Connect with us

National

Northern Women Advocate For Gender-Sensitive Tax Policies

Published

2 months ago

on

The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) Women Wing, in collaboration with civil society organizations (CSOs), has called for the adoption of gender-sensitive tax policies in Nigeria.

The coalition emphasized the need to consider the unique socio-economic challenges faced by women, particularly in Northern Nigeria, during a stakeholders’ town hall meeting held at Mumbayya House, Kano State.

Themed “The Position of Nigerian Women on the Controversial Tax Reform Bills,” the event addressed the potential impacts of the proposed tax reforms on women and outlined equitable alternatives.

National Leader of the Coalition, Pamela Nankling Nanle, highlighted the importance of ensuring that the voices of Northern women are heard in shaping tax policies.

“This town hall meeting in Kano, the economic hub of the North, was organized to inform women and record their perspectives on the current tax reform proposals,” Nanle said.

“The Coalition is determined to ensure that Northern Nigeria’s interests and opinions are considered while proposing ways to refine the reforms for all stakeholders.”

Nanle identified several critical issues associated with the proposed reforms, including economic dependency, limited access to credit, and insufficient financial services for women.

She warned that tax increases could further hinder women’s ability to secure capital for businesses or personal development.

To mitigate these challenges, the Coalition advocated for measures such as:”Conducting comprehensive assessments to evaluate the potential impacts of tax reforms on women, particularly those from marginalized communities.

“Introducing tax exemptions or reduced rates for women-owned businesses, especially in the informal sector, to ease financial burdens and promote reinvestment.

ALSO READ:  No place for non-computer literate in civil service – Walson-Jack

“Expanding access to financial literacy programs, micro-credit facilities, and business development support to help women navigate the adverse effects of tax changes”.

The coalition also stressed the need to enhance social safety nets, such as unemployment benefits, healthcare, and childcare services, to counteract the regressive effects of certain tax policies.

“Expanding social welfare programs is critical for women, particularly single mothers, who bear a disproportionate responsibility for caregiving and household management,” Nanle added.

She , however call for equitable, transparent, and inclusive tax reforms that prioritize women’s empowerment and economic independence.

“As we navigate these reforms, we must foster an environment where every woman, regardless of her socio-economic status, has the opportunity to thrive,” Nanle said.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

National

JUST IN: Supreme Court sets aside judgment recognising Abure as LP’s National Chairman

Published

2 hours ago

on

April 4, 2025

By

The Supreme Court has set aside the judgment of the Court of Appeal in Abuja recognising Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP).

In a unanimous judgment on Friday, a five-member panel of the apex court held that the Court of Appeal lacked the jurisdiction to have pronounced Abure National Chairman of the LP having earlier found that the substance of the case was about the party’s leadership.

It held that issue of leadership was internal affair of a party over which courts lacked jurisdiction.

The court allowed the appeal filed by Senator Ester Nenadi Usman and one other and held that it was meritorious.

It proceeded to dismiss the cross-appeal filed by the Abure faction of the LP got being unmeritorious.

Details shortly…

ALSO READ:  Nigeria, UK Convict Over 9,000, Arrest 52, 000 For Illicit Drug Offences
Continue Reading

National

Hakeem Baba-Ahmed resigns as presidential political adviser

Published

3 hours ago

on

April 4, 2025

By

Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, special adviser on political matters to Vice-President Kashim Shettima, has resigned from his position, According to Daily Trust.

The newspaper quoted sources as saying that the former spokesperson of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) resigned two weeks ago.

President Bola Tinubu appointed Baba-Ahmed as special adviser on political matters to Shettima in September 2023.

Baba-Ahmed is the elder sibling of Datti Baba-Ahmed, vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election.

Baba-Ahmed served as chief of staff to Bukola Saraki, former senate president, from 2017-2019.

CONFRONTATION WITH MATAWALLE OVER NEF

In April 2024, Bello Matawalle, minister of state for defence, described the NEF as a “political paperweight” after the group stated that the north made a mistake voting Tinubu in 2023.

In his reaction to Matawalle’s remarks, Baba-Ahmed said it would have served the Tinubu administration better if Matawalle had listed his achievements as minister — and the achievements of the other northern appointees — instead of attacking NEF.

“Scathing criticism of NEF by a junior minister of defence, Matawalle, is ill-advised. He could have done a better job for this admin if he identified contributions of especially northern ministers and other appointees like me to improving security and reducing poverty in the North,” Baba-Ahmed said.

In a riposte, the minister said any appointee must defend and promote the administration they work for.

“Dr. Baba-Ahmed’s relationship and affinity with Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF) is well-known,” Matawalle said.

“The fact now is that he is an appointee of the administration as Special Adviser and it is incumbent on him to work for the success of the government he is part of, protect and defend the government against unjust and vicious attacks from those who hide under ethnic and other primordial interests to heat up the polity for myopic reasons.

ALSO READ:  No place for non-computer literate in civil service – Walson-Jack

“It is pertinent to state that every appointee of President Tinubu including Dr. Baba-Ahmed owes the government a copious duty to promote, elucidate and advance the good works and commendable efforts of the government across all sectors.”

He added that northern appointees must defend the government or take their exit.

Matawalle is a native of Zamfara while Baba-Ahmed hails from Kaduna.

Continue Reading

National

INEC: We are not partisan in failed recall of Natasha

Published

4 hours ago

on

April 4, 2025

By

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has denied being partisan in handling the failed recall of the Senator representing Kogi Central, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

The Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman of INEC, Rotimi Oyekanmi, who was on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, explained how the Commission handled the process.

“In the case of the Kogi Central District, we received a petition and a cover letter and of course what Nigerians were saying was that we were taking sides,” Oyekanmi said on the programme.

INEC logo and Senator Natasha Akpoti (Kogi-Central PDP)
INEC logo and Senator Natasha Akpoti (Kogi-Central PDP)

“But what happened was that in the covering letter, the representatives of the petitioners did not include their address as required in our regulations and guidelines and what we just did was to ask them to supply their address, it has nothing to do with the petition.

“And of course, there is nowhere in the law where INEC is asked to reject a petition just because the cover letter did not contain the address. So, there was no hanky-panky in what we did.”

Earlier on Thursday, INEC rejected the petition to recall Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, saying that it has not met the requirements.

The electoral commission said the petition to recall Senator Natasha did not meet constitutional requirements.

Senator Natasha was suspended for breaching Senate rules, prompting some of her constituents to initiate her recall. They claimed the move was to ensure their constituency did not lack representation following the suspension of the 45-year-old senator.

Asked whether there could be a repeat of the recall process, the INEC spokesperson said the law did not specify if the process could be repeated and how many times.

ALSO READ:  24 Lawyers Ready To Challenge Those Trying To Halt The Bill Extending Tenure Of Staff Of The National Assembly

“The law just talks about the threshold, the threshold meaning that if you want to recall, you must have, in addition to your petition, 50 per cent plus one signatures. The law did not specify how many times you can undertake that,” he said.

Channels

Continue Reading