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PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, APRIL 30, 2012
Operators to pay tax on telecom masts By Josephine Ella
T
elecommunication companies operating in Abuja, have been directed to henceforth, pay levies to the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) for installing telecom masts anywhere, within the territory. The Minister of State for FCT, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide, made this revelation at the weekend, during the inauguration of the Ministerial Committee on Revenue Generation/ Collection, and the Regulation and Control of Outdoor Advertisement. She said the influx of people into the city had put much strain on social amenities provided in the FCT, emphasising that the administration would not achieve much without generating more revenue. “Therefore, we need to increase our IGR dramatically in order to be able to function and provide the amenities, services and infrastructure needed for the territory to function because what we are getting from the Federal Government is not enough, so we have to generate more revenue,” she added. The minister averred that revenue collection should not be limited to advertising structures only, but telecommunication masts as well. “If you have telecommunication mast, that means you are making money and you have the ability to pay, we are not targeting the ordinary Nigerian, we are not increasing their tax burden,” Akinjide said. This was as she urged the committee to partner with the area councils of the FCT and the outdoor advertisers towards ensuring that the telecom operators comply with the resolution by paying a commensurate tax. Among others, the terms of reference of the committee is to source for means of revenue generation, take steps to increase the revenue in the area councils and as well, work out modalities for private sector participation in revenue generation and collection. Responding on behalf of the members, the committee chairman, Mr Alhassan Gwagwa harped on the need to control and regulate the activities of outdoor advertisers. He assured the minister of the committee’s determination to deliver the mandate within the timeline given to them.
Buyers of second hand shoes testing for their size at Gudu market.
Photo: Joe Oroye
Second Islamic book exhibitions to hold in Abuja By Lawrennce Olaoye
I
n order to promote reading culture in Nigeria, De Minaret International, is organising a four-day International Islamic Book Exhibition in Abuja. A statement issued in Abuja by the Chief Executive officer of the group Malam Saheed Abdur-Rauf, said that the event will hold in Arewa Suite Hotel, Abuja between Saturday May 5 and May 8, 2012 from 9. am to 6 pm daily. The four-day book
exhibition which has as its theme: “Islam: The Misunderstood Religion”, would be declared open with a lecture from Dr. Muhammed bn Uthman under the chairmanship of Dr. Aliyu Modibo, former FCT Minister. The statement stated that Dr. Ibraheem Uthman, would on May 6, discuss “Towards Understanding Islam’’ with a key note Address from Prof. Nuhu Yakubu, former Vice chancellor, Uniabuja. The group stated that one other means it employs in promoting reading culture
was through exhibitions and book fair. The De Minaret International is a nongovernmental literary organisation devoted to the promotion of reading culture among Muslims. “With literary activities that spanned a decade, it has imported more than 85,000 titles of Islamic books published by worldwide publishers and make such books available to the reading Muslim public at highly subsidised cost’’, it said. Abdur-Rauf, said the main
objective of the exhibition was to enlighten Muslims on the best way to imbibe a reading culture and remind them to keep reading in line with Islamic practice. More than 65,000 titles of Islamic Books on Quranic exegesis, hadith collections, Islamic jurisprudence, biography, Economics and socio-political thoughts, children books will be on display from over 15 publishers across the world. The maiden edition of the Islamic book exhibition took place in Abuja in 2011.
18 passengers injured in bus accident
N
o fewer than 18 people were injured on Saturday afternoon when a commercial bus lost control and crashed into a pole at the Abuja city gate, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports. The bus, an 18-seater with registration number XH 479 BEN lost control and rammed into a street light before somersaulting into drainage. A NAN correspondent who
was at the scene of the incident reports that no life was lost. A victim, Joy Michael, told NAN that the bus which left Wuse enroute Lugbe had 18 passengers including the driver who was on high speed at the time of the incident. Michael said that the driver refused to reduce his speed in spite of several warnings from the passengers to slow down.
``I thank God nobody died, it was so terrible, we warned him on several occasions but he would not listen; he was trying to avoid another vehicle when he lost control.'' The quick arrival of officers of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) at the scene of the accident saved the situation as they evacuated the victims to the National Hospital, Abuja. An official of the FRSC, Mr
Garba Abudullahi, said that the accident was as a result of over-speeding. ``We have always warned drivers to stop over-speeding and over-loading of passengers but they always prefer the money they will make to their lives and that of the passengers. ``Look at these tires. They are all second hand. These drivers are risking peoples’ lives.'' (NAN)