News
How FIRS Plans To Realise Its Revenue Target -Fowler

The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) says it plans to realize its revenue target for the year through recoveries from defaulting millionaire taxpayers, values added (VAT) and compliance enforcement activities.
The Chairman of FIRS, Tunde Fowler, said in January that the agency’s revenue collection target for 2019 was about N8 trillion.
Mr Fowler told the House of Representatives joint committees on Finance, Appropriations, Aids, Loans and Debt Management Legislative Budget and Research and National Planning and Economic Development that he hopes about N750bn would be realized from about 55,000 defaulting taxpayers during the year.
Mr Fowler, who spoke on the 2019/2021 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP), said using banking information to bring non-compliant taxpayers with N1 billion and above turnover to comply about N23.25 billion has been recovered so far.
He also restated that 85% of VAT collected goes to State Governments. He said the exercise has been extended to cover those with turnover of N100 million and above.
“To date, about 500 of the tax defaulters have come forward and have paid about N24 billion. We believe we should be able to go through the 55,000 before the middle of this year.
“In terms of estimates we should be able to be able to generate from this exercise alone about N750 billion.”
Besides, Mr Fowler said the FIRS also expects that the increase in Value Added Tax (VAT) collection between 2015 and 2018 will continue during the year.
He said FIRS is already broadening its VAT collection scope with the adoption of States Accountants Generals (SAG) collection platform, VAT Auto-Collect, integration of the GIFMIS platform with Ministries, Departments and Agencies, (MDAs) and through e-Service payment options.
Out of about N5.3 trillion, a large percentage of the revenue is shared between states and local governments.’ In VAT, there has been a growth of over 44 per cent between 2015 and 2018 at the current rate of 5 percent.
“When you look at Africa as a continent, Nigeria still has the lowest VAT rate. When we look at the items that do not attract VAT, they include basic food items, medicals, and education.
Insisting VAT is not for the poor, Mr Fowler said if one is able to go to a restaurant to eat and drink the same thing one can buy in the open market, then one can pay VAT.
“So, VAT basically is a consumption tax, and those who choose not to go to the open market to buy their food and cook at home are subject to VAT. So, VAT is not a hardship on the low income earners.
“For those who have the ability and the desire to take the choice of going to areas where they have to pay VAT, then they should be allowed to pay VAT,” he added. He said revenue collection by FIRS increased by about 32 per cent from N4.02 trillion in 2017 to N5.3 trillion in 2018.
The FIRS Chairman told the committee that through enforcement activities in respect of defaulting taxpayers from various tax offices, tax audit and investigation assessments, the agency recovered about N28. 51 billion and $77. 83 million.
Also, the FIRS is partnering with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Joint Tax Force (JTF) since 2018 to enhance the fight against tax related economic fraud. As at December 2018, he said about N6. 94 billion and $278,430 had been recovered by the JTF as part of initiatives to boost revenue generation.
To deepen tax revenue collection and expand the nation’s tax net as well as increase the revenue base, Mr Fowler said the FIRS also initiated income tax on property owners in Abuja and Lagos.
He said the initiative, which was initially targeted at property owners in Abuja and Lagos, has so far yielded N4.3 billion, and is being extended to other locations like Oyo and Kaduna states.
“It is important to note that this is not a property tax, but rather the use of the provisions of the law to bring into the tax net companies that own properties but failed to file necessary tax returns and pay appropriate taxes due,” Mr Fowler said.
On tax audit exercise of the Service, the FIRS boss said this will cover both the National Tax Audit (NTA) and the Pioneer Audit (PA). The NTA exercise contributed the sum of N212.79 billion to tax collection in 2018.
News
Nigeria Should Be Generating 60,000MW of Electricity – Aliko Dangote

Africa’s richest man and President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has criticized Nigeria’s low electricity output, insisting the country should be generating at least 60,000 megawatts of power.
Speaking during a tour of the Dangote Refinery in Lagos, Dangote highlighted the country’s untapped potential in the energy sector. He pointed out that the Dangote Group alone currently generates over 1,500MW of electricity for its internal operations — a figure that, he says, puts the national power supply of just 4,500–5,000MW into stark perspective.
“If we, as a single company, are generating over 1,500 megawatts for our own use, Nigeria shouldn’t be producing just three times that amount. We should be aiming for 50,000 to 60,000 megawatts,” Dangote said.
He called the refinery project a testament to what’s possible in Nigeria and stressed that such industrial feats could be replicated in the power sector.
“What we’ve done here shows there’s nothing impossible. If we can build this, we can certainly scale up Nigeria’s power generation,” he added.
Dangote argued that increasing Nigeria’s electricity output to 30,000MW or more is a less complex task than building a refinery, and emphasized that power development is not solely the government’s responsibility.
“Raising generation to 25,000 or 30,000 megawatts — with proper transmission and distribution — is achievable. But it requires strong private sector involvement,” he said.
The business tycoon urged wealthy Nigerians and private investors to stop moving capital abroad and instead invest in Nigeria’s development. He stressed that capital flight was stunting growth and undermining national progress.
“We keep asking the government to exit the sector — and they’ve done that through privatisation. Now it’s our turn to invest. We know the country, we know the leadership. Let’s put our money here.”
Dangote also condemned corruption and the habit of hiding stolen wealth overseas, warning that such practices have no value to the culprits or the country.
“There’s corruption everywhere, but other countries still grow because their wealth stays within. When people steal and stash funds abroad, it benefits no one — not even their families,” he said.
Looking ahead, Dangote revealed plans to make Nigeria a global leader in fertiliser production. He aims to scale up production to 12 million tonnes within the next 40 months, making his company the largest fertiliser producer in the world.

News
151 Senior Police Officers Under Investigation for Misconduct — NPF

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has announced that 151 high-ranking officers are currently undergoing disciplinary review over allegations of misconduct and professional violations.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said the officers — from the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police and above — are being investigated by the Force Disciplinary Committee (FDC).
The disciplinary sessions, which commenced on Monday, July 14, are scheduled to continue until Friday, July 25, 2025, at the IGP Smart Conference Hall, Force Headquarters, Abuja.
According to Adejobi, the process is part of efforts by the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to reinforce accountability and uphold professional standards within the Force.
“The officers, drawn from various commands and formations nationwide, are undergoing a thorough and transparent review process in accordance with existing police regulations and disciplinary procedures,” the statement read.
The Force Disciplinary Committee is tasked with investigating breaches of professional conduct, misconduct, and ethical violations. The outcomes of the hearings will be submitted to the Police Service Commission, which will determine appropriate sanctions or possible exoneration in line with the law.
Reaffirming his commitment to reform, IGP Egbetokun emphasized that misconduct will not be tolerated at any level.
“The Nigeria Police Force remains resolute in its commitment to promoting integrity, professionalism, and public trust,” he said. “This disciplinary process reflects our dedication to maintaining a responsible and service-oriented institution where the rule of law prevails — starting from within.”

News
Man Arrested for Attempting to Bribe Police with ₦1.5 Million to Free Suspected Kidnapper

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has arrested a man identified as Yahaya Saleh for allegedly attempting to bribe investigators with ₦1.5 million in a bid to secure the release of a suspected kidnapper.
The FCT Commissioner of Police, CP Saka Ajao Adewale, made this disclosure while briefing journalists on Wednesday. He revealed that the suspect approached officers handling a high-profile kidnapping case and offered the money as a bribe to influence the release of one of the detained suspects.
According to the Commissioner, the arrest was the result of a discreet operation carried out by the Command’s Scorpion Squad, who have been investigating a notorious kidnapping syndicate operating in Abuja and surrounding areas.
“Yahaya Saleh, 40, made an unlawful attempt to compromise the investigation by offering ₦1.5 million to our officers,” CP Adewale stated. “However, the officers, demonstrating the highest levels of professionalism and integrity, rejected the bribe and immediately initiated legal procedures that led to Saleh’s arrest.”
He further noted that investigations are ongoing to apprehend other members of the kidnapping network and reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to justice.
CP Adewale also praised the officers involved for their uprightness, assuring the public that the FCT Police remains firmly opposed to corruption and any attempt to obstruct justice.

-
News1 year ago
Hardship: We Plan To Establish A National Commodity Board To Crash Food Prices – VP Shettima
-
News7 years ago
Blog Reader; Samson Osagiede Celebrates Fiancè Benedicta Daniels’s Birthday With Sweet Words
-
Home9 years ago
News Channel claims Donald Trump is an orphan from Pakistan,share alleged childhood photo
-
Home9 years ago
Another $175m Found in Patience Jonathan’s wife’s firm’s Bank Account
-
Home9 years ago
Oil Spillage: House of Reps Member Shares Photos of the Water her Constituents Drink .
-
Home9 years ago
Zara Buhari & Ahmed Indimi’s Wedding Access Card
-
News7 years ago
The Best Video You’ve Seen Today?
-
Sport7 years ago
Modric, Marta Wins 2018 FIFA Best Player Of The Year Awards ⚽️