Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Video - Aljazeera talks to President Goodluck Jonathan


In an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera, Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan vowed to defeat Boko Haram.

The armed group has killed thousands of people in the country's north east.

Jonathan denied mishandling the Boko Haram crisis, and allegations a recent step up in military operations against the group, was politically motivated. He also expressed fears about violence during the upcoming presidential election which was postponed because of a lack of security.

The President also touched on corruption. And whether the country's elections will be moved again. 

Boko Haram releases beheading video in similar style to ISIL

Nigeria’s militant sect Boko Haram released a video purporting to show it beheading two men, its first online posting using advanced graphics and editing techniques reminiscent of footage from ISIL.


The film, released on Monday, shows militants standing behind the two men who are on their knees, their hands tied behind their backs, with one man standing over them, holding a knife.


One of the men is made to tell the camera that they had been paid by authorities to spy on the militant group, before the film moves to another scene showing their decapitated bodies. It was not possible to confirm the film’s authenticity or date.


The footage will stoke concerns that Boko Haram, which evolved out of a clerical movement focused on northeast Nigeria, is expanding its scope and seeking inspiration from global militant networks.


The militants who have killed thousands and kidnapped hundreds in their bid to carve out an Islamist state in their homeland, have in recent months stepped up cross-border raids into Cameroon, Chad and Niger.


Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan has said Boko Haram is allied to both Al Qaida and its offshoot ISIL, though that has not been confirmed by the group itself.


The Boko Haram film’s use of graphics, the footage of black-clad militants with a black flag, and the editing to show only the aftermath of the beheading, were particularly reminiscent of footage from Daesh, which has seized large parts of Iraq and Syria and killed several hostages.


In the film, one of the men says he comes from Baga in Borno state, and the other says he is from Michika in Adamawa state, both areas where the army says it has recently recaptured territory from Boko Haram.


Past Boko Haram films have been much cruder affairs, often featuring a man identified as leader Abubakar Shekau talking about local gripes. A number of recent releases have included much more gruesome footage of beheadings.


Gulf News

Online tax filing now available in Nigeria

The Federal Inland Revenue Service on Monday announced the take-off of the online tax payers' platform to ease the payment of taxes in the country.

The Service explained that with the new arrangement, anybody who wishes to pay tax can easily do so online by logging into the internet banking platform of any of the commercial banks, choose the FIRS link and follow the prompts.

Acting Chairman of the FIRS, Kabir Mashi, said the new platform is the product of the electronic tax-pay solution, an ease of tax payment initiative of the Service in collaboration with the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System and Systemspecs Limited.

At the launch and public sensitization of the new platform in Lagos, Mr. Mashi explained that the e-Tax Pay Solution was a self-service FIRS channel available on all commercial banks.'

He said once a taxpayer logs into any bank's Internet banking platform, he can access the FIRS link to pay his taxes and submit necessary documents the same way he may chose to pay other bills.

The Chairman, who was represented at the occasion by an official of the FIRS, Achilis Amahwe, explained that the system is simple and convenient to operate.

"It is that accessible and it is very secure," he said. "Taxpayers do not have to go to any tax office before taxes are paid. Tax payment is just a click away," he said.

According to him, it was the quest for simplification of the tax payment process and ease of access to tax services that led FIRS to roll out the electronic filing service under the Integrated Tax Administration System.

The new system, he said, serves as a means of reducing time and cost of compliance for taxpayers as well as ease interface between taxpayers and authorities.

Besides, he said the system provides additional convenience for taxpayers interested in, from the comfort of their homes and offices, uploading their tax returns on the e-Tax Pay Solution platform.

Mr. Mashi urged taxpayers to cultivate the attitude of using the e-Tax Pay Solution, or e-filing platforms, as those were created for their convenience and ultimately engender a transparent and efficient tax system that optimizes tax revenue collection and voluntary compliance.

He said the FIRS was hoping that taxpayers would respond positively to these innovations and utilize them to a large scale.

The new system would not only ease compliance for the taxpayers, but also enable FIRS to ensure greater transparency in tax operations.

This would give Nigerians full access to their records, which they uploaded as well as payments they make," the Chairman said.

The Coordinating Director, Field Operations Group, who was represented by Director, Medium Tax Department, Peter Olayemi, said the e-Tax Pay Solution would boost tax revenue collection.

The self-service initiatives, he said, were introduced to strengthen the self-assessment regime and improve voluntary tax compliance using the online payment options.

These initiatives would bring in more tax revenues and also provide convenience for both the taxpayers and the tax authorities." Mr. Olayemi said.

Also speaking at the event, the Director, Programme Management Office (Tax), Gbolaga Oshiga, said the platform was so user-friendly and interactive that a first-time user would not find it difficult to complete the process.

The launch and demonstration of the platform attracted stakeholders from various sectors of the Nigerian economy including Dangote Plc, Guiness Nigeria, Chevron, banks and telecommunications operators.

The e-Tax Pay Solution is an initiative put together by the FIRS in collaboration with the Nigeria Inter-bank Settlement System (NIBSS) and System Specs Limited to meet the expectations of taxation stakeholders in the area of service delivery.

Premium Times

Monday, March 2, 2015

Video - Nigerian military making advancements against Boko Haram


Nigeria's military says never again will it suffer a defeat at the hands of Boko Haram like it did at Baga. It is racing against a tight deadline to defeat Boko Haram insurgents ahead of the March 28th presidential elections. But with just four weeks to go, the militants have been resurgent this past week with at least 86 people killed in explosions at bus stations in the north and central regions.

Mob in Nigeria beat to death suspected female suicide bomber

A mob in northeastern Nigeria has beaten a woman to death and burnt her body over suspicion she was planning to carry out a suicide bombing, police and witnesses have said.

Witnesses said the victim and a second woman had refused to be searched at the entrance of the largest market in the city of Bauchi on Sunday morning.Bauchi state police spokesman Haruna Mohammed described the slain woman as the victim of "mob action carried out by an irate crowd".

It seemed doubtful the woman was actually a bomber as she did not detonate any explosives when she was attacked, Mohammed said.

He said police had deployed to the scene to disperse the mob but the woman died before officers could rescue her. None of the attackers were arrested, he said.

However, the second woman who allegedly refused to be searched was arrested, the Associated Press reported. The news agency said both women were teenagers.

Vegetable vendor Mohd Adamu told the AP that when the women refused to be screened, people overpowered one girl and discovered she had two bottles strapped to her body. They clubbed her to death, put a tyre doused in fuel over her head and set it on fire, he said.

A spate of suicide bombings has been blamed on Nigeria's Boko Haram group, which wants to enforce strict Islamic law in the north.

Recently some girls as young as 10 years old have been used to carry explosives that detonated in busy markets and bus stations. It is unclear whether the girls detonated explosives themselves or whether the bombs were controlled remotely.

About 10,000 people died in Nigeria from Boko Haram's violence last year, compared to 2,000 in the first four years of the group's armed campaign, according to the US Council on Foreign Relations. About 1.5 million people have been driven from their homes.

Aljazeera