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By Zayyad I. Muhammad

Taxes and royalties collection is a fundamental avenue for a government to generate revenues to fund infrastructure and human capital development.

Adamawa State needs other sources of revenue apart from the free petro-dollar from the centre. The state is poor, with a fragile economy, including thousands of unemployed youths and people engaged in unproductive jobs.

The World Bank says – most developing countries with fragile economies “often face the steepest challenges in collecting taxes.”

There is a correlation between the timing of introducing new taxes, peoples’ economic strength and politics. No government can survive local politics if it introduces new taxes at the wrong time- especially when it faces a re-election bid. Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri is seeking re-election in the 2023 governorship election.

Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri’s introduction of a new cattle tax regime appears ill-timed, unplanned, and poorly communicated to the concerned people. So many explanations from the Governor’s aides, yet no one understands them because the basics in tax administration were left out – new tax collection should be optimized, but with minimal burden on the taxpayers, it should be fair & equitable, and at the appropriate time.

The Adamawa state government said that the ‘Adamawa State Agribusiness Support Programme (ADAS)’ is designed to take full advantage of the agricultural opportunities within the state and will focus on three areas of the Crop Value chain, Livestock and Aquaculture. The government further said – the Agric bond will draw twenty-five billion Naira annually, which will be used to offset many of the state’s liabilities and loans, and open a window for generating huge revenue as well as galvanizing the market in the Agric business, especially the livestock subsector” including the upgrade of cattle markets in Mubi, Ganye, Song, Gombi, Ngurore, Tungo, Malabu, and Wuro Bokki.

The Fintiri government failed to do its homework in two areas – balancing the economic needs and political necessity. The cattle tax is as historic as northern Nigeria. The five thousand Naira (N5,000) imposed on every cattle is exorbitant and unaffordable according to many people in the business

On the other hand, there are thorny politics associated with the cattle tax’, and the people related to the business are complex and critical in the socio-political settings of northern Nigeria, thus before tinkering with the tax, there is a significant requirement for discussion, engagements, and understandings. The livestock business is a vital sector, so to speak!  as a result of poor timing and lack of discussion with stakeholders on the new increase in the cattle tax, the Mubi cattle market, one of the biggest in the north, didn’t operate last week. The security agents sealed the market on Tuesday, September 13, 2022.

Well, the Governor has found himself in a catch-22 situation because the upward review on tax for cattle and grains was one of the conditions the government must fulfil in accessing the capital market’s 100 billion naira agribusiness bond. Governor Fintiri has already collected 25 billion Naira from the 100 billion. And the investors are the ones to be collecting the taxes

Governor Fintiri is a history, policy, and strategy student, but often some of his decisions lack political strategy. He doesn’t have good political advisers or seeks any advice most of the time.

Zayyad I. Muhammad writes from Abuja, 08036070980, zaymohd@yahoo.com.

By Muhammadu Sabiu

The Taraba governorship primary election that resulted in Emmanuel Bwacha being the APC candidate in the 2023 election has been declared invalid on Tuesday by a Federal High Court sitting in Jalingo.

A disgruntled candidate named David Kente had taken the party and its nominee to court over the designation of Bwacha as the party’s candidate.

In his decision, Justice Simon Amobeda, the presiding Judge, mandated that a new primary election be held within 14 days.

The court further ordered Bwacha to stop posing as the APC’s candidate for governor.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

Zahrah Buhari, one of the daughters-in-law of Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari, has graduated from a foreign university.

Nigeria’s First Lady, Aisha Buhari, broke the news of the family’s milestone on Facebook on Tuesday.

The First Lady, who posted pictures from the graduation ceremony, congratulated her daughters-in-law on graduating with a first-class degree in architecture.

“Congratulations to Mrs. Zahra B Buhari on your graduation with First Class Honors in Architectural Science. Wishing you all the best!” She wrote.

This is coming amidst the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, months-old strike. Consequently, many Nigerians condemn the first family for being insensitive to the plight of Nigerian students.

By Uzair Adam Imam

Unknown gunmen have attacked travellers along the Funtua-Dandume road, killed a commercial driver and abducted an unspecified number of people.

The attack occurred Sunday around 07:45 and involved travellers from both Funtua and Dandume who were kidnapped to an unknown destination.

A commercial car driver plying axis that spoke to Daily Trust, Bello Halilu, said he passed through the scene immediately after the incident.

He stated that “The incident happened at Kwanar Gamji around Hawan-Fulani. The bandits lay in ambush and opened fire at the moving vehicles, killing one driver and abducting an unspecified number of passengers. Some that escaped spent their night inside farms.

“Like yesterday (Sunday), some drivers manage to ply the route to cash in the booming economic activities in this harvest season,” he added.

Another driver, Malam Habibu, said, “When I ran into the bandits’ ambush, they already grounded one commercial vehicle and abducted its passengers; they shot at my car, a bullet struck me in the leg, but I managed to speed up for about two kilometres before I lost strength and parked. Police from the Dandume division later came and took me to the hospital,” he said.

By Uzair Adam Imam

Murtala Muhammad International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, has rescheduled several flights as students stormed the airport to protest against the incessant strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

The angry students threatened to shut down the airport if the conflict between the Federal Government and ASUU had not been resolved.

Our reporters gathered that the students were members of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and had blocked the international airport as early as 07:00 am.

The decision of the protesting students was said to have caused gridlock on both ends of the airport, thereby leaving several passengers stranded.

However, they later moved to a domestic airport, causing traffic jams in the airport and Mobolaji Bank Anthony road leading to the local airport.

the protesting students were joined by a former Students Union Government President of the University of Lagos and Presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore.

Many students have blamed both the federal government and ASUU over the ongoing dispute, which they said has ruined the dream of many promising Nigerian students.

ASUU has been on strike since February 14, 2022, making it over seven months now. However, the federal government has reportedly dragged the union before the court to end its strike that lingers.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

The Chinese Business Community Association of Nigeria, CBCAN, has condemned the murder of Ummu Khulthum Buhari, alias Ummita, in Kano.

This was made known through a statement released on behalf of the Wakilin Mutanen China a Kano by his personal assistant, Ghuan Lei Zhan on Monday.

“The Chinese Business Community Association of Nigeria (CBCAN) under the leadership of Wakilin Mutanen China a Kano, Mr Zike Zhang, has condemned the Killing of Ummukuthum Buhari allegedly by a Chinese National, her lover Geng Quarong” Part of the statement reads.

The Chinese Business Community also said it supports law to take its proper course.

Ummukuthum was allegedly murdered by her Chinese lover on Friday night. Her murder has generated outrage on social media. Many people expressed concern over crimes allegedly committed by Chinese nationals working in Nigeria.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

The House of Representatives have scheduled a meeting with the leadership of the Academic Staff of Universities, ASUU, in a bid to resolve the lingering impasse between the union and the government.

The Clerk of the Green Chamber, Yahaya Danzaria made the revelation in a statement he made available to newsmen on Monday in Abuja .

According to Danzaria, the meeting will take place at the Representative Wing of the National Assembly on Tuesday.

“The House of Representatives is deeply concerned about the renewed strike which seems to have defied all efforts made to find a solution or reach an agreement between the Federal Government and the striking University lecturers.

The House is more worried about the negative consequences of the strike on the future and quality of education of our teeming youths who have been kept at home for the past six months despite the intervention of the House and several well-meaning Nigerians overtime to see that the matter was resolved.” Part of the statement reads

ASUU embarked on strike on February 14, consequent of which most Nigerians public universities have been shutdown.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

The Governor of Anambra State, Professor Charles Soludo has updated the country on the security situation in Anambra State.

Soludo who spoke on Channels Television on Sunday said the security situation in the state has improved in the last three months. He disclosed that the criminals tormenting the state are being identified and arrested .

“No space in Anambra will accommodate these criminals. Of course, they are known criminals. They come from homes, have parents, relatives and have people from the villages and so on. But thank goodness, people are now coming forward with information about their identities.

“And that’s how we have been picking them. We are pursuing them vigorously. We have this lead whether this was an orchestrated or pinpoint attack and all kinds of theories as to why this happened.

“I can bet you, it won’t be too long before we get them. We are not relenting one minute.” Soludo stated

The unknown gunmen are reputed for maiming, killing civilians and attacking government offices.

By Aliyu Dalhatu

Journalism and politics are two distinct ways of serving the public. Know the limitation of the former and stop publishing fiction for your own interest.

Magaji Danbatta wrote in his autobiography “Pull of Fate”: “I knew that to be a good journalist, a reporter or a columnist, one must have a good command of English language, rich in general knowledge and specialization in one or more subjects which could come with wide reading. One must also be a keen observer and a clean thinker and posses the ability to mix with people easily, feeling equally at home with low, the high and the mighty” (p. 116-117).

That is not all, he also added that there are plentiful stories to be told if you are willing to be an all round journalist, such as healthcare, sports, legal matters, trade, commerce, cultural performances, entertainment, among others.

Journalism, whether we see it as a profession or craft, it deserves to be treated with high sense of accuracy, fairness, integrity and ethical judgement. Not quite long ago, I had a discussion with a one veteran journalist on the disgusting nature of the visual misrepresentation of journalism profession by guerilla journalists. One thing for sure that contributed to this journalistic ill is the emergence of Internet vis-a-vis User-Generated Content (UCG).

Though, media houses can use these new media technologies in reporting, editing, publishing and disseminating news and information to their diverse audiences, however, on the other hand, these modern technologies are now seen as the global social forces that have intensified in breeding yellow journalists on social media to disseminate and fabricate lies, disinformation, hate speech, misinform and defame the character of important personalities: politicians, traditional leaders, religious symbols and other institutions with the sole aim of seeking attention, patronage and other ethno-religious agendas.

Just recently, I attended a One-Day public lecture series organized by the Department of Mass Communication, Kano state Polytechnic.

As one of the special guests, I have learned a lot about the practice journalism profession from the Associate Professor, Mainasara Yakubu Kurfi, the Head Department of Mass Communition (BUK) who presented a paper on “The 21st Century Mass Communication Student” and the one on “Crime and Judicial Reporting” presented by the Chairman, National Union of Journalists, NUJ Kano state chapter, Comrade Abbas Ibrahim and the last one by Badamasi Aliyu Abdullahi a Bookworm, who talked on “Reading: A Pathway to Entrepreneurial Journalism.”

Such opportunity had exposed me to know that for you to be a 21st century journalist or in other words “a jack of all trades”, you should remember that the world is no longer a “global village” as coined by Marshal McLuhan but now a “global room.”

Therefore, in journalism profession, “it is better to miss the story than to mess the story” as advised by Comrade Abbas Ibrahim. Furthermore, publishing fiction is not journalism, but an act of junk journalism.

Mal. Aliyu Dalhatu writes from Kano State.

By Uzair Adam Imam

The Nigerian Institute of Leather and Science Technology (NILEST) Zaria has proposed to legislators to provide a law that will ban the consumption of animal skin, locally known as ‘ganda’ or ‘kpomo’ in the country.

The Director-General of the Institute, Prof. Muhammad Yakubu, disclosed this to journalists in Abuja Sunday, September 17, 2022.

Yakubu stated that the law was to help revive the comatose leather industry in the country. Meanwhile, the eating of animal skin should be banned.

He added that “the habit of eating animals skin, which has no nutritional value, should be stopped in order to save the industry and boost the nation’s economy.

“To the best of my knowledge, Nigerians are the only people in the world that overvalue skin as food. After all, ‘Kpomo’ has no nutritional value.

“At a point, there was a motion before the two chambers of the National Assembly, it was debated, but I don`t know how the matter was thrown away,” he said.