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2020: What a Year!
By Eric Elezuo
When many had thought that the year 2020 had done the worse it could, they were jolted with the announcement, on Christmas Day, of the death of veteran Nollywood producer, Chico Ejiro, who was also known as Mr Prolific. Even as the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ was underway, not a few found the strength to mutter the expression, ‘what a year’.
His death was coming on the heels of the loss of billionaire business titan, Chief Harry Akande and Polo buff, Dapo Ojora. Both were just committed to mother earth. And not forgetting the Publisher of Leadership Newspapers, Sam Ndah Isaiah, who died at 58. He will be buried on December 28.
Without mincing words, the world has not seen a year so devastating, so hazardous and uncompromising as the dying Year 2020. It is not like hazardous events, and deaths were not recorded in other years, but it is believed that the trend of 2020 is quite different from all other years. From the reported missing star, which didn’t explode into supernovas before disappearing into the ‘black hole’ to the mysterious drones noticed in Colorado and Nebraska, and of a particular monkey snatching COVID-19 samples from three patients and escaping to a tree. There was also the accidental invasion of Czech Republic by Poland and the spotted asteroid seen heading to the earth among other inanities noticed in the folding year.
The year 2020 showed that it held little or no promises when on December 9, 2019, the dreaded Coronavirus, which was later renamed COVID-19, was discovered in the Chinese town of Wuhan. What started like a child’s play was later to metamorphosed into a full blown pandemic, paralysing the world’s economy, ruin social and entertainment and religious lives of the people as well as creating a distance between one and another.
According to Science Direct, “the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) is a highly transmittable and pathogenic viral infection caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which emerged in Wuhan, China and spread around the world. Genomic analysis revealed that SARS-CoV-2 is phylogenetically related to severe acute respiratory syndrome-like (SARS-like) bat viruses, therefore bats could be the possible primary reservoir.”
By January 2020, the virus had eaten deep into the fabrics of the society, causing nations to systematically declare unspoken sanctions against one another as international travels became totally restricted. No one wanted the other into his territorial space. Apart from the war declared on humanity by the virus, there was also a silent war declared by man against man; do not trespass into my territory. There were dire consequences for defaulters. The world was on lockdown!
While COVID-19 was warming up for its devastating blow, the world was hit with one of the very first of its series of blows when on January 26, 2020, a retired Los Angeles Lakers star, Kobe Bryant, 41, and his daughter Gianna, 13, were killed in a helicopter crash near Calabasas, Calif.
Bryant was among the passengers traveling onboard the helicopter. Nine people died in the crash, including the pilot. The other victims of the crash included John Altobelli, a longtime baseball coach at Orange Coast College, a junior college in Costa Mesa. Calif., as well as Altobelli’s wife, Keri, and daughter Alyssa.
On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was killed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, while being arrested for allegedly using a counterfeit bill. During the arrest Derek Chauvin, a white police officer with the Minneapolis Police Department, knelt on Floyd’s neck for about nine and a half minutes after he was handcuffed and lying face down. Two police officers, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane, assisted Chauvin in restraining Floyd, while another officer, Tou Thao, prevented bystanders from interfering with the arrest and intervening as events unfolded. The death of Floyd sparked a series of protest across the world with the tag, #blacklivesmatter. It further exposed the fragile world to the coronavirus, which at this time was claiming thousands of lives across board with Italy and the United States of America accounting for highest number of death toll, running into hundreds of thousands.
In Nigeria, the matter of COVID-19 assumed greater seriousness when on April, one of the supposedly strong men of the Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, who was the Chief of Staff, Mallam Abba Kyari died from complications from the disease. This was barely two months after the first case was reported in Nigerian, on February 26, 2020, of an Italian expatriate, who inadvertently recovered from the ailment.
Nigeria was not the only country that lost its CoS, as Guinea also recorded the death of Sékou Kourouma. He was the second high-profile death from COVID-19 within a 24-hour period after that of elections body head, Amadou Salif Kebe.
From then onwards, there was no looking back as the ailment claimed personality after personality, not to talk of ‘ordinary’ people who did not get a mention as a result of their status.
The peace of entertainment, religious and social circle of Nigeria was shattered on June 14, when the death of energetic wife of Founder, Trinity House, Church, Ibidunni Ighadalo, rented the air. She was one month shy of her 40th birthday.
On June 25, another Nigerian political heavyweight, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, bowed to the disease. He was 70 years. Abiola was a two term governor of Oyo State. A few days later, an accomplished industrialist who was also the Parakoyi of Ibadanland and the Chairman of Madandola Group, Chief Bode Akindele, also died. Shortly afterwards, Senator Kashamu Buruji followed suit.
In July, another heavyweight of the Buhari administration, Isah Funtua, joined the fray of fallen heroes. He was a notable force in Nigeria’s political terrain.
It is worthy of note that almost all the state governors had contracted the virus at one time or another. Some of them are Governor of Oyo, Seyi Makinde, Kaduna State’s Nasir El-Rufai and Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, Others are Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State among others.
Elsewhere, in July, Naya Rivera bowed out, just as the US Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg died at age 87. It was a moment of emotion as beloved Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman died at age 43, and Jeopardy! host, Alex Trebek died at age 80. These were men and women regarded as movers and shakers of world’s politics and policy makers.
The disease was no respecter of persons. It claimed the heavyweight and paperweight, the young, the not very young as well as the aged in its sweeping movement.
As at April, 2020, the virus had cleared over 1000 African personalities from former presidents, prime ministers and lawmakers, to entertainment icons and top sportsmen. The agony of the of the deaths was that most of these greats could not get the send-off they would have been accorded in “normal times.”
Dr. Anastasie Akamba, head of a district hospital in Yaounde, Cameroon, died from COVID-19. In the same vein, 56-year-old South African Queen Noloyiso Sandile, widow of the late King Maxhobha Sandile, passed away on 8 July 2020 following a short illness.
Ghana was not spared as it lost prominent medical experts in one fell swoop including an Orthopaedic Surgeon, a General Surgeon, a paediatrician and a Consultant Physician/Academic.
The casualties were Professor Jacob Plange-Rhule, Dr. Harry Boateng, a Specialist Paediatrician and Medical Superintendent at the Kwadaso SDA Hospital. A retired Orthopaedic Surgeon, Dr. Emmanuel Twagirayesu as well as Dr. Richard Kisser, a Consultant Surgeon with the Trust Hospital in the capital Accra.
On the political scene, Anthony K. K Sam, the Mayor of the Western Region’s oil-rich twin city of Sekondi-Takoradi had succumbed to the disease on Friday, June 12 before enigmatic leader, John Jerry Rawlings fell to the virus as well days after giving his mother a befitting burial.
Across Africa, and the world at large, the story remained the same; a tale of deaths and untold crises.
In Nigeria, while the government was relaxing the third phase of lockdown, the mother of all protests erupted; the #EndSARS Protests. These protests swept through the length and breath of the country, and leaving in its wake a tale of sorrow, tears and blood. Two weeks after the the protests kicked off, the Nigerian Army were accused of opening fire on armless protesting civilians at the Lekki Tollgate. Yet to be confirmed reports said a lot of the protesters were gunned down. The incident has since come to be known as Lekki Massacre.
The aftermath of the reported shooting led to the looting and massive destruction of government property and public utilities, leading to more deaths of police personnel and civilians. At the end, it was estimated that over a trillion naira will be required to rebuild damaged infrastructure in Lagos alone, just as the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, announced that 37 police officers were murdered in the ensuing fiasco.
The long list of destroyed public and private property in Lagos were named as Ajeromi Ifelodun Local Government secretariat; Palace of the Oba of Lagos; Lagos High Court, Igbosere; Oyingbo BRT terminus; Ojodu Berger BRT terminus; Vehicle Inspection Office, Ojodu Berger; Lagos State Public Works Corporation, Ojodu Berger; Lagos City Hall and Circle Mall, Lekki; numerous luxury shops in Surulere, The Nation Newspaper, TVC and Shoprite Lekki.
The #EndSARS protests resulted in another round of compulsory lockdown, and invariably another phase of economic lockdown. It was not therefore a surprise when the Buhari-led government announced another recession, the second in less than five years, and the worst since 1987. The country is yet to come out of the recession.
The year 2020 did not spare the sports industry as it claimed the arguably greatest soccer player ever, Diego Armando Maradona. The great Argentine star, who was known for his Hand of God goal against England in the 1986 Mexico World Cup, succumbed to heart failure. While the world was mourning his death, another world cup winning star Paulo Rossi was snatched by the cold hands of death. As if that wasn’t enough, Papa Diop of Senegal, who dazzled the world during the Korea/Japan 2002 World Cup also passed on.
On the home front, the likes of ex-Super Eagles defender, Ajibade Babalade died a day after taking ill. He was 48. John Felagha, who manned the goalpost for the U17 and U23 teams also died just as Nasarawa United defender, Chineme Martins slumped and died during a match in Lafia. Basketball referee, Razak Okedeyi, 16-year-old basketball hopeful, Deborah Onu and Nigeria-American basketball player, Michael Ojo, among many others also kissed the dust.
On the good side, Napoli announced the signing of Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen from Ligue 1 side Lille on a five-year deal. According to French sports newspaper L’Equipe, the deal is worth more than $96m (81.3m euros) making him the most expensive African player of all time.
In like manner, British-Nigerian boxer, Anthony Joshua, knocked out Bulgarian boxer, Kubrat Pulev, in the ninth round of their world title bout at the SSE Arena, Wembley, to retain his WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles.
In America however, the citizens succeeded in upturning the presidency of Donald Trump, handing it over to Democratic candidate, Joe Biden after an intense electioneering and equally intense vote counting which lasted for days; a novel occurrence in the history of America.
The intrigues of the year notwithstanding, it can also be noted that Nigeria’s Adewunmi Adesina was reelected as President of the African Development Bank (AfDB) after intrigues initiated by the United States to throw out the Nigerian hopeful. Again, Nigeria’s former Minister of Finance, Mrs Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has received a unanimous endorsement to become the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
It will not be forgotten in a hurry that in 2020, banditry, unchecked Fulani herdsmen raids and Boko Haram insurgency took a new dimension. While the COVID-19 disease was claiming as many as it could, the insurgents were doing a yeoman’s job at the corner, slaughtering innocents who survived the pandemic.
On November 28, a number not less than 40 rice farmers were slaughtered in their farms in Zabarmari village, Borno State, by Boko Haram insurgents. They were systematically beheaded. On December 11, about 344 students of Government Science Secondary School, an all-boys boarding school in the rural town of Kankara in Katsina State, were abducted in the middle of the night by gunmen. They were however, retrieved a week later, in an operation the Katsina government claimed was purely based on negotiation. Many Nigerians felt there was more to the abduction and rescue saga.
This is a year that was ushered in with the best of hopes and pomp, but while many are short of words to describe 2020, some can only say, dis year sef.
The year 2020 has proved to be one year many won’t subscribe to its repeating. They said it was tense. The world wishes a better 2021!
TheBoss
The General Overseer of Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, and Founder of Living Faith Church Worldwide, Bishop David Oyedepo, have thanked U.S. President Donald Trump for recent military action against terrorism in Nigeria, urging Washington to do more to halt the unrelenting attacks.
Both clerics spoke at the “Faith Heroes Award Gala” in Washington D.C. on June 26, 2026, organised by Save Nigeria Group USA, SNGUSA, with the US-Nigeria Civil Society Coalition.
The event honoured Trump, Congressmen Chris Smith and Riley Moore, and other advocates of religious freedom in Nigeria.
Addressing a packed audience of activists, policymakers and faith leaders at the Hilton Garden Inn, Capitol Hill, Adeboye said the scale of violence has moved beyond what any religious leader can handle alone.
“Terrorism is now at my doorstep,” he said. “If you want to help us, help us more.”
The RCCG leader, who had faced criticism for not speaking out earlier, said he chose “spiritual warfare” instead of public escalation. He noted that Trump’s December strikes on terrorist camps did not surprise him because the U.S. President had warned of consequences.
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, on Thursday said Nigeria’s revenue challenge lies in expanding the tax net rather than increasing tax rates, stressing that the country needs more taxpayers, not higher taxes.
Oyedele spoke in Abuja while receiving the leadership of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria during a courtesy visit to the Federal Ministry of Finance at the end of the Institute’s maiden National Tax Awareness Day, which featured a road walk and taxpayer sensitisation at Wuse Market as well as a visit to the headquarters of the Nigerian Revenue Service.
The awareness campaign coincided with one year since President Bola Tinubu signed Nigeria’s landmark Tax Reform Acts into law on June 26, 2025.
Commending the Institute for supporting the Federal Government’s tax reform agenda, Oyedele said public misunderstanding of taxation remained one of the biggest obstacles to improving compliance. According to him, many Nigerians still believe that whenever the government talks about taxation, it is simply seeking to collect more money from citizens.
“We are still not getting enough revenue from taxes; it is not about increasing taxes, but making sure that those who are supposed to pay taxes pay.
We want to promote fairness in tax administration,” he said.
The minister added that getting Nigeria’s tax system right would have a transformative impact on national development. He also urged the Institute to establish annual awards to recognise the country’s most compliant taxpayers as a way of encouraging voluntary tax compliance.
Earlier, the tax awareness campaign commenced at Wuse Market, where the 17th President of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria, Innocent Ohagwa, said the initiative was introduced to bridge the information gap surrounding the country’s tax reforms and improve voluntary compliance.
He explained that although the reforms had been in force for one year, many Nigerians were still uncertain about the changes and how they would affect businesses and individuals.
“The laws have been signed, implementation has begun, yet many taxpayers and stakeholders are still grappling with what has changed, what remains the same, and how these provisions affect their businesses and personal affairs,” he said.
According to Ohagwa, widespread misconceptions have continued to fuel anxiety, with some people believing the reforms introduced new taxes across all aspects of economic activity, while others assume they were designed solely to raise government revenue.
He, however, said the reforms contain significant reliefs and incentives for both individuals and businesses. Among the benefits, he said, individuals can now claim rent relief of up to 20 per cent of annual rent paid, subject to a maximum of N500,000, while essential goods and services, including food, education, healthcare, electricity transmission, and non-oil exports, now enjoy zero-rated Value Added Tax treatment.
He added that compensation for loss of employment or personal injury now attracts higher tax exemption thresholds. For businesses, Ohagwa said companies with annual turnover not exceeding N100m and fixed assets of not more than N250m are exempt from Companies Income Tax, Capital Gains Tax, and the Development Levy.
“This means thousands of small businesses can now reinvest in growth, job creation, and innovation,” he said.
He added that targeted tax incentives had also been introduced for agriculture, aquaculture, dairy production, cocoa processing, and animal feed manufacturing, while eligible investors could benefit from tax credits under the Economic Development Incentive.
Despite the incentives, the CITN president reminded taxpayers that compliance remained a legal obligation.
“Compliance is not a burden; it is a civic duty. It is our collective contribution to nation-building. And taxation works best when there is trust — taxpayers must fulfil their obligations, while the government must uphold accountability, transparency and the effective use of public resources,” he said.
He urged traders, entrepreneurs, and business owners to obtain Tax Identification Numbers, keep proper records, file accurate returns on time, and seek professional guidance from the Nigerian Revenue Service, the FCT Internal Revenue Service, or members of the Institute whenever necessary.
Explaining the rationale for the awareness campaign, Ohagwa said the Institute approved an annual National Tax Awareness Day after observing that many Nigerians remained uninformed about the reforms despite ongoing sensitisation.
He said Wuse Market was deliberately chosen because it represented one of the country’s key grassroots commercial hubs where taxpayer education was most needed, adding that the campaign was held in June because it coincides with the peak filing period for many corporate taxpayers.
After the market sensitisation, the CITN delegation proceeded to the headquarters of the Nigerian Revenue Service, where both organisations reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening tax awareness, voluntary compliance, and the implementation of Nigeria’s tax reforms.
Receiving the delegation on behalf of the Executive Chairman of the NRS, Dr Zacch Adedeji, the Executive Director, Finance and Corporate Services, Mohammed Abubakar, described the occasion as significant because it marked one year since the signing of the country’s landmark tax reform legislation.
“That historic milestone signalled the beginning of a new era in Nigeria’s tax administration, one anchored on simplicity, fairness, transparency, efficiency, and service delivery,” he said.
According to Abubakar, the reforms are intended to build a tax administration system that is trusted, technology-driven, and responsive to the needs of taxpayers and businesses.
He added that sustainable revenue mobilisation depends not only on enforcement but also on public awareness and confidence in tax institutions. “Taxpayers are more likely to comply when they understand their obligations, appreciate the value of taxation and have confidence in the institutions administering our tax laws,” he said.
The visit also highlighted the Service’s digital transformation agenda, with officials pointing to initiatives such as Rev360 and other technology-driven platforms aimed at delivering more efficient tax administration.
Also speaking, the Group Director, Medium Tax Group, Dr Gbenga Daniel, said the NRS would continue collaborating with professional bodies to deepen taxpayer education and improve service delivery.
“The Nigerian Revenue Service values its longstanding partnership with CITN. Together, our institutions share a common vision of improving tax administration and fostering voluntary compliance for national development,” he said.
The reception brought together Executive Directors of the NRS, members of the CITN Governing Council, senior management staff, tax professionals, and industry stakeholders before the delegation proceeded to the Federal Ministry of Finance for the courtesy visit, where Oyedele urged Nigerians to embrace the country’s evolving tax system through greater compliance rather than misconceptions about higher taxation.
In June 2025, President Bola Tinubu signed four sweeping tax reform bills into law, including the Nigeria Tax Act and related statutes that together overhaul decades-old tax statutes and modernise the country’s tax system.
The Punch
U.S. President, Donald Trump, has threatened to impose a 100 per cent tariff on imports from any country that introduces a digital services tax (DST) targeting American technology companies.
In a statement posted on his Truth Social platform on Friday, Trump warned that countries introducing or maintaining digital services taxes on U.S. tech firms would face immediate retaliatory tariffs on all goods exported to the United States.
“Any country that imposes such a Tax will immediately be met with a 100% TARIFF on any Goods sent to the United States of America,” Trump declared, insisting that digital services taxes unfairly single out American businesses and undermine U.S. economic interests.
The latest warning is aimed primarily at several European countries that have adopted or are considering digital services taxes on multinational technology companies such as Apple, Google, Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft.
Washington has long argued that such taxes disproportionately target U.S.-based firms while discriminating against American innovation.
Trump also asserted that the proposed 100 per cent tariff would supersede existing and future trade agreements, signalling a more confrontational trade policy if countries proceed with taxing revenues generated by U.S. technology giants within their borders.
France became the first major economy to introduce a digital services tax in 2019, prompting repeated threats of retaliatory tariffs from Washington.
Other countries, including the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Austria, and Canada, have either implemented or proposed similar measures while negotiations continue under the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to establish a global framework for taxing multinational corporations.
The OECD’s two-pillar international tax agreement was designed to reduce unilateral digital taxes by allocating a greater share of multinational profits to countries where earnings are earned while establishing a global minimum corporate tax
