National
Ex-Speaker Dogara backs Tax Reform Bills
The former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has backed the tax reform bills of President Bola Tinubu, which have generated concerns especially in the Northern part of the country.
Dogara supported the tax reform bills at a Town Hall meeting organised by the Christian Awareness Initiatives of Nigeria (CHAIN) on Thursday in Kaduna.
The theme of the meeting was “Church and Society: Tax Reform and Matters Arising”.
He said that national issues needed not to take a regional or any other dimension as seen with the tax reform bills.
Dogara said the tax reform bills would be beneficial to Nigerians especially the Northern part where it would free most of its people who were struggling with the burden of taxation.
“Those who are earning less than N800,000 would not be taxed, imagine how many Northerners will be out of the tax.
”If businesses that do not make up to 50 million in a month will also not pay tax, imagine how it will free the economic space for our people.
“More businesses will be created and more people will be employed, in the region that has a high number of unemployed people roaming the streets,”he said.
According to Dogara, the tax reform bills would enable the North to unleash its creative potential.
He however, said in terms of distribution, the tax reforms would constitute problems for the North.
The former speaker, therefore, said conversation and dialogue needed to be done to reach an understanding on what would be fair between the North and the South.
“I agree totally there are legitimate concerns, but we can’t say as leaders that because the issues are difficult then we won’t do anything about it, that is what we totally disagree with,” Dogara said.
He added that the bill, which states derivation based on attribution, needed to be clearly refined.
According to him, attribution should be based on location of consumption not where the Headquarters of where companies are located.
“All these can be clarified. But to say we can’t have a reform in a country where we have 11 tax laws that are summarised into two is not possible.
“Reforms are actually difficult because people resist, but the world itself has marched through change, which we enjoy now as humans because of the daring efforts by people to introduce changes in spite of resistance.
“If we want progress, we must always move from the status quo. It will take courage, leadership, patience and sometimes sacrifice.
”Even if it means we are going to give a lot from the North for Nigeria to move forward, we should be able to do it.
“At some point, we will also demand from the South to also give alot for the North to make progress. That is how we can run as a better country,”Dogara said.
The Chairman of the event, Simon Achuba, said information was critical, and enabled people to take the right direction and decision.
Achuba, who was the former Deputy Governor of Kogi, therefore said the town hall meeting would enable the Christians have a unified voice on the tax reform bills.
He also said that gone were the days where Christians shied away from politics, urgung that they must participate in the governing process.
Achuba said they would look into the areas where the tax reform bills required expulsion, redefinition or total removal.
Earlier, Rev. Joseph Hayab, the Executive Director of CHAIN, said that even though the dialogue about the tax reform bills should have come much earlier, it was better late than never.
According to him, from information gathered from experts, there are pointers that the tax reform bill has many prospects, even though some areas must be redefined and realigned.
He said, “Our nation and people will not know, experience, or enjoy any meaningful progress until we seek good and proper knowledge about our nation and how to work together to develop the nation”.
Hayab, therefore, believed that when citizens were well informed, they can recommend, promote, and encourage their elected representatives both at the State and the National Assemblies.
This os to to correct what needs to be corrected, add what may have been omitted, be delivered so that the bill be passed but not to call for it to be thrown away.
Hayab appealed to all Nigerians to be cautious and not condemn or support matters they know little or nothing about.
He said, “Nigeria must move forward. Hence, citizens should not engage in religious or ethnic sentiments or divisive patterns to derail Nigeria’s progress.
“Nigeria must not continue in the old ways, which have delayed our progress. Nations are built on the positive contributions of citizens.”
Accordingly, every citizen has a vital role and contribution to nation-building and should be guided and allowed to do so.
Speaking further, the executive director said CHAIN was established in 2007 to provide platforms and avenues for Christians to seek improved ways to effectively participate in Nigeria’s national life associated with spiritual, social, and economic growth.
He said the town hall meeting called on Christian leaders to deliberate and make remarks on the matter of tax reforms being considered by the legislative arm of Nigeria.
Scripturally, he said, Jesus taught his disciples to pay their taxes faithfully and regularly to those to whom tax payment is due.
He however, said the questions that beg for immediate answers were why and whether the reforms are good or beneficial to the average Nigerian and what experts think are the grey areas.
“Meanwhile, we at CHAIN believe that Christian leaders should not stay on the fence on matters of national interest because the leaders have followers who believe in them and need their guidance,”Hayab said.
Speaking on behalf of the Zonal leaders of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Sunday Oyibe, said the foundation of Nigeria’s problem is the distrust between the leaders and the followers.
Oyibe, who is the CAN Chairman of the North-East region, emphasised that the distrust has led to a lack lof accountability and transparency in governance.
He, therefore said it must be addressed to move the country forward.(NAN
National
Talata Mafara Resident Praises Tinubu, Matawalle For Eliminating Bandit Leaders Jijji, Kachallah Sagili
Residents of Talata Mafara Local Government Area in Zamfara State have expressed profound gratitude to President Bola Tinubu, Minister of State for Defence Dr Bello Matawalle, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, and Chief of Defence Staff General Christopher Musa for their roles in the elimination of two notorious bandit leaders
The operation, which targeted Jajji Ɗan Auta and Kachallah Sagili, has been hailed as a significant step towards restoring peace in the troubled region.
Yakubu Ibrahim Mafara, speaking on behalf of the Talata Mafara community, issued a statement on Friday commending the concerted efforts of the Nigerian government and security forces.
“We are very grateful to Matawalle, Tinubu, NSA, and others,” he said, reflecting the community’s relief and optimism following the operation.
The statement underscored the profound impact of the operation on the local population, which has long endured the terror inflicted by bandit groups in Zamfara State.
The operation took place on Thursday in Maikwanugga, a community within Talata Mafara Local Government Area, where security forces, alongside local vigilante groups, conducted targeted patrols along the Mafara axis.
According to the statement, reports indicate that Jijji Ɗan Auta and Kachallah Sagili, both feared bandit leaders responsible for numerous attacks, kidnappings, and extortion in the region, were neutralised during the operation.
” Their deaths have been described as a turning point for the community, which has suffered years of violence and insecurity.
“The killing of Jijji Ɗan Auta has brought relief and fresh air into our community,” Yakubu said, echoing the sentiments of residents who have lived under the shadow of banditry for years.
The operation is seen as a direct response to the escalating violence in Zamfara, where armed groups have terrorised rural communities, disrupted livelihoods, and displaced thousands.
The community’s gratitude reflects growing confidence in the government’s commitment to tackling insecurity in Nigeria’s northwest.
Meanwhile, the operation was a collaborative effort involving the Nigerian military and local vigilantes, who have increasingly played a critical role in intelligence-gathering and community defence.
The patrols in the Mafara axis were part of a broader strategy to dismantle bandit strongholds and restore normalcy to Zamfara, a state that has become a hotspot for banditry and kidnapping in recent years.
“The elimination of Jijji Ɗan Auta and Kachallah Sagili is expected to weaken the operational capacity of bandit groups in the region.”
The Nigerian military has called for stronger collaboration with relevant agencies to ensure proper documentation of individuals entering the country, citing the role of foreign herders in escalating violence in regions like Plateau and Benue States.
Maj.-Gen. Markus Kangye, Director of Defence Media Operations, made the appeal during a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday.
“There are agencies responsible for this, and we need to collaborate effectively,” Kangye said, emphasizing the importance of a joint framework to tackle insecurity.
“Those entering Nigeria must be properly documented and accounted for.”
He said recent attacks by armed herders in Plateau, Benue, and other parts of the country have left dozens dead and displaced thousands, particularly in farming communities.
Kangye revealed that investigations point to foreign herders as the primary perpetrators of these violent attacks, with their distinct speech patterns and physical features setting them apart from local herders.
“The Hausa language spoken in Nigeria differs significantly from that in Mali, the Central African Republic, or Ghana,” he explained.
“When we apprehend these herders and terrorists, their speech and appearance—sometimes even their hair—indicate they are not from Nigeria.”
He noted that the Shuwa Arabs in Borno are the only Nigerian community with some similarities to Sahel-region herders, but even they are distinguishable.
While acknowledging that some Nigerian herders contribute to conflicts by encroaching on farmlands, Kangye stressed that the majority of the violence is driven by foreigners crossing Nigeria’s porous borders.
“The ongoing killings reported in certain areas are primarily committed by individuals who have infiltrated our borders,” he said.
Catholic cardinals have elected Robert Prevost, the first Pope from the United States of America, who has taken the new name Pope Leo XIV after the conclave decided in just four rounds of voting on Thursday.
Italian Cardinal Giuseppe Versaldi said it took cardinals only four rounds of voting to pick a new pope and that white smoke coming out of the Sistine Chapel chimney after a day’s voting is “a clear sign of the unity of the Church. ”
The Pontiff, picked even faster than his predecessor, Francis, appeared on the Vatican balcony amid enthusiastic cheers from thousands of faithful who packed St. Peter’s Basilica on Thursday to witness the historic event.
“May peace be with all of you,” he said from the Vatican balcony after paying tribute to his predecessor, Pope Francis, who gave his life to the service of humanity. He stressed that he wants to deliver his blessing to the people as Pope Francis did in his last appearance in St Peter’s Square.
After concluding his speech, the new Pope started reading a religious passage in Latin, paying homage to the saints and the Madonna. The pope continued with a message of peace and noted, “God loves us all, unconditionally”.
“Humanity needs Christ as a bridge to be reached by God and his love. Help us, and help each other, build bridges.
“Without fear, united hand in hand with God, we are the Disciples of Christ, and the world needs his light.
“Brothers and sisters dearest, this is the first greeting of Christ resurrected. I want to offer a greeting of peace to your families, all of you, wherever you are. May peace be with you,” he said.
Chicago-born Prevost, 69, is seen as a reformer who worked for many years as a missionary in Peru before being made an archbishop there.
The cardinals strongly perceived that the new pope would need to carry forward Pope Francis’s legacy of reaching out to those on the margins and bring along with him a wide spectrum of those within the Church, including those with whom Pope Francis was sometimes at loggerheads.
Observers considered Cardinal Robert Prevost a candidate who could fulfil that role—someone who could be a bridge between different worlds.
The fact that the conclave decided in just four rounds of voting suggests that the cardinals agreed with that assessment.
Robert Prevost will be the 267th occupant of the throne of St Peter. Although he is the first American to fill the role of Pope, he is considered as much a cardinal from Latin America because of the many years he spent as a missionary in Peru before becoming an archbishop there.
Born in Chicago in 1955 to parents of Ecuadorian and French descent, Prevost served as an altar boy and was ordained as a priest in 1982. Although he moved to Peru three years later, he returned regularly to the US to serve as a pastor and a priest in his home city.
He has Peruvian nationality and is fondly remembered as a figure who worked with marginalised communities and helped build bridges. He spent 10 years as a local parish pastor and teacher at a seminary in Trujillo in northwestern Peru.
He is well known to cardinals because of his high-profile role as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops in Latin America, which has the critical task of selecting and supervising bishops. Francis made him a cardinal less than two years ago.
As Francis appointed 80% of the cardinals who took part in the conclave, it is unsurprising that someone like Prevost was elected, even if he was only recently appointed.
He will be seen as a figure who favoured the continuity of Francis’ reforms in the Catholic Church. Prevost is believed to have shared Francis’ views on migrants, the poor and the environment.
He will be fully aware of the divisions within the Catholic Church, and his Latin American background also represents continuity after a Pope who came from Argentina.
During his time as archbishop in Peru, he did not escape the sexual abuse scandals that have clouded the Church. However, his diocese fervently denied he had been involved in any attempted cover-up.
Before the conclave, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said that during gatherings of the College of Cardinals in the days before the conclave they emphasised the need for a pope with “a prophetic spirit capable of leading a Church that does not close in on itself but knows how to go out and bring light to a world marked by despair”.
Top 10 Things to Know About the New Pope, Robert Francis Prevost
1. First American Pope
Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, is the first pope from the United States, born in Chicago, Illinois.
2. Elected as the 267th Pope
He was chosen after a swift two-day conclave, becoming the 267th leader of the Roman Catholic Church.
3. Age and New Namel
At 69 years old, he adopted the papal name Leo XIV upon his election.
4. Deep Missionary Experience in Latin America
Prevost spent over a decade in Peru as a bishop and seminary educator, gaining respect for his pastoral leadership and cultural fluency.
5. Leader of the Augustinian Order
He led the Augustinians globally for over ten years, managing an international religious community.
6. Key Vatican Roles
Before becoming pope, he was Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America—two influential positions in Church governance.
7. Academic and Legal Scholar
He holds degrees in mathematics, theology, and canon law, and has taught canon law in Latin America.
8. Calm, Reform-Oriented Leader
Known for his consensus-building style, Pope Leo XIV is seen as a clear-headed reformer continuing the legacy of Pope Francis.
9. Advocate for Women’s Inclusion
He supports meaningful female participation in Church governance, emphasising their real impact within Vatican bodies.
10. Mission-Driven Papacy
Pope Leo XIV remains committed to missionary work, global outreach, and addressing challenging issues like clerical abuse with humility and resolve.