By Kelechi Ogunleye/Kadiri Abdulrahman

The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) says it is taking steps to block leakages and boost the Federal Government’s revenue generation initiatives.

Mr Mohammed Shehu, the Chairman of the commission, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Abuja.

According to Shehu, one major function of the commission is to monitor the generation and disbursement of revenue from the Federation account.

“That act of monitoring involves where to get the money from, to check and see whether revenue generating agencies, which are specifically mentioned in the Act, are living up to expectations.

“The law mandates the commission to have the power to request for information from any revenue generating agency.

“That means we have the rights to go through the books of all government agencies to see the revenue they collected and what they remitted, ” he said.

The chairman said that the RMAFC had created committees to oversee revenue generating agencies.

“We have committees for customs, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), crude oil, gas, special duties, solid minerals. This committees are mandated to carry out monitoring activities across Nigeria.

“For instance, the customs committee usually goes to the custom services and other companies around the south-west, especially, where you have heavy dose of manufacturing to look into their books.

“They do this in collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service ” the RMAFC boss said.

He said that, however, some Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) are so complicated that sometimes the RMAFC had to hire forensic experts or teams of consultants to look deeper into their books.

“Sometimes, they end up discovering huge sums of unremitted money.

“Within the last two years, we discovered over N319 billion that has been established and it has been remitted to the appropriate account of the federation.

“Sometimes, we collaborate with law enforcement agency like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

“If there is an MDA or organisation that has established liability and has owned up to the liability and they decide not to pay, sometimes we request the services of EFCC and they have been helping,” Shehu said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Christiana Fadare

Gov. Ahmadu  Fintiri of Adamawa has begun the N5bn credit guarantee scheme for agribusiness owners in the state.

A statement by Muhammad Tukur, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on New Media, said that the beneficiaries of the scheme would include producers, agregators and marketers.

Fintiri, while speaking in the Government House Yola, said the scheme is one of the main components of the Adamawa Agribusiness Support (ADAS) Programme.

He explained that the scheme would help the beneficiaries to access loans from financial institutions.

Fintiri appealed to people to continue to exercise patience over the hike in the price of food items, adding that his administration would continue to provide palliatives to the people to cushion the effect.

The Secretary to the State Government, Auwal Tukur, said that through the ADAS the state government has generated over N1 billion from the Agribusiness collections.

The highlight of the event was the presentation of loan letters to some of the beneficiaries of the scheme.(NAN)

By Taiye Agbaje

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, on Friday, upheld the election of Rep Jafaru Leko as member representing Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa Balewa Federal Constituency of Bauchi State in the House of Representatives.
The three-member panel, presided by Justice Lawal Shuaibu, dismissed the appeal filed by Kefas Magaji of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on the grounds that it lacked merit.
The court held that the petitioners (Magaji and PDP) failed to prove their case on the preponderance of evidence.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Independent National Electoral Commission (NAN) had declared Leko of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner of the Feb. 25 general election into the federal constituency seat.
Dissatisfied with the victory, Magaji and the PDP filed a petition challenging Leko’s declaration.
But the National and State Houses of Assembly Elections Tribunal dismissed the petition.
The petitioners proceeded to the Court of Appeal via Appeal No: CA/J/EPT/BA/HR/05/2023 between Barrister Kefas M. Magaji and PDP Vs. Jafaru Gambo Leko, APC and INEC.
Delivering the judgment on Friday, the Appeal Court agreed with the submission of Mr Johnson Usman, SAN, counsel to Leko, that the trial tribunal was right when it dismissed the petition.
The court, which wondered while most of the witnesses presented by the petitioners testified in Hausa Language while their witness statements were made in English, consequently dismissed the appeal and upheld that Jafaru Leko was the winner of the poll.
Speaking to NAN on the outcome of the appeal, Mr Usman said the decision was a victory for democracy.
The senior lawyer said that the court was right when it affirmed the decision of the trial court by holding that the petitioners/appellants failed in its entirety to prove their case both at trial and on appeal.
Mr Israel Usman, lawyer to the petitioner, declined to comment on the development.
He simply said: “Until my client ask me to speak before I can make a comment about the judgment.”(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
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Edited by Sadiya Hamza

By Sumaila Ogbaje

The Tinubu Campaign Organisation (TCO) on Friday congratulated President Bola Tinubu on his victory at the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC).

This  was contained in a statement issued on Friday in Abuja by Joshua Ilevbare, the National Coordinator of the group.

He said that the judgment of the Tribunal was a validation of the popular mandate freely given to Tinubu at the Feb. 25 presidential poll by the majority of Nigerians across the six geo-political zones.

While describing the PEPC verdict as unbiased and unprecedented in the history of Nigeria, he said that the verdict was triumph of truth, victory for democracy, rule of law and natural justice.

Ilevbare appealed to Nigerians to support the Tinubu government in the efforts to turn Nigeria around for better through its Renewed Hope Agenda.

“We believe that the verdict will further spur the President in his determination and genuine intention to offer purposeful governance for the benefits of all Nigerians regardless of their religions and ethnics,” he noted.

He pledged the group’s continued support for the success of the Tinubu government.

”It is imperative to request that members of TCO be involved in the ‘Renewed Hope’ administration as collaborators in different capacities, to serve our fatherland as foot soldiers who will help deliver dividends of democracy to the grassroots,” he said.

In the same vein, he also congratulated  Prof. Julius Ihonvbere of All Progressives Congress (APC), whose victory as member House of Representatives, Owan Federal Constituency in Feb. 25 ,  National Assembly Election was affirmed by the Tribunal, sitting in Benin City.

After the inauguration of the 10th session of the House of Representatives, Rep. Ihonvbere who was the Chairman of the House Committee on Basic Education and Services in the 9th Assembly, was appointed as the Majority Leader for the 10th Assembly. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Isaac Aregbesola

From left: Mr Timothy Ogundale, Brand Head of Marketing, Checkers Custard, Mr Karan Checker, Managing Director, Checkers Africa Limited, and Mr Muzyiwa Kayode, Executive Producer of Turtle Taido at the official Contract Signing between Checkers Custard and Turtle Taido in Lagos.

By Millicent Ifeanyichukwu
Checkers Africa Limited and Turtle Taido Game Show on Friday signed a partnership and sponsorship deal to deliver nourishment and wholesome content to children.
This is disclosed in a statement on Friday in Lagos issued by Mr Karan Checker, Managing Director of Checkers Africa.
Checkers Africa Limited is a leading Nigeria Custard brand, while Turtle Taido Game Show leads in educational kiddies show.
Checker said that Turtle Taido was an educational game show that tested the knowledge of contestants based on the learning adventures of the cartoon character.
“As Turtle Taido strives in unique ways to help in the mental development of children, give them wholesome education and also inculcate morals in them.
“So also Checkers Custard provides not just the energy, but nourishment for the children with highest quality, healthy and wholesome food that comes in different and exciting flavours.
“With this, the reasons for this strategic partnership are obvious and the alignment of Checkers Custard and Turtle Taido Game Show fits perfectly.
“It is the perfect panacea for well-rounded children development in Nigeria, and this is our own contribution to the future of our children,” he said.

The Checkers managing director said that the Turtle Taido show featured primary school kids with each episode having two schools contesting against each other.
He added that each school was usually represented by a pupil randomly picked by the Turtle Taido Mascot among the attendees.
According to Checkers, winners, runners-up and all the attending kids will be rewarded as they will all go away with gifts.
The contract signing was attended by pupils from Solid Foundation Private School, Aguda; Turning Point School, Isolo and ECWA School, Mushin. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
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Edited by Remi Koleoso/Christiana Fadare

By Justina Auta

The Federal Ministry of Women Affairs has promised to upgrade the garment factory at the Maryam Babangida National Centre for Women Development.

Mrs Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, the Minister of Women Affairs, disclosed this during a fact-finding visit to the Government Science and Technical College in Abuja on Friday.

Kennedy-Ohanenye said that the upgrade was part of the ministry’s skills acquisition plans for women, youths and children.

According to her, the upgrading of the garment factory is in pursuance of her sustained drive to expose school children to skills acquisition and vocational training.

She said her visit to the school was also to assess the electrical, furniture, computer crafts studies and vehicle mechanics sections at the garment and identify areas of collaboration with the school management.

“It has been my desire to harness the potential of our children and youths; to build their consciousness toward productivity and self- reliance when they grow up.

“I am already engaging the Honourable Minister of Education to introduce vocational training in schools; to equip the students with digital skills, tailoring, electrical and mechanics” she said.

The minister said she was satisfied with the school’s facilities which would be used to drive the project of harnessing the potential of children and youths.

She said,“This will prevent them from engaging in criminal acts and other juvenile delinquencies”.

The minister, therefore, promised that the Government Technical College would be integrated into the plans of upgrading the garment factory.

“This will enable the students align with the plans of the ministry to have a veritable machinery for effective skills acquisition centre in the FCT,” she added.

Responding, Mr James Kuta, the Principal of the school, who thanked the minister, said the initiative would rebuild the consciousness of Nigerian children and youths to be productive and contribute their quota to national growth. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Chinyere Bassey/Vivian Ihechu