Justice Ayokunle Faji of the Federal High Court in Lagos has upheld the penalties and interest amounting to $87.9 million imposed on MTN Nigeria Communication Plc by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

The court gave the verdict while delivering judgment in an appeal filed by FIRS against the Tax Appeal Tribunal’s (TAT) decision of October 20, 2023.

LEADERSHIP recalls that the Tax Appeal Tribunal had awarded a principal sum of $71 million on MTN but did not grant the penalties and interest that FIRS had requested.

But dissatisfied with the TAT’s ruling, FIRS had approached the Federal High Court in an appeal marked FHC/L/1A/2024, urging the court to set aside the decision of the Tax Appeal Tribunal.

FIRS specifically prayed the court for an order setting aside the decision of TAT and an order directing the Appellant to pursue all penalties and interest arising from the principal sum awarded by the Tribunal in its judgment dated October 20, 2023.

In its brief of argument, FIRS posed two key issues for determination before the court, asking whether the Tribunal was correct in refusing to grant the Appellant the accumulating penalties and interest after determining that the goods and services purchased by the Respondent were subject to value-added taxes.

The tax agency also asked the court to determine whether the Tribunal was right to apply the provisions of the Company Income Tax Act (CITA) to address assessments related to the penalties and interest arising from the operations of the Value Added Tax Act,

In response, MTN raised one main issue for determination on whether the Tribunal erred in law by setting aside the penalties and interest imposed by the FIRS on the Respondent’s principal value-added tax liability.

MTN also contended that the Tribunal correctly dismissed the penalties and interest imposed on its alleged principal VAT liability and that the Tribunal accurately interpreted Sections 13(2) and (3) of the 5th Schedule to the FIRS Act.

They further asserted that the Appellant’s arguments regarding the applicability of these sections do not align with the Notice of Appeal and are, therefore, ineffective.

In his judgment, Justice Faji resolved all the issues canvassed by the parties against MTN Nigeria Communication Plc.

He held, “The decision of the TAT contained from page 750 of the record to the effect that interest and penalty are not due to be paid by the respondent to the appellant is hereby set aside.

“This appeal, therefore, succeeds. I grant the three reliefs sought, as prayed,” the judge held

The convener of #RevolutionNow Movement, Omoyele Sowore, has been granted bail by a Federal High Court in Abuja to the tune of N10m and one surety in like sum.

According to the ruling of the court, the surety must be a responsible individual with landed property valued in like sum.

The surety is expected to deposit the original documents of a landed property and a passport photograph to the Registrar of the court.

The trial judge, while ruling on the bail application on Thursday, ordered Sowore to also deposit his International Passport with the Registrar of the court.

The trial judge, however, gave Sowore 24 hours to perfect the bail conditions or be remanded by the Police until the bail is perfected.

LEADERSHIP reports that Sowore, founder and two-time presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2019 and 2023 general elections, respectively, is being prosecuted by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) on 17-count charges bordering on cybercrimes and deliberately calling the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, ‘illegal IGP’.

Cristiano Ronaldo might be the Great Of All Times (GOAT) to many fans across the football world, but not everyone in his household agrees, with the Portugal star admitting that his own son prefers Real Madrid star’s Kylian Mbappé.

Ronaldo has scored a club-record 450 goals for Los Blancos between 2009 and 2018.

Mbappé has the chance to continue his hot streak later on Wednesday against Brest, while Ronaldo is next in action against Al Raed on Thursday.

Ronaldo who scored twice in Al Nassr’s comfortable Saudi Pro League win at the weekend to move to the top of the division’s goal-scoring charts, but that was not enough to impress his 5-year-old, Mateo.

In an excerpt from an upcoming interview with Spanish outlet La Sexta, Ronaldo admitted the France captain has surpassed him in his son’s eyes.

“Mateo, he really likes Mbappé,” Ronaldo said. “He sometimes tells me: ‘Hey dad, Mbappé is better than you,’ and I reply by saying: ‘No, I am better than him, I have scored more goals.”

Mbappé, who is known to have idolised Ronaldo in his youth, has started to emulate some of his feats at the Bernabéu in recent weeks after his high-profile move from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer.

It was reported that after his hat-trick against Real Valladolid on Saturday, Mbappé now has 15 goals in LaLiga, second in the Pichichi race behind Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski.

Emefo Etudo, the lawyer representing suspected kidnap kingpin, Chukwudimeme Onwuamadike, popularly called Evans, has told a Lagos State High Court in Ikeja on Wednesday that his client has repented from his criminal ways and has applied to the Lagos State Government for mercy.

Emefo Etudo, the lawyer representing suspected kidnap kingpin, Chukwudimeme Onwuamadike, popularly called Evans, has told a Lagos State High Court in Ikeja on Wednesday that his client has repented from his criminal ways and has applied to the Lagos State Government for mercy.

Etudo told the court presided over by Justice Adenike Coker, that despite the amended charge and the plea of his client, he (Evans) has applied to the Lagos State Government through the Attorney-General’s office for a plea bargain.

The defence counsel stated this after Evans pleaded not guilty to an amended five-count charge bordering on murder, attempt to murder and conspiracy to commit kidnapping.

Billionaire Kidnapper ‘Evans’ Seeks Plea Bargain

“Our focus in this matter is the plea bargain which we have submitted to the state government. My client is now a repentant person. He was a young man consumed by crime, but he is now remorseful. Presently, he is a 200-level student of the National Open University. In fact, he made A1 in all his papers in NECO while in prison. All these were made possible through a scholarship given to him by the Federal Government.

“My Lord, we have asked the Lagos State government to give him the opportunity to go round schools in the state to talk to youths about the dangers of crime,” Etudo said.

State Prosecutor, Y.A. Sule, confirmed Evans’ application for plea bargain, saying that the appropriate authorities would consider it, adding that the business of the day was for the re-arraignment of the defendant to enable the matter to start de novo

Former Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, has cautioned the government against plans to scrap the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).

He warned that such a move would have devastating consequences for universities and other tertiary institutions in Nigeria.

Wabba’s warning comes amid deliberations on tax reform bills at the National Assembly, which propose a reduction in TETFund allocations. The bill suggests that starting in 2025, only 50% of the Education Tax will go to TETFund, with the remainder allocated to the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND). It also outlines plans to phase out TETFund entirely by 2030, redirecting all education tax proceeds to NELFUND.

Speaking at the National Leadership Retreat organized by the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) in Abuja, Wabba emphasized TETFund’s vital role in sustaining universities, particularly in infrastructure development and staff training.

“For some time now, the major funding for our universities and other tertiary institutions has come from TETFund, especially for critical infrastructure, which has become dilapidated. Even in training and retraining university staff, TETFund had to intervene,” Wabba explained.

He added that scrapping TETFund would return Nigerian universities to “zero level,” as the national budget is already inadequate to meet their needs.

Wabba noted that state governors and trade unions have also opposed the proposed scrapping of TETFund, recognizing its importance in sustaining higher education.

“The budget system is already limited, with many competing demands. Education is critical, and it used to be one of the government’s top priorities. We need to return to the basics and strengthen TETFund because they are doing a good job,” he said.

On the issue of labour disputes, Wabba highlighted the need for strong collective bargaining as a solution.

“In the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) decent work agenda, prioritizing collective bargaining is essential. Once unions have grievances, whether at the branch or national level, the government should engage them in good faith and implement agreements. Workers do not want to strike; it is a last resort,” he explained.

Wabba acknowledged that while strikes cannot be completely eliminated, they remain a necessary tool in some cases due to the attitudes of certain employers.

On concerns about internal sabotage within unions, Wabba assured that unions have mechanisms to address such challenges. Maintaining unity within unions is essential to protect workers’ interests, he stressed.

Wabba addressed reports of reduced salaries for some workers, advising them to report such cases to their unions.

“If any worker’s salary has been reduced, they should first report to their union. Salary is a legal agreement between an employer and a worker. An employer cannot unilaterally reduce a worker’s salary — that is illegal and unacceptable,” he said.

Wabba assured workers that unions would escalate such issues to labour centers for appropriate action.

Immediate-past Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai has reaffirmed that his stance on the President Bola Tinubu-led administration would not have changed even if he were still part of the government. 

El-Rufai’s response came after the President’s Special Adviser on Policy Communications, Daniel Bwala, questioned whether the former governor would have been critical of the administration if he held a cabinet position.

LEADERSHIP reports that el-Rufai had described governance and opposition in Nigeria as a “national emergency” at a conference in Abuja on Monday.

He also criticised the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for its lack of internal democracy, stating, “I no longer recognise the APC. No party organ has met in two years—no caucus, no NEC, nothing. You don’t even know if it is a one-man show; it’s a zero-man show.”

His remarks drew sharp criticism from the APC, which accused him of treachery and claimed that el-Rufai was undermining the government and the party he helped build.

Reacting to El-Rufai’s comments, Bwala took to his X handle, querying if the former governor would have expressed the same views if he were part of the government:

“My senior brother, if you were to be in the government and cabinet, would you have held and expressed the same position? History is replete with examples. It is a government you participated in its formation, that you now want to unseat. Haba Mallam, a Ji soron Allah mana.”

El-Rufai on Thursday responded to Bwala via his X handle, dismissing suggestions that he ever sought a ministerial role in the Tinubu administration and criticising what he described as “latter-day converts” to the government.

“Good morning, #BwalaDaniel, I was cabinet minister 22 years ago and was clear to Asiwaju that I was not interested in any position in his future government. The pathetic manner all of you latter-day converts to the Tinubu government make an issue of something that I never wanted in the first place is perhaps a reflection of the level of your moral flexibility.”

He further stated that had he remained in the Tinubu government, his criticisms would have remained unchanged.

“If I had remained in the Tinubu government, I will say or do the same on the tragedy within a party I was a founder, and the government that emerged from it—first in private sessions with those concerned, and then go public if no remedial actions are taken. Go and check my public service record from 1998.”

El-Rufai also took a swipe at some pro-government voices, alleging that certain individuals were being paid from security votes to defend the administration’s actions online.

“I am only responding to you because I still think you are a decent person who may need a job, and not in the class of Wendell Simlin and that Kaduna pretender that our voters retired in 2019—these clowns are political mercenaries that receive humongous monthly stipends from the security vote to be the first to jump on X and other platforms to defend everything the Asiwaju government does or fails to do, no matter how indefensible it may be.”

Ending his statement, he advised the presidential aide to put his loyalty to ‘God and country’ above political allegiance.

“Enjoy your special adviser position, my brother, but remember that allegiance to God and country comes first in the human scale of accountability, before any person or authority,” el-Rufai said.

The Kano State Hisbah Board has arrested a man and his girlfriend for solemnising their marriage at Banana Restaurant on Zoo Road, Kano.

The board’s Deputy Commander General of Operations, Dr Mujahideen Abubakar, confirmed the arrest to PUNCH Online on Thursday, stating that Hisbah personnel raided the restaurant on Wednesday night following a tip-off.

“It’s very unfortunate to tell you that the solemnisation of the purported marriage was conducted in the restaurant by friends of the man without the consent of the parents of the couple,” he said.

He warned that the board would not fold its arms and allow some undesirable elements to continue to violate the shari’a in the state.

According to him, the board had since launched a manhunt for all the guests who participated in the illegal solemnisation of the marriage.

“We arrested the couple. We are trailing friends of the groom who fled the restaurant after our personnel stormed the place,” he added.

The deputy commander said the couple violated all the marriage conditions, which is a flagrant violation of the Shari’a.

Daniel Bwala, the Special Adviser on Policy Communications to President Bola Tinubu on Thursday cautioned a former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai after labelling him a “latter-day convert.”

The former governor, who is a chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress, has been in the news recently for calling out the party over its lack of internal democracy and active party structures.

“I no longer recognise the APC. No party organ has met in two years—no caucus, no NEC, nothing. You don’t even know if it is a one-man show; it’s a zero-man show,” El-Rufai said at a national conference in Abuja on strengthening democracy in Nigeria on Monday.

Before now, Bwala had challenged El-Rufai if he’d keep to his remarks if he were serving in the Tinubu government, which the former governor affirmed.

In a series of tweets via his X handle Thursday, while responding to Bwala’s tweet, El-Rufai noted his non-interest in serving in the President Bola Tinubu-led administration.

“I was cabinet minister 22 years ago and was clear to Asiwaju that I was not interested in any position in his future government. The pathetic manner all of you latter-day converts to the Tinubu government make an issue of something that I never wanted in the first place is perhaps a reflection of the level of your moral flexibility,” he tweeted, among others.

However, responding to the tweets, Bwala cautioned that he and the ex-Kaduna governor were instrumental in Tinubu’s emergence as the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections.

“With respect, I am not a latter-day Asiwaju supporter. We both played our roles in his emergence as the candidate of the party ahead of the 2023 elections. And before then, whilst you were from the CPC extraction of APC, I was from the ACN, which explains why I worked with Comrade Oshiomhole when he chaired the party amongst other things to protect the interest of Asiwaju whom at the time you people vowed to retire from politics,” Bwala stated.

The president’s spokesperson, who stated his respect for the APC chieftain, spoke of his worry behind El-Rufai’s “statements and actions,” saying, “They are not borne out of patriotism, but need for vengeance. The opposition sees that singular element of vengeance as a veritable tool for your recruitment.

“I still think you don’t need all these melodramatic activities or a vengeance mission. Come back and resolve whatever you think are your grievances like the dignified man that you are.

“Our party APC as of today remains the only organized party with identifiable structures across the country. So, if you are looking for any symbol of democracy, it is still in your party. Please senior, come home; you have toiled all night.”

During an interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today programme in November 2024, Bwala, who served as a spokesperson for the Atiku Abubakar Presidential Campaign Council, denied lobbying to serve in the ruling APC government.

“No, I didn’t lobby. The last time I was here, I told you when I met him (President) that I had made up my mind to support his cause.

“Since that January after I appeared on your programme, I have been doggedly pursuing that cause. Maybe he saw that and also saw the commitment in it. But it is something that the President knows I have loved, and still love when I supported him in the primaries.

“Whatever was his consideration is what I don’t know. But I know that the honour that the President bestowed on me is what I am very grateful for. I am also very committed to ensuring I don’t disappoint Mr President and the Nigerian people.”

Nigerian singer, Seun Kuti, has stirred up a wave of controversy after revealing that his sister allegedly lost over N50 million in a cryptocurrency investment scheme.

The shocking revelation was made in a viral video posted on X (formerly Twitter), where Kuti passionately condemned the crypto market, accusing it of being a scam.

In the video, Seun Kuti expressed his frustration and disbelief at the impact of cryptocurrency on ordinary Nigerians.

He strongly criticized cryptocurrency promoters, calling them “criminals” who exploit vulnerable individuals, especially the poor.

“Crypto is a lie. You people are criminals trying to steal from poor people. It’s nothing but a wealth transfer from the poorest to the richest, just like gambling.”

“You all promote it, you push it, but it’s all about wealth transfer. You’re all part of this plan to shift wealth from the poor to the pockets of the rich.”

“There’s no freedom in crypto. More Africans have lost money to this than those who have made a profit from it,” he said.

He went on to describe the cryptocurrency system as a “scheme” designed to funnel wealth into the pockets of the wealthy, leaving the less fortunate at a loss.

Seun Kuti also shared a deeply personal account of the toll cryptocurrency has taken on his own family.

“You know how much my sister has lost to crypto. I’ve been warning her, but she didn’t listen. I can’t even tell you how much I’ve lost—over ₦50 million. My sister, my own blood sister—this is how many Nigerians have lost millions.” he added.

The video quickly gained traction online, with many social media users voicing their concerns about cryptocurrency and its risks.

The number of cows slaughtered daily in Lagos State has dropped from 5,000 to 3,000, according to the Lagos State Butchers Association.

The association’s patron, Alhaji Bamidele Kazeem, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday in Lagos.

Kazeem said the decline was due to the country’s ongoing socio-economic challenges.

He noted that the drop in cattle slaughter began in 2015 due to the Boko Haram insurgency and worsened with the current exchange rate crisis and inflation.

“This reduction is due to numerous factors, including economic challenges, terror-related activities, and environmental concerns,” he said.

Kazeem expressed concern that the number of slaughtered cows could decline even further due to rising prices in the market.

“Previously, we could purchase a cow for between ₦400,000 and ₦500,000, depending on the breed, size, and location, but we now pay between ₦1.6 million and ₦1.7 million for a cow,” he said.

He attributed the drop in beef demand to the economic downturn, inflation, and rising cost of living.

“Banditry and farmer-herder conflicts have also contributed to reduced cattle production, affecting supply and the number of cows slaughtered in Lagos,” he added.

He warned that the decline could negatively impact meat supply in the state.

Kazeem, therefore, urged the state government, butchers, and farmers to work together to address the issue.

“All hands must be on deck to tackle these challenges and create a more sustainable industry,” he said.

The patron also highlighted the impact of climate and environmental factors on cattle rearing.

“When temperatures rise, it can cause heat stress, reducing cattle growth rates, milk production, and fertility.

“Veterinary doctors from the Lagos State Health Ministry conduct checks to ensure the cows’ health and prevent infections,” Kazeem added.

NAN