Stop deceiving Nigerians in your asset declaration — PDP to Presidency

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has described as “a deceptive window-dressing to hoodwink unsuspecting Nigerians” the release, by an aide of President Muhammadu Buhari of a “mere” list of some belongings of the president and his Vice, Yemi Osinbajo, in place of the pledge made to Nigerians by Mr. Buhari as candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, on March 18, 2015, at exactly 5 pm.
The PDP recalled that the President in his own words had stated to Nigerians that, “I pledge to publicly declare my assets and liability and also encourage my political appointees to publicly declare their assets and liability”.

President Buhari

The party however, observed that Messrs. Buhari and Osinbajo failed to produce copies of their declarations, detailing the exact nature and value of respective assets.
PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, in a statement on Friday said “the release of a mere list of belongings falls short of credibility, transparency and anti-corruption standards as well as exposes the proclivity of the present administration for deception.”
“We have noted the release of a flimsy list of belongings of President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo by the Presidency, who want such to pass as the public declaration of assets as pledged by the President.
“Nigerians are not deceived by this poor attempt at window-dressing designed by the Presidency to hoodwink the unsuspecting populace in a desperate bid to shore up its diminished image.
“We ask, is the resort to a mere list, instead of true copies of the declaration not a ploy to give the Presidency a window for denial in consonance with their widely observed inclination for flip flopping, backtracking and brazen denials of their statements and actions?
“All we want is credibility, integrity and sincerity of purpose. We are not questioning how a President, who by December last year, declared that he had only N1 million in his account, could suddenly now list N30 million in the same bank account by May 29, and after an expensive campaign; we are not yet demanding the public declaration of his assets in his wife’s name.
“We are not even applauding the multiplication of his cows from 150 to 250 in a space of three months, arising from his dual and conflicting pronouncements on this issue.
“What the PDP and discerning Nigerians demand is for Mr. President to always stand by his words and pledge.
“Mr. President, this is a mere list of your belongings and not public declaration of assets in fulfillment of your covenant with Nigerians”.

Nigeria is one of world’s worst business destinations — World Bank

Despite improving five steps on its ranking last year, Nigeria emerged one of the worst business destinations, the 2015 World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business ranking has showed.

Nigeria ranked 170 among 189 economies covered in the 2015 edition, released on Thursday.

The improvement, which showed a 3.61 percent improvement from 43.72 percent points in 2014 to 47.33 percent points in 2015, reflected the country’s movement from the 175th position in 2014 to its current this year.

Ogbete main market Enugu

In sub-Saharan Africa, the report showed that Nigeria ranked 36 out of 47, barely above other struggling economies like Zimbabwe, Liberia, Mauritania, Congo Republic, Guinea Bissau, Angola, Congo Democratic Republic, Chad, South Sudan, Central African Republic and Eritrea.

The thrust of the report showed that entrepreneurs in 123 economies saw improvements in their local regulatory framework in 2014.

Between June 2013 and June 2014, the report documented 230 business reforms, with 145 reforms aimed at reducing the complexity and cost of complying with business regulation.

About 85 reforms aimed at strengthening legal institutions – with sub-Saharan Africa accounting for the largest number of such reforms, took place during the year.

The report identified Tajikistan, Benin, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Trinidad and Tobago, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Azerbaijan, Ireland and the United Arab Emirates as the economies that improved the most during the year in areas tracked by Doing Business.

These 10 top improving economies, the report noted, had implemented 40 regulatory reforms making it easier to do business in their respective environments.

The case studies highlighted good practices in eight of the areas measured by Doing Business indicators.

These included the growing efficiency of company registries in starting a business; zoning and urban planning in dealing with construction permits; measuring quality of land administration in registering property, and importance of registries in getting credit.

It also included going beyond related-party transactions in protecting minority investors; trends before and after the financial crisis in paying taxes; judicial efficiency supporting freedom of contract in enforcing contracts; and measuring strength of insolvency laws in resolving insolvency.

Out of 189 economies, Nigeria improved by nine steps from 138 in 2014 to 129 in 2015 in the starting business, while dropping three places in dealing with construction permits category, declining from the 168 ranking to 171.

The country’ best performance, the report showed, was in getting credit to start business, rising 73 spots from the 125 ranking in 2014 to 52 in the current report.

Although the country did not record any change in her 2014 ranking in terms of registering property and trading across borders, the country slipped marginally by two spots in her ranking on paying taxes and resolving insolvency – 177 to 179, and 129 to 131 positions respectively.

The country also dropped one step each in terms of protecting minority investors (dropping from 61 to 60 position), and enforcing contracts (from 139 to 140).

Details of the report showed that to register a company name in the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, and pay the mandatory fees at the CAC bank desk, a fresh businessman required a minimum of 11 days. It would, however, take a week to prepare the requisite incorporation documents and stamp duty for the company’s Memorandum and Article of Association.

Similarly, the report said it would take an average of five days to complete the reservation of a unique company name at the CAC after the payment for the mandatory application fees.

To get the declaration of compliance (Form CAC 4) signed before a Commissioner for Oaths or notary public, a businessman would have to wait for a whole day.

It would take the same duration to attempt to make a company seal and registration of a business premises with the Lagos state government, for instance, as well as pay the business premises levy at designated bank.

To register for income tax and the value added tax at the Federal Inland Revenue Service the report said the businessman would require a minimum of four days, while it would take about two days to register for personal income tax pay as you earn, PAYE, at the state tax office.

Police inspector loses AK-47 rifle, 30 rounds of ammunition after getting drunk and sleeping with prostitute

An Inspector attached to Area ‘F’ Command in Ikeja, Lagos State (names withheld), last weekend, got himself drunk and lost his AK-47 rifle with 30 rounds of ammunition, while on duty.

The inspector and his team were on special duty on the day of the incident.

On getting back to the office, he allegedly told his colleagues that he was going to eat and also use the opportunity to repair the vehicle, only to come back drunk without the gun and ammunition.

It was gathered that when he was asked the whereabouts of his gun, he explained that someone took it while he was sleeping inside the vehicle in the station.

Further investigation by his team mates revealed that he was seen at Ipodo area of Ikeja, known as a criminal hideout, heavily drunk when the incident happened.

Another source alleged that he must have gone to sleep with one of the commercial sex workers in the area, leaving the gun inside the vehicle from where it was removed.

The inspector, who was once attached to Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, Ikeja, was said to have been transferred out of Lagos State due to unbecoming activities.

He was then accused of giving guns and ammunition as well as information to armed robbers and hoodlums, who paid him in return.

It was learned that he had since been arrested and detained at the state command, while efforts had been intensified by police authorities to recover the gun.

Source: Vanguard

2 landlords goes to jail in Ekiti for building house without toilets and bathrooms

An Ikole Magistrates’ Court in Ekiti State, on Thursday, sentenced two landlords, Omoniyi Ajayi and Ola Olowolafe, to five and seven months jail term respectively for violating environmental sanitation laws.

The Magistrate, Mrs A.S. Okunbule, however, gave the landlords option of N5,500 and N7,000 fines respectively.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the convicts first appeared in court on August 25 on charges bordering on failure to provide toilets, indiscriminate defecation, among others.

Mr Tunde Famuyisan, prosecuting officer, Environmental Health and Sanitation, Ikole Local Government, said the landlords owned houses located at No.101, Oke-Owa Street and No. 2, Ilado Street, Odo Ayedun, Ekiti, respectively.

Famuyisan said that environmental officers who went on their routine inspection on houses on August 20 observed that the two buildings were in unhygienic conditions.

“Their houses lacked basic facilities like toilets, bathrooms and kitchens in spite of our earlier warning to these landlords to provide them.

"In addition, faeces were seen littering the compounds," he said.                     

He said that the offences were punishable under sections 11, 5, 32 and 43 of the Environmental Health and Sanitation Law of Ekiti State.

The two convicts, who had earlier pleaded not guilty on their first appearance in court, however, changed their plea to guilty and prayed the court for leniency.