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VAT: Lagos Cautions Northern Governors, Says Supreme Court Should Be Allowed to Decide
The Lagos State Government has said only the Supreme Court has the right to settle the question of whether states or the Federal Government should collect the Value Added Tax.
The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotosho, said this on Tuesday in reaction to the statement made by Northern Governors Forum, rejecting the collection of VAT by states.
He said, “I think what the Northern Governors are trying to do is to confuse administrative convenience with constitutionality. First, let me say that they have a right to their opinion; it is all a matter of free speech. But beyond the debate, there is the constitutionality of it which the Supreme Court is being asked to make a pronouncement on.
“No matter the sentiment that anybody may have, the question remains – and this is what the Supreme Court is being asked to look into – who has the authority to collect the Value-Added Tax, is it the Federal Government or the state? And until there is a pronouncement on that, it is wrong for anybody to just give his administrative convenience for constitutionality.
“In other words, the Supreme Court only has the right to settle the question of who should collect the VAT. The question is not whether it is convenient or not; because if something is not convenient, that should not take away the constitutionality of it, and it is this constitutionality that the Supreme Court is asked to pronounce on.
“And it is not a matter of sentiment; it is a matter of legality, the law and justice. The law is not interested in sympathy; it is only interested in the law. So what are the provisions of the law in regards to collection of VAT? That is what the Supreme Court has to pronounce on.
“Whenever we are talking about collection of VAT, whether it is convenient for states or not, when they get to that bridge, they will cross it. The question remains who has the right to collect it.”
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Donald Trump Sworn in As 47th American President, Pledges Swift Border Crackdown
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Hamas Releases Israeli Hostages As Ceasefire Agreement Comes into Effect
The first hostages freed from Gaza under a long-awaited ceasefire agreement are back in Israel. The news sparked jubilant scenes in Tel Aviv where large crowds gathered ahead of their release.
The three freed Israeli hostages – the first of 33 to be released over the next six weeks – are Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari. They are said to be in good health and are receiving treatment at a medical center in Tel Aviv.
In exchange, 90 Palestinian prisoners and detainees are set to be released by Israel from Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank.
The Israeli military withdrew from several locations in southern and northern Gaza after the truce began earlier on Sunday, an Israeli military official told CNN.
Displaced Gazans have started returning to their homes, while the aid trucks laden with much-needed supplies have crossed into Gaza. Here’s what we know about how the ceasefire deal will work.
Hamas, despite suffering devastating losses, is framing the Gaza ceasefire agreement as a victory for itself, and a failure for Israel.
One of Hamas’ main goals for taking some 250 people during its brazen October 7, 2023, attack on Israel was to secure the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. As Israel pounded Gaza in response, Hamas vowed not to return the hostages until Israel withdrew its forces from the enclave, permanently ended the war, and allowed for rebuilding.
Source: CNN
Headlines
Again, Kemi Badenoch Lashes Out at Nigeria Says Country’s ‘Dream Killer’
The leader of UK’s Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has said she doesn’t want Britain to be like Nigeria that is plagued by “terrible governments.”
Speaking on Thursday at an event organised by Onward, a British think tank producing research on economic and social issues, Badenoch expressed fears that Britain may become like Nigeria if the system is not reformed.
“And why does this matter so much to me? It’s because I know what it is like to have something and then to lose it,” Badenoch told the audience.
“I don’t want Britain to lose what it has.
“I grew up in a poor country and watched my relatively wealthy family become poorer and poorer, despite working harder and harder as their money disappeared with inflation.
“I came back to the UK aged 16 with my father’s last £100 in the hope of a better life.
“So I have lived with the consequences of terrible governments that destroy lives, and I never, ever want it to happen here.”
Badenoch has been in the news of late after she dissociated herself from Nigeria, saying she has nothing to do with the Islamic northern region.
She also accused the Nigeria Police of robbing citizens instead of protecting them.
She said: “My experience with the Nigeria Police was very negative. Coming to the UK, my experience with the British Police was very positive.
“The police in Nigeria will rob us (laughter). When people say I have this bad experience with the police because I’m black, I say well…I remember the police stole my brother’s shoe and his watch.”