News

Student Loan: North Elders Cautions Tinubu Over Scheme

Published

2 years ago

June 28, 2023

The spokesman of the Northern Elders Forum, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed has warned that the proposed education loan scheme of the federal government would discourage more Nigerians from accessing university education.

As a result, Baba-Ahmed advised that “the Tinubu government should be very careful about its reforms in the education sector,” stressing, “I think that the education loan scheme policy needs to be looked at very carefully.”

The NEF spokesman also urged President Bola Tinubu to evaluate the policy, as he noted that it would have an “enormous impact” especially on the North.

Baba-Ahmed said this in an exclusive interview with The PUNCH in Abuja on Monday.

He stressed that the north is “very worried about the Tinubu-led government’s policy on the education loan scheme, as we fear it is going to radically increase the cost of university education, and lead a large number of students from the Northern parts of the country out of school.”

Continuing, he asserted, “That is the simple, honest truth. I am hoping that, first, the policy will be studied thoroughly in the context of how people live now. Where are we going to get these loans from? The banks that would disburse the student loans – how much authority and power are you going to devolve to them, or are you going to leave them to go and charge what they want?

“Or are you going to provide the parameters? Have we looked at the possibility that students might take loans and not be able to pay for them, three, four, or five years after graduation? Have you created enough employment opportunities?

“But above all, if you raise the entire fees, yesterday I saw an advert of something supposedly from BUK in Kano, which is one of the largest universities, and I saw that they are now going to be charged for various services the university renders.

“I say this is unbelievable. I know for a fact that if it is true, then a large number of students would not be able to cope.

“We are behind now, as it is in the North. If you now introduce policies where the removal of subsidies is already making life difficult for poor people, electricity tariffs are going to go up, now our children can’t go to school, you must worry about the cumulative effect of these policies,” he added.

The Northern elder insisted, “Policies after policies are just making life more difficult, and people have a short patience threshold. If they don’t see a difference between the pre-Tinubu government and the Tinubu administration, they will walk away from this administration.”

The NEF leader further noted that “The last thing President Tinubu needs is Nigerians saying this man just came to make our lives difficult. In simple terms, that is basically where it boils down.

“Now, if their lives are going to be made difficult, at least find ways of explaining to them. I am very sorry- your leg is broken, if it has to be fixed, it will pain you. But we can fix it. The government’s communication strategy has to be perfect, and the way you design your policies and their impacts – don’t create too many burdens and place them on the citizenry,” he remarked.

Baba-Ahmed tasked the administration to end corruption as a way of restoring Nigeria to the path of growth, security, and national unity.

According to him, “Corruption is at the root of our insecurity; societal corruption, the corruption of our values as a people, and the corruption of all the agencies that are supposed to be fighting insecurity.

“If you drastically remove corruption from the processes and operations of government, and from the lives of Nigerians, you can solve the problem of insecurity in a year or two,” the NEF spokesman stated.

He maintained that the government must address poverty, as well as prioritise the inclusion of the different parts of the country in governance, noting that this will give every group a stake in Nigeria.

“Addressing poverty is a very serious problem, finding ways to improve inclusion – the elections have polarised the country very dangerously, and anybody who does not tell you that we are in a very terrible situation because our elections tend to polarise the nation more and more,” Baba-Ahmed pointed out, adding, “So, inclusiveness should be prioritised.

The administration must find a way to make all parts of the country have a stake in the government, just as this new government must by all means, inject fresh and new ideas in the management of the economy. The administration should pay very close attention to the impact of the liberal economic policies.

“Poverty levels are very high, and sometimes we tend to think that ideas alone can solve problems, no! You need to pay very close attention to the state in which people live.

“Not all people are beneficiaries of liberal economies. The poor are already really under a lot of poverty. Insecurity has compounded it. The last thing you want to do is to create a hostile citizenry.

“The president needs to be very careful, and to take very informed policies in the management of the economy so that even if he doesn’t radically liberate the poor, he also doesn’t radically impoverish them,” Baba-Ahmed advised further.

However, while commending Tinubu for taking the bold decision to suspend from office, the leadership of both the CBN and the EFCC, as well as the removal of subsidy on Petrol Motor Spirit, Baba-Ahmed cautioned against policies that may alienate the masses.

He warned, “The government needs to understand that policies that would have a profound impact on people, it needs to be very careful about it.

“Don’t be afraid to put policies that would affect people, but also don’t condemn and disregard sentiments.

“Everybody knew the fuel subsidy would go, whether it was designed or not, and it was because President Buhari only budgeted for it till June. It wasn’t Tinubu that removed the subsidy; it was Buhari that removed the subsidy.

“Tinubu just found a convenient entry point and said, there’s no kobo for subsidy. It is gone. But what you do is immediately tell people who are working with you. Listen, this may not be our decision, but it will be our decision to deal with the consequences, so how do we do it in such a way that we both get the benefit of the removal of subsidy, as well as alleviate some of the really negative things that would come with its removal,” he said.

News

FCT Court Summons Dino Melaye For Non-payment Of Over N500m Tax

Published

5 hours ago

August 27, 2025

Editor

Former Senator representing Kogi West, Dino Melaye, has been summoned to the Federal Capital Territory Magistrate Court over alleged failure to pay his mandatory Personal Income Tax for 2023 and 2024.

The summons dated August 21, 2025, also included that an underpayment of taxes in 2020, 2021, and 2022 owed by Melaye requires him to appear before the Magistrate Court at Wuse Zone II, Abuja, on September 5, 2025.

According to the FCT Internal Revenue Service, Melaye only paid N85,000.08 in 2019, N100,000.08 in 2020, N120,000 in 2021, and N1,000,000 in 2022, despite declaring much higher annual incomes.

It revealed that, for instance, in 2022, he declared an annual income of over N6.5 million.

It was revealed that an administrative assessment for 2023 and 2024 was issued on May 23, 2025, but when Melaye failed to respond within 30 days, a notice of best judgment assessment was issued on June 23, 2025.

The notice outlined that Melaye’s total tax liabilities for 2023 and 2024 were assessed at N234,896,000.00 and N274,712,000.00, respectively.

The notice read, “Despite reminders and ample time provided, your non-compliance with Section 41 of the Act constitutes a breach of your obligations.

“Consequently, the Federal Capital Territory Internal Revenue Service (FCT-IRS) has, in accordance with Section 54(3) of the Personal Income Tax Act, proceeded to raise a Best of Judgment Assessment in respect of your tax liabilities for the years under review.

“Accordingly, your tax liability has been assessed in the sum of N234,896,000.00 and N274,712,000.00 for the period of 2023 and 2024, respectively. The computation and assessment are attached for your action.

“Please note that the Service has also identified income under declaration and under payment for the 2020, 2021 and 2022 years of assessment, during which payment of N1,000,000.00, N120,000.00 and N100,000.00 were made respectively. Notices of additional will be issued upon the conclusion of our review.

“Your are hereby informed that you have the right to object to this assessment within thirty (30) days from the date of receipt of this notice. Any objection must clearly state the grounds of your objection and be substantiated with relevant supporting documents.

“Failure to make payment or file objection within the stipulated period will result in the assessment being deemed final and conclusive, and recovery proceedings will be initiated without further notice,” the FCT-IRS said.

News

FG Shuts Illegal Gold Mining Site In Abuja

Published

5 hours ago

August 27, 2025

Editor

The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, has directed mining marshals to seal an illegal gold mining site in Gwagwalada, Federal Capital Territory, to avert potential environmental hazards.

This was contained in a statement signed by the Special Assistant on Media to the Minister, Segun Tomori, on Wednesday.

This follows an earlier operation on August 16, 2025, which led to the recovery and sealing of another site around the District 2 Extension layout in Gwagwalada, where 16 suspects were arrested.

Authorities confirmed that the suspects will be prosecuted soon.

He said, “Following reports of illegal gold mining in the Gwagwalada area of the Federal Capital Territory, the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, has directed the mining marshals to seal off the site to mitigate potential environmental hazards.”

Preliminary findings revealed that artisanal miners invaded the Gwagwalada area after a gold vein was accidentally discovered during the digging of a soakaway pit near a residential property.

The latest incident occurred on farmland behind CKC in Gwagwalada.

Upon receiving intelligence on renewed unlawful mining activity, “Alake promptly ordered the deployment of mining marshals to secure the site,” the statement read.

During an on-the-spot assessment on Wednesday, officials of the ministry led by the Director of Mines Inspectorate, represented by the Deputy Director, Sunday Okhuoya, “expressed satisfaction with the level of compliance with the minister’s directive, disclosing that relevant departments of the ministry have launched a thorough investigation to unravel the root of these incidents whilst recommending measures to prevent a recurrence.”

Commander of the Mining Marshals, Assistant Commandant of Corps John Onoja, confirmed that “his team has established 24-hour surveillance over both affected sites, pending the outcome of the Federal Government’s ongoing inquiry.”

Alake, cautioning residents to steer clear of the areas, reiterated the Federal Government’s resolve to eradicate illegal mining activities nationwide.

He also disclosed that the ministry was fast-tracking the deployment of satellite surveillance technology to monitor mining operations and strengthen enforcement capacity.

News

Ondo Bans Graduation Ceremonies In Primary, Junior Secondary Schools

Published

6 hours ago

August 27, 2025

Editor

The Ondo State Government has banned private schools from organising graduation ceremonies for pupils of nursery and primary schools, as well as students of Junior Secondary School in the state.

The state Commissioner for Education, Professor Igbekele Ajibefun, on Wednesday, said this was part of the decision of the state government to sanitize the education sector of the state.

According to the commissioner, other decisions included the prohibition of illegal and unregistered schools, the banning of graduation ceremonies for nursery schools and the re-accreditation of all private schools for quality assurance.

Ajibefun, who spoke with all proprietors and proprietresses of schools in the 18 local government areas, in Akure, the Ondo State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Professor Igbekele Ajibefun, declared that the state government was poised to reposition the education sector and was taking deliberate steps to encourage and support private school owners through different policies.

The Commissioner said, “My interactions start with private school owners because the private sector plays a critical role as you are major stakeholders in the education business. It is more serious than any other business.

“It is obvious that things have gone bad in the education sector; there are urgent issues we need to address so that we can bring back the lost glory.

“The schools operating illegally in the state would be given a six-month grace period to get approval, and the state would review the conditions for school approval to make it easier.

“When you run an unapproved school, you are running an illegal business. This administration will not allow illegalities, and that is the reason we are reviewing it. In the next couple of weeks, the new conditions will be rolled out. All private schools operating in the state must meet minimum standards.

“We are also banning elaborate graduation ceremonies, especially for nursery and JSS classes in state.”

Ajibefun also stressed that the state would no longer tolerate schools organizing excursions without approval or clearance from the Ministry due to the state of security in the nation.

He advised private school owners to be circumspect on the issue of making extra lessons compulsory after normal classes.

On the reuse of textbooks, the government has banned the exploitation of parents through the purchase of new textbooks every year, stating that siblings of a particular pupil can continue to use the same textbook for a period of time.

The commissioner also mentioned that the process of digitizing all schools in the state was in progress, noting that all students in the state’s primary and secondary schools would soon be migrated to the digital platform of the Ministry of Education.