The report of the gloomy details of the spate of insecurity in Kaduna State with 1,192 residents lost to bandits attacks across the state in 2021, while 3,348 citizens were kidnapped dominates the headlines of Nigerian newspapers on Wednesday.
The Guardian reports that it was a sombre-looking Governor Nasir el-Rufai who, yesterday, reeled out gloomy details of the spate of insecurity that has held Kaduna State by the jugular.
Receiving reports of the security challenges facing the state compiled by the Commissioner of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, the governor said Kaduna lost 1,192 residents to bandits attacks across the state in 2021, while 3,348 citizens were kidnapped.
The fatality figure represents an average of three residents daily in 2021. The report also shows that there is a 27.21 per cent increase in deaths, compared to 2020.
A review of media reports on 2021 killings shows that Kaduna is the second least secure state in Nigeria after Zamfara that tops the list.
Specifically, el-Rufai confirmed that an average of nine persons were kidnapped daily last year. The government’s yearly report also gave 891 as the figure of people who sustained various forms of injury during the attacks.
Besides, apart from human casualty, 13,788 cows were rustled within the 12 months covered by the report.
The newspaper says that the Chairman, Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN), Olumide Adeosun, has stated that the Federal Government’s suspension of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) would create more uncertainties in the nation’s downstream sector.
Adeosun stated this on the sidelines of MOMAN’s subsidy workshop for journalists. He urged the present administration to be consistent with formulating policies so as not to send wrong signals to potential local and foreign investors.
According to him, the suspension of the PIA came as a surprise to the association, but stated that MOMAN is yet to consult with the Federal Government formally as to why the decision was made, maintaining that two senior level meetings would be held during the week to discuss a way forward with the Federal Government.
He added that the association is currently seeking to consult with the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority and other industry stakeholders to understand how the decision would impact the other provisions in the PIA as well as market operations.
The Punch reports that Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, on Tuesday, declared that Nigeria’s eight per cent tax-to-Gross Domestic Product ratio was among the lowest globally and that efforts were on to increase this figure.
He also stated that the Federal Inland Revenue Service exceeded its tax collection target last year, as it was able to collect N6.405tn from taxpayers nationwide.
Osinbajo spoke at the public lecture organised by the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria in Abuja to commemorate the institute’s 40th anniversary.
“Today, lessons from countries that are dependent solely on revenue from oil have proven to be quite instructive,” the Vice President, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Aliyu Ahmed, said.
He added, “Nigeria’s tax-to-GDP ratio is still one of the lowest in the world, at about eight per cent, while our contemporaries are in the neighbourhood of 16 to 25 per cent, even in Africa. We can surely do better.”
The newspaper says that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority has begun the recertification of the Lagos and Abuja airports, the Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Captain Nuhu Musa, has said.
As a result, he said inspectors of the regulatory agencies had begun a series of regular meetings with the official of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria with a view to ensuring that open items discovered are closed.
Musa disclosed that technical inspections of the airports were done last year to ascertain some identified gaps and that action plans were expected to be developed.
According to him, the NCAA is expected to carry out a review as soon as a report of the technical inspections is submitted.
He spoke during an interview in Lagos. The NCAA boss said, “For the certifications and re-certifications, technical inspections took place at the end of last year to confirm the gaps there (in the airports), and action plans are being developed. Once a report has been submitted to the NCAA, we will review that. For those that are okay, we will go ahead with it (recertify); and for those that are not okay, we’ll return the report with comments on what needs to be done.
ThisDay reports that Series 1 offer for sale of 575 million shares held by the MTN Group to Nigerian investors, which held last December, has been successfully completed and was oversubscribed by 139.47 per cent.
This was an additional 82.25 million MTN Nigeria shares. A statement from the telecommunication company explained that the oversubscription raised the initial number of shares sold from 575 million to a total of 661.25 million shares.
The offer was implemented by way of a book-build to qualified institutional investors and a fixed price offer of N169.00 per share to retail investors.
According to the statement, the breakdown of the sale showed that approximately 76 per cent of successful applicants via digital platform were women, while 85 per cent of the sale was from persons under 40 years of age. Following the successful completion of the offer, “MTN Group’s shareholding in MTN Nigeria reduced by 3.25 percentage points, from 78.83 per cent to 75.58 per cent.”
According to the statement by MTN Nigeria, signed by the Company Secretary, Uto Ukpanah, the offer was oversubscribed with valid applications for a total of 801.97 million units, leading to the activation of the approved 15 per cent over-subscription clause of an additional 86.25 million MTN Nigeria shares.
It said, “In all, 661.25 million MTN Nigeria shares were allotted. A total of 126,720 retail investors submitted valid applications and received full allotment.
The Sun says that Nigerian Importers Integrity Association (NIIA) has called on the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and other relevant agencies, including the Nigeria Customs Service, National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to halt the activities of unregulated private jetties and oil service firms that have converted their facilities to container terminals.
The President of the association, Godwin Onyekazi, said some private jetties operating on the Kirikiri channel and oil service facilities now engage in handling containers.
He said, “Hundreds of empty containers are loaded from unlicensed jetties on the Kirikiri channel onto big barges which then discharge these containers in neighboring countries. It is not clear who licensed these barge operators and the jetties, if these barges and jetties are registered with all relevant authorities and finally if they are paying the statutory dues to NPA and all other governmental agencies”.
He said while waiting for the authorities to address these concerns, it is clear that the operators are in breach of existing regulations. “Only port operators concessioned by the Federal Government through NPA can engage in container handling operations. Loading of empty containers from any other facility is illegal and should be investigated.”
GIK/APA