POLITICS
Nigeria Customs Service wants Excise duty on Carbonated drinks

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has called for excise duties on carbonated drinks to improve revenue generation in the country.
The Comptroller-General of NCS, retired Col. Hameed Ali, made the call at a public hearing on the 2022-2024 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF)and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) in Abuja on Wednesday.
Ali, who was responding to a question on why the NCS was yet to meet its target on revenue generation, said the revenue generation was predicated on market forces that drive imports to Nigeria.
He advised that payment of excise duties should not be based on imports alone adding that goods produced domestically must also be added.
Ali said that the only excise NCS was authorised to collect was excise on tobacco and alcoholic beverages.
He said there was need to also look in the direction of collecting excise from carbonated drinks to improve the revenue profile of the nation.
Ali attributed the inability of the NCS to meet its revenue generation target to smuggling at the various boarders, saying that smuggling had become a way of life for some people.
He however, said the NCS had put in place structures to curtail smuggling.
Ali said the NCS was employing improved manpower and leveraging on technology through its electronic custom structures.
He said that the NCS was on the verge of deploying three scanners at the sea ports in the country, for proper and speedy examination of containers entering the country.
This,he said would ensure 100 per cent and speedy examination of containers and reduce incidence of under payment of duties and false declaration of goods.
He also disclosed that NCS was also due to deploy 135 scanners across land borders to further enhance effectiveness of its operations.
Ali said the non provision of infrastructure for border communities was also aiding smuggling at the boarders, nothing that smuggling was a way of life to some citizens.
“The border communities do not want to cooperate in fighting smuggling because of absence of government in their communities, some times they cooperate with the smugglers because of the support they receive from the smugglers,” he said.
He,however, said the NCS had been involved in some cooperate social responsibility at the border communities to discourage smuggling, noting however, that the effort was not enough to deter smuggling.
He also urged the National Assembly to elvolve further measures to mitigate smuggling in the nation’s borders.
Ali revealed that NCS generated in 2020 generated N1.5trillion, while N1.02trillion has been generated so far in first six months of 2021.
The Director General ,Debt Management Office (DMO), Ms Patience Oniha, in her presentation said there was an increasingly higher level of new borrowing provided in the 2022-2024 MTEF.
Oniha said the renewed higher level of borrowing has a direct impact on debt service, saying that there was an need for significant boost in revenue to avoid unsustainability of public debt.(NAN)
POLITICS
2027: APC Governors Endorse Tinubu

The Progressive Governors Forum on Thursday at the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Summit held in Abuja endorsed President Bola Tinubu as sole candidate for the 2027 presidential election.
The endorsement, which was moved by Gov. Hope Uzodimma of Imo and Chairman of the forum Chairman, was seconded by Gov.
Uba Sani of Kaduna State.Uzodimma, who spoke on behalf of the forum, emphasised commitment to mobilising resources and ensuring victory for Tinubu in their respective states.
The governors expressed confidence in Tinubu’s leadership and reforms, promising to deliver their states in the upcoming elections.
This endorsement follows similar moves by other APC regional leaders, including the North Central governors who recently passed a vote of confidence in Tinubu’s administration, praising his developmental strides and inclusive governance approach.
(NAN)POLITICS
Senate Passes Bill Establishing FMC Adikpo into Law

By Eze Okechukwu, Abuja
The Senate yesterday passed into law a bill for the establishment of a Federal Medical Center, Adikpo in Benue state.
The bill which was sponsored by Senator Emmanuel Udende (APC, Benue North East) was read for the third and final time during plenary with an unanimous approval by the legislatures when it was committed to the Committee of the whole.
The bill, according to Udende, seeks to establish a federal medical center in Adikpo which will not only cater for the health needs of the people of Benue North East senatorial zone but Benue state and Nigeria in general and beyond.
“The bill awaiting presidential assent seeks to bring medical care closer to the people, especially in times of emergency.
The distance between Adikpo , a Nigerian boarder town and Makurdi, Benue State capital where a Federal Medical Center exists is over 300 kilometers, so patients who need medical care within the Adikpo axis are on a danger line, hence my resolve to use the instrumentality of the parliament to address the troubling health challenge”, senator Udende said.He explained that the people of Kwande who share boundaries with the Republic of Cameroon most often are required to seek medical attention outside their country and in most cases are frustrated or cannot afford the cost.
According to senator Udende, the strategic location of the health facility will provide potential economic benefits of trade and cultural exchange, giving its proximity to the Republic of Cameroon.
He stressed that the Federal Medical Centre will also trigger infrastructure development, healthcare and open up the locality in terms of education while expressing concerns that the absence of such institutions on the side of the Nigerian border town has grossly caused underdevelopment.
The senator however commended the senate Committee on Health and Tertiary Institutions for conducting a public hearing which gave rise to the final parliamentary journey of the bill.
NEWS
NASC: Senate Confirms Nnanna Uzor Kalu as Commissioner For S/east

The Senate on Tuesday confirmed the appointment of Dr Nnanna Uzor Kalu as a commissioner in the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC) to represent the South-East geopolitical zone.
The confirmation followed the presentation and adoption of the report of the Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Service, chaired by Sen.
Cyril Fasuyi, during plenary.Kalu’s confirmation was previously stepped down in March due to a petition filed against him.
At the time, the senate had confirmed 12 out of 13 nominees for the NASC, withholding only the nomination from the South-East pending resolution of the matter.
Presenting the report, Fasuyi explained that the petition had been thoroughly investigated and dismissed by the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions.
The committee found no grounds to disqualify the nominee.
“In line with the findings and recommendations of the relevant committees, the Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Service recommends the confirmation of Dr Nnanna Uzor Kalu,” Fasuyi said.
In his remarks, Senate President Godswill Akpabio thanked both committees for handling the issue with diligence and fairness.
He congratulated Kalu on his confirmation and urged him to serve with integrity.
“I urge the newly confirmed commissioner to uphold equity, fairness, and constitutional values while representing the South-East in the commission,” Akpabio said.(NAN)