10— Vanguard , MONDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2013
Mimiko presents 2014 budget tomorrow BY DAYO JOHNSON
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KURE — GOVERNOR Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State will tomorrow present the 2014 budget to the State House of Assembly. A statement by the Commissioner for Information, Mr. Kayode Akinmade, in Akure, yesterday, urged members of the State Executive Council, Heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government and other invited members of the public to attend punctually.
PDP, APC in war of words over Fashola’s performance BY EMMANUELAZIKEN, Political Editor & BY DAPO AKINREFON
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AGOS — SENATOR Musiliu Obanikoro has deflated public adulations of the performance of Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, saying that mounting debts and class discriminations make the government a failure. The Interim Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress,
APC, in Lagos State in a sharp rebuttal dismissed the insinuations, saying that Obanikoro lacked the moral and intellectual capacity to speak. Citing the past stints of the former senator as local government chairman and then commissioner, he said Obanikoro’s antecedents disqualified him from speaking. Speaking in a media interaction in Lagos, weekend, Senator Obanikoro who was the Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP, gubernatorial candidate in the 2007 election flayed the Lagos administration for failing in the basic tenets of transparency in financial matters. Senator Obanikoro, who is now the Chairman of the Industrial Trust Fund, ITF, flayed the administration in the state for failing in the three critical sectors of education, health and environment, as he claimed that everyone that "can afford it seeks private school
We've fixed South-West roads — FERMA
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AGOS — MR. Oladipo Fagbamila, South-West Zonal Coordinator II, Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, FERMA, said yesterday, that all roads in the zone had been rehabilitated to ensure safe motoring during the festive season. Fagbamila told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos that all potholes and various road failures in the South-West Zone II had also been taken care of, to stem road mishaps. He, however, appealed to road users to avoid reckless driving and speeding, due to the smoothness of the roads, so as to stay alive.
Don’t demonise Yoruba deities — Gani Adams BY DAPO AKINREFON
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HE NATIONAL coor dinator of the Oodua Peoples Congress, OPC, Otunba Gani Adams has advised Yoruba sons and daughters to desist from labeling deities of the race as evil. The OPC chief, who spoke during the 2013 edition of Ogun Ajobo/ Elegbera Festival, which took place in Ikorodu, said “Ogun plays a very important role in the lives of human beings. Almost all our activities revolve around this important deity. The car we drive, the air planes, we travel in, the spoon we eat with, the cutlass we use and other things are symbol of Ogun."
WEDDING: From left, Femi Thomas,Toyin Tejuoso,Ogun State governor,Senator Ibikunle Amosun; Osile Oke-Ona Egba,Oba Adedapo Tejuoso; Ogun State Commissioner for Youths & Sports,Dr. Lanre Tejuoso, at the traditional wedding ceremony of Femi Thomas and Toyin Tejuoso, in Abeokuta,weekend. Photo: Wumi Akinola
Banks owe Osun govt over N1bn taxes BY GBENGA OLARINOYE
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SOGBO — COMMERCIAL banks operating in Osun State are said to be owing the state government over N1bilion, being taxes deducted from their staff, withholding taxes and other forms of taxes and rates due to the state government. The acting chairman, Osun State Internal Revenue Service IRS, Mr. Dayo Oyebanji disclosed this while fielding questions from newsmen in Osogbo, weekend. He declared that the state government had therefore directed the affected banks that all outstanding taxes, withholding taxes and others must be paid into the coffers of the state government on
or before December 31,2013, failure to which they would be sanctioned and de-listed as agents for collection of taxes in the state. The state government also directed all banks collecting money and taxes on its behalf to within the same period, December 31, 2013, integrate into the new epayment system and ensure that all monies and taxes are promptly paid into the state government accounts for automatic revenue receipts to payers. It frowned at delay in the sweeping or remittance of money collected on behalf of the government by banks, saying that the delay in posting revenue collected on behalf of the government through e-payment system into the general revenue account impedes flow of income.
Oyebanji, who did not mention names of the affected banks, declared that the government had resolved that non-compliant banks over integration on e-payment application shall be de-listed from revenue collection agents of the state government. The state Internal Revenue Service, IRS, in a warning letter written to banks entitled: “Demand Notices on Liabilities from Backduty Investigation on PAYE, Withholding and Development Levy for the PAYE (Amended Liability 2012),” by Dayo Oyebanji dated December 13, 2013 reads in part: “Please, be informed that our board would be left with no other option than to disdain your bank provided you failed to settle your backduty liabilities mainly on PAYE and withholding taxes for the year 2012.
Amosun deserves second term — Obasanjo’s aide BY DAUD OLATUNJI
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BEOKUTA — THE new media aide of former President Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, who is also a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Ogun State, Tunde Oladunjoye, has said that, the party would not deny Ogun State governor, Senator
Ibikunle Amosun the second term ticket. Oladunjoye, who was the Deputy Governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the 2011 governorship election in the state, described Amosun as an achiever, who, according to him, would boost the chance of the party in the state. Oladunjoye, in an interview
with newsmen in Abeokuta, yesterday, affirmed that the sterling performance of the governor so far, has placed him in the best position for re-election on the platform of APC. He said: “Some elected public officers may not be able to showcase what they have done for the people. That is not the case with Governor Amosun.
education for their children. “I'll not sit down here and tell you that we don’t have few things to celebrate in the state, but by and large, there are still many holes to fill up,” Obanikoro said even as he added that, “the overall decision I will take in terms of performance of Lagos government in the last 15 years is slightly below average,” Obanikoro said. “People may be saying they have done some new roads, they have done this, they have done that; one, we must look at the costs of these roads and then, note that the state's debt profile is about N1 trillion as we speak today. “I schooled in the USA, the biggest investment that country made that is still working for them is in education. We have not done such in Lagos State despite all the noise they have been making. "As we speak today, people of Lagos are not interested and they will not voluntarily send their children to public schools in the state. "So, how one governor can just stand up and beat his chest that he has performed still marvels me.” “Today, our hospitals in the state are mere consulting centres. Even the consultation is minimal in the true sense of it. Everybody that is somebody now goes overseas for ordinary medical check –up.” ”Their leader and ex-governor of the state had a medical challenge recently and he was flown abroad to take care of ordinary knee injury. ”In the area of health, Lagos government has equally failed,” he said. "They are still struggling in the area of refuse management. “Looking at the Olusosun dumpsite at Ojota and the level of pollution that is injected to the atmosphere on daily basis says a lot about the state government that has been in power since 1999. Where have you seen such big dumpsite operating in a metropolis anywhere in the world?” Commenting on the allegations made by Senator Obanikoro, Mr. Joe Igbokwe, former publicity secretary, defunct Lagos State Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, now APC chieftain, said: “You are taking that Obanikoro seriously? What does he know about simple economics or leadership? What does he know about leadership? He does not understand the intricacies of leadership and accounting system. He was once with us and we know what he did.” Continuing, Igbokwe alleged: “Was it not the same Obanikoro that was the chairman of Lagos Island Local Government? What does he know about accountability? Please, stop wasting your time with this kind of people.” ”What he is saying is not worth wasting energy and ink to write on. His history is very well known and he does not have the capacity to speak. He does not have the intellectual capacity to speak about economics and leadership,” the APC spokesman said.