Houses of Assembly.

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EFCC denies comments on 70 percent Nigerian Youths involvement in internet fraud

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EFCC denies comments on 70 percent Nigerian Youths involvement in internet fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has denied comments by it’s Executive Chairman, Ola Olukoyede which labelled seventy percent of Nigerian Students as internet fraudsters.

 

 

 

While stating this in a Statement by the Head, Media and Publicity Dele Oyewale, the Commission says it is a misrepresentation of the concerns of the Chairman of the EFCC to the rising incidences of internet- related crimes involving Youths across the Country.

 

 

 

It explains that its Chairman had called for wider media enlightenment of youths as a counter- measure against the menace of internet fraud at a meeting with Representatives of the Civil Society Organizations, CSOs that paid him a visit in Abuja.

 

 

 

Olukoyede says that reports and intelligence available to him indicated that, unless the trajectory of youth involvement in internet fraud is addressed and reversed, the future of their leadership of Nigeria may be threatened and if it continues in the next ten years, seven out ten of the youths may be getting involved in cybercrimes.

 

 

The EFCC says that at no time did its Chairman mentioned that “seven out of ten” Nigerian students are criminals” as widely reported.

 

 

 

The Commission assures the public that its Chairman is doubly committed to the progress of Nigerian Youths and underscores his calls for collaborative interventions in offering them more productive and sustainable alternatives.

 

 

The Statement added that the concerns of the EFCC Chairman bothers on breaking the jinx of mass indulgence of youths in cybercrimes.

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NASS and Bishop Kukah advocate political party repositioning for accountability and inclusivity

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NASS and Bishop Kukah advocate political party repositioning for accountability and inclusivity

Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Bishop Matthew Kukah have emphasized the urgent need to reposition political parties, fostering a democratic culture centered on inclusivity, transparency, and accountability.

 

The call was made during the Public Presentation of the Needs Assessment of Political Parties in Nigeria, organized by the Kukah Centre with support from the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN), held in Abuja.

 

Represented by Sen. Victor Umeh, Akpabio highlighted that the repositioning of political parties is vital to restoring public trust and confidence, ensuring they genuinely represent the aspirations of the people. He identified accountability, inclusivity, transparency, and inherent impunity as significant challenges that must be addressed.

 

Akpabio expressed optimism in the 10th National Assembly to tackle these issues, stressing the importance of holding party leaders accountable for their actions. He called for increased transparency in party financing and campaign expenditures, emphasizing the need for inclusivity in the political process.

 

Bishop Matthew Kukah, the Founder of the Kukah Foundation, explained that the event aimed to address challenges faced by political parties and inspire confidence in politics. He emphasized the role of political parties as platforms for training and deploying politicians to serve the public good.

 

Kukah underlined the importance of understanding political party processes, particularly for young individuals with a vision for forming political parties. He highlighted the significance of the needs assessment in recommending options for parties to become ideological engines for driving political processes and democracy.

 

The report, drawing from academic analysis and interviews with ordinary citizens, recommended a constant review of the Electoral Act, incorporation of the opposition in the political process, and innovative ways of financing political parties.

 

Olawunmi Laolu, Programme Manager at EU-SDGN, stressed the need for political parties to strengthen internal democracy, improve intra and inter-party dialogue, and promote wide participation in the political process. She expressed the EU’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s progress and urged political parties to lead by example in advancing democracy in the region.

 

Stakeholders such as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) were present at the event.

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