General News
Constitution Review: CITN urges review of taxing powers
The Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN) has urged the National Assembly to revisit and review division of taxing powers of federating states in the ongoing 1999 Constitutional amendment process.
Dame Gladys Simplice, President of CITN, made the proposal in a memoranda to the National Assembly during the South-West zonal public hearing on the 1999 Constitutional Review in Lagos on Wednesday.
According to her, taxing powers of the state appears to be illusive and speculative under the current constitution.
Simplice recommended a separate state legislative list as modeled by the 1995 draft constitution to enumerate subject that states could legislate on, and to set out basis for taxes impossible, administrable and collectable by state.
She also recommended that Item 59 of the Exclusive Legislative List (Taxation of Income, Capital Gains and Stamp Duties), Item 13 (Copyright) and Item 62 (Trade and Commerce and in particular sub-items a, b, d, e and f) should be altered.
According to her, Item 43 (patents, trademarks, trade or business names, industrial designs and merchandise marks) should also be altered.
Simplice said this should be in favour of the state and local government areas in terms of legislation, imposition and administration of incidental taxes on the subject.
“An exclusive use of value added of states and local government for the autonomous revenue is highly recommended.
“The current constitutional justification of Valued Added Tax Act under Section 315 of the Constitution to the effect that it has covered fields with respect to sales related tax is misgiving.
“It is recommended that VAT should be made into concurrent legislative list with a different formula to wit:
“The Federal Government should legislate and administer inter-state, wholesale and export stage VAT while states should register and administer intra-state and retail stage VAT,” she said.
According to her, either way, collections of these revenues should be independent of use by each state and Federal Government.
She added that the present condition of the constitution which lumped taxing powers with legislative powers, gave erroneous impression that states did not have specific powers to impose and administer taxes except by relying on imaginary residual list.
The president noted that there were certain items in the exclusive and concurrent legislative list that the federal government should not have business dealing with, adding that this rendered states and local governments mere parasitic appendages of the federal government.
“Considering peculiar needs and development of state and local government which are closer to the people, there is practical need to evolve expansive tax and revenue net. This current configuration of the constitution do not encourage this reality.
” Widening taxing powers of the states will encourage high commitment of fiscal mobilisation and enhance healthy development competitions among the federating units,” she said.
Also, Simplice said the constitution should ensure independence of the Auditor General of the Federation so as to ensure accountability, transparency and credibility.
She added that this should also be amended to empower the auditor general to direct refund of any fund from any individual deemed not to have been spent for the purposes it was meant.
The CITN president said there was need for a clear demarcation of exclusive federal and state legislative list.
“This will guarantee powers of the states and allow them to function without much dependence on the federal government,” she said.
General News
Clergy Urged To Put Members’ Welfare Above All Else
At a solemn ordination service in Abuja, senior church leaders have called on pastors to make the well-being of their congregations a top priority, following the example of Jesus Christ.
Speaking during the priesthood ordination and installation of a Sub Dean at the Cathedral Church of Advent, Life Camp, Abuja, the retired Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Okene, Rt. Rev. Emmanuel Ajulo, described pastors as shepherds charged with the care of their flock. He urged them to shun worldly distractions and focus on meeting the spiritual and material needs of their members.
Bishop Ajulo also encouraged the newly ordained priests to remain faithful to their calling by teaching God’s word without compromise.
In his charge, the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Most Rev. Henry Ndukuba, urged the new clergy to preach the undiluted gospel and foster religious harmony wherever they serve. He expressed confidence that their new roles would help promote peace and unity in society.
The service also featured prayers for national leaders and divine intervention in addressing the current global economic challenges.
General News
1,000 Prayer Warriors Storm Ilorin for Tinubu, Nation’s Deliverance
In a dramatic show of faith and patriotism, over 1,000 fiery prayer warriors from across Nigeria will descend on Ilorin, Kwara State, this Saturday, lifting their voices in intense intercession for President Bola Tinubu’s success and Nigeria’s survival in the face of biting economic woes and mounting insecurity.
The spiritual siege, themed “Walking in Domini”, is the maiden convention of the Organisation of African Instituted Churches (OAIC), with its Kwara State Chairman, Evangelist Thomas Adeboye, vowing that “heaven will hear and respond to Nigeria’s cry.”
Aside from marathon prayers, the gathering will roll out free medical outreach to locals across Kwara’s LGAs, a gesture aimed at touching both body and soul.
Adeboye, lamenting Nigeria’s “troubling economic and security realities”, called for a nationwide prayer uprising, insisting that Tinubu has shown the will to revive the nation but needs massive divine backing to succeed.
“Banditry, a collapsing economy, and political tension demand we seek God’s face like never before,” he declared. “We will storm heaven for wisdom for the President and governors to steer Nigeria to safety.”
The convention will also feature awards to distinguished personalities, soul-lifting worship, fiery sermons, and unity-driven lectures—all capped with thunderous prayers for Nigeria’s redemption.
Adeboye urged the President to ensure every policy has “a human face,” stressing that Nigerians must not only endure but also enjoy the fruits of governance.
With the OAIC promising to reaffirm believers’ authority in Christ and rally spiritual boldness in the face of national challenges, Ilorin is set to become the epicentre of a powerful spiritual warfare for Nigeria’s destiny.
General News
Nigerian Anglicans Condemn Lesbian Archbishop of Wales, Deepening Global Anglican Rift
…Church leaders accuse Welsh counterparts of “spiritual decadence” and “abandonment of faith”
The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) has issued a forceful condemnation of the election of Rt. Rev. Cherry Vann, an openly lesbian cleric, as the Archbishop of Wales. The move is the latest in a series of developments that have deepened divisions within the global Anglican Communion over sexuality and doctrine.
In a statement from Primate The Most Rev’d Henry Ndukuba, the church denounced the election as a “serious departure from biblical teaching” and a sign of “spiritual decadence” and “an outright abandonment of the faith once delivered to the saints.”
Archbishop Ndukuba warned that Bishop Vann’s elevation compromises the Anglican Church’s global mission and could obstruct evangelism. He compared the situation to the controversial tenure of Most Rev. Katherine Jefferts Schori, former Presiding Bishop of the U.S. Episcopal Church, who also faced intense criticism from conservative Anglicans for her progressive views.
The Primate accused Bishop Vann of being complicit in the “ongoing crisis” around same-sex issues, stating that the election is a “clear revelation that many who claim to be members of the body of Christ cannot endure sound doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:3–4).
The Church of Nigeria called on Anglicans worldwide to reject “rebels” and “apostates” and to instead support conservative bodies like the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON).
“The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) condemns, unequivocally rejects, and will not recognize the election of Rt. Rev. Cherry Vann as Archbishop of Wales,” Ndukuba declared. He concluded with a solemn warning that without repentance, the Church in Wales risks losing “complete relevance” and its leaders will face judgment.
