By Chukwuma Charles Soludo

Part I of this series focused on the lesson that in today’s world, countries not only compete but even exploit each other in order to secure the highest standards of living for their citizens. It is a world of survival of the fittest in which no country sets out to ‘help’ others succeed. Africa in this world largely follows or watches while others lead the process of development. To lead in development requires entrepreneurial policymakers with bold, out-of-the-box ideas with high execution capacity. But this is only the first step.


In this Part 2, we focus on the overarching domestic meta-level architecture for sustainable development. For decades, Nigeria and many African countries have groped and muddled through development by focusing narrowly on the economistic aspects such as the macro and sectoral issues of fiscal and monetary policies, infrastructure, health, education, etc. Underlying this is a belief that once the ‘correct policies and leaders’ are in place, development will occur in a mechanistic fashion.  A missing link is the understanding that what constitute ‘correct policies and leaders’ depend on the overall social system of a country.


The social system — the organisational and institutional structure of a society, including its values, attitudes, power structure, traditions, incentives, collective memory, social cohesion and social capital, capacity of the state, etc — largely determines how fast and how far development can occur. Many analysts wrongly see these as the ‘constraints’ or the excuses why development does not occur as designed. For many analysts, if only we had good leaders, or good values, or good attitudes, or good institutions, we would develop. But countries that are leaders in development correctly identify the interrelations between economic and social system architecture and seek to creatively alter them to produce a momentum for change. Without a developmental social system which circumscribes the choices we make as a society, sustained development is not possible.


For starters, you must have a nation to talk of ‘national development’. As a country, we have not taken the project of nation-building very seriously. Occasionally, we have parroted a few slogans (remember WAI, WAI-C, MAMSER, National Orientation Agency, etc) in a seeming recognition of the importance of values, attitudes and institutions in national development. These efforts have lacked a coherent strategy and action beyond slogans, and the result is that Nigeria remains a country of disparate nationalities still in search of a national essence. My view is that to survive and prosper as a country or nation, crafting and negotiating an agenda for nation-building should be priority number one, two and three for Nigeria at this moment, especially for the elected public office holders. We should devote some 60% of our time to a new strategy and actions to rescue and build a new nation!


No doubt, in so far as oil prices continue at the current unprecedented levels, we will continue to celebrate the fluke of ‘GDP growth’. But unless we address the deep social systemic issues, sustained development and structural transformation will elude us. Nigeria has been through this road before. In 1980 at the peak of an oil boom, Nigeria had far better macroeconomic indicators than now. When oil prices collapsed in early 1982, the Shagari government enacted the Economic Stabilisation (Austerity Measures) Act in response to a collapsed economy. Compared to then, a few things are certainly different especially the liberalisation of several sectors and prices which could make adjustments easier. But the index of vulnerability has not changed. Any major shock to the system will see a repeat of history.  In recent years, several countries that were ‘doing well’ in narrow economic terms (Arab countries, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, etc) tanked overnight.  For Nigeria, the outlook is stable but uncertain as the country battles the greatest threat to its corporate existence since after the civil war with three states now under a state of emergency.


For three consecutive years, Nigeria has maintained the 14th position in the world as a failed state, with Somalia ranking number one. Our ranking has worsened dramatically over five years.  Effectively we are ranked as one of the 30 countries in a ‘critical’ condition, and it is not an enviable club to belong to. While some of us readily dismiss the ranking and could even question the methodology, it will be a grievous error to continue to ignore it. Whatever it takes, Nigeria must confront it and remove its name from the red alert list. Such negative ranking affects how the world sees and relates with us, and even places some constraints on how far we can go. It was not overtly stated, but the key drivers of public policy under President Olusegun Obasanjo’s second term were the needs to get Nigeria out of the notorious list of non-compliant nations with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on money laundering; secure debt relief; and secure improved ranking on Transparency International's corruption perception table. Our banks could not have had access to the huge credit lines if we did not get Nigeria out of the FATF list. Understanding and addressing the 12 elements of a failed state to get us out of the red alert list should be an important fulcrum of public policy.


The persistent calls for a national conference (more recently by the Southern Peoples Assembly) whether sovereign or not to discuss ‘the basis’ for Nigeria’s existence is a constant reminder that we have not resolved the meta-level architecture for sustainable development. Thank God, at least some discussions have begun on constitutional amendments. How far that will go remains to be seen. Hopefully the amendments will address several of the perverse incentives enshrined in the constitution that will never allow Nigeria to prosper on a sustainable basis.


At the heart of our systemic failure is Nigeria’s peculiar federation without federalism, and especially a warped fiscal federalism and the attendant politics of distribution and consumption that kill competition and promote indolence through the feeding bottle of easy oil money. It has been my view since 2005 that Nigeria will not diversify the economy unless and until we address the oil curse. After more than 50 years of planning to diversify the economy, we are worse than we were in 1960 in terms of the share of manufacturing in GDP. Without a change in the incentive system in the constitution to unleash competition, nothing will happen (this is subject for another day).


Can we allow the federating units full control of their natural resources, promote a multi-speed federalism where each federating unit competes to exploit its comparative advantages, and develops at its own pace? The 1963 Republican Constitution had a revenue allocation arrangement that forced regions to compete to build industries and farms because these were their sources of revenue. The 1999 Constitution removes every necessity and incentive to work hard or compete. The funny debate about local government autonomy is simply because LGAs are also entitled to directly collect money from the Federation Account. What a federation!


No country developed on a sustained basis without addressing the citizenship and nationality questions. Nigerians like to compare their country with others, but how many of those countries have the kind of social system architecture as Nigeria?  The East Asian countries of Singapore, South Korea, Malaysia, etc that many romanticise about had societies that were largely cohesive, nationalistic in outlook, and promoted values that rewarded hard work, competition, freedoms and social safety nets. They did not have federal character principle where citizens take examinations for entrance into government schools or employment and while some who score 75% cannot be admitted, others with 20 or even 10% gain admission simply because of the state of origin of their parents. Teachers in some states were recently sacked so as to make room for ‘indigenes’— even though these teachers had lived in those states all their life and paid taxes. These countries also did not have ‘turn-by-turn’ leadership selection.


When people talk about the successful Asian countries, they ignore or forget that the critical success factor was a meritocratic public service cadre that attracted and retained the best. In the case of Singapore, Li Kuan Yew actually deliberately groomed future politicians and leaders by recruiting the best minds from the best universities in the world, including PhD holders and encouraging them to run for elections so as to better understand the ‘real world’. That way, the quality of human capital that made up the parliament and cabinet in Singapore was second to none. Also the civil service salary and conditions of service were such that attracted the best and the brightest to the service. It is only when people are given public responsibility on merit that you could charge them to act in the ‘best interest’ of the country. If they get to positions to represent their ethnic group or state of origin, it is only natural that they act to protect those narrow interests first, and those of the nation only accidentally. Who will then act for the nation or country? How many Nigerians are willing to die for the country? Raise up your hands and let us count! The message is simple: if we want to learn from the Asians, we should go for the full menu.


Of course, a country will, just like a corporation, only seek to employ the best skills if the objective is to produce results. If a country is looking for a leader that can create four million new jobs a year, then the citizens will be interested in the public debates by politicians on ‘how’ they will do so, and ‘how’ they will finance the boom. Only then do you look for ‘qualified’ or ‘competent’ leaders. But if politics is about sharing money — distributional politics — as we have in Nigeria, then anyone can do it because you don’t need special skills to distribute. Thus, the politicians that will be thrown up by the system are largely those who can be trusted to ‘share’ the manna from heaven. The greater the dexterity in ‘sharing’, the greater the chances of maintaining power. In fact, a major qualification to being a favourite pick for leadership is to demonstrate a lack of interest in power or even basic knowledge to govern. That way, the elite can be comfortable that such a person can be ‘controlled’. The incentive system is upside down and not geared towards production or development. When was the last time you heard any government at any level in Nigeria present its report card in terms of the number of private sector jobs created during its tenure? That would be the day we will begin to talk development! In Part 3, we will conclude the series.
Culled from Thisday.

Nigeria has received a total of N2.08 trillion ($13 billion) from international donor agencies under the Country Assistance Framework, CAF, as at the end of 2012, according to a report on CAF programme for the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Nigeria has received a total of N2.08 trillion ($13 billion) from international donor agencies under the Country Assistance Framework, CAF, as at the end of 2012, according to a report on CAF programme for the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

According to the report sighted by  Vanguard, the fund was invested in key sectors of the economy, ranging from agriculture, water and sanitation, governance, environment, infrastructure, human development among others.

The international donor agencies which constitute CAF are: World Bank, African Development Bank, International Monetary Fund, United States Agency for International Development,Canadian International Development Agency, Embassy of Japan.

Others are Embassy of China, European Union, High Commission of India, Japan International Cooperation Agency, United Nations System and Agence Francaise de Development.

A breakdown of the distribution of the funds shows that Agriculture received $1.33 billion, water sanitation — $1.795 billion, governance-$1.89 billion, infrastructure-$3.72 billion, human development -$3.131billion , multi-sector $15.74 million, private $553.15 million and environment -$540 million .

According to the report, the lack of official data at state level, with harmonized definitions and classifications comparable to those for the federal government is an issue which the country needs to tackle.

This further complicates the formulation of fiscal policy and the monitoring of its implementation at different levels of government.

On the risk and migration strategies in Nigeria, the report noted that there are several risks to the CAF’s implementation, including insecurity, a politically fluid situation leading to the 2015 elections, vested interests, regional  instability, as well as economic volatility related to the fluctuation of oil prices.

It added that it also aims to be candid about identified risks and their impact – direct or indirect – on its implementation and states that the most important risk pertains to the security which remains challenging.

On the lingering global financial crisis, the international donor agencies also affirmed that Nigeria made a major step in responsible macroeconomic management by creating the Excess Crude Account, ECA, as a fiscal reserve fund in 2004 which was subsequently used to finance a fiscal stimulus package that maintained economic demand and rapid growth.

However, they noted that the remaining institutional vulnerabilities surrounding the ECA which surfaced visibly when political pressures led to excessive ad hoc withdrawals from the ECA, places Nigeria’s reserve position and financial stability at risk.

The States Governors Forum is also part of what CAF seeks to support as a state-level platform for dissemination of knowledge and experience and provision of flexible support to strengthen the capacity of state-level systems.
Vanguard

The appointment of 18 senior staff of the University of Benin (UNIBEN), including two professors, has been terminated by the Governing Council of the school.
The former bursar of the institution, Mrs May Nwoye, was also asked to proceed on compulsory retirement by the Council. Nwoye was said to have abandoned his duty post after she left the office of bursar.


Meanwhile, the university has been ranked as the most sought after institution in the country with a total number of 102,900 applicants in 2013, while universities of Ilorin, Lagos, Nnamdi Azikiwe and University of Nigeria Nsukka came second, third, fourth and fifth respectively.
Those were contained in a statement by the UNIBEN Registrar, Mrs G.O.Ogboghodo when she announced the sack of the eighteen senior staff of the university.

GMD, NNPC, Mr. Andrew Yakubu

The discovery of shale oil by the United States to meet its domestic crude oil needs may adversely affect Nigeria’s revenue.

As a result, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation has expressed fears, saying the US might go into territories currently being served by Nigeria’s oil, after satisfying its local crude oil needs.

Speaking on the implications of the development, the General Manager, Media Relations Department, Group Public Affairs Division,  NNPC, Dr. Omar Farouk, told our correspondent on Sunday that it posed a great concern, not just to Nigeria, but also to other African nations exporting crude oil.

He said, “We (Nigeria) risk a situation where they (US) can even go into territories that we are currently supplying. And the fear exists that if America is going to offer to sell oil to some countries, even at a marginally higher price, the countries are likely to accept it more than Nigeria.

“We risk a situation where, in the first place, we will lose our market in America. But beyond that, we also risk a situation where America, having satisfied itself with what it has, will also want to find a market outside. And that market may also be a market that Nigeria is selling to.”

Early this month, a report by the Energy Information Administration, the Energy Department’s statistical arm of the US government, showed that domestic crude oil production exceeded imports for the first time in 16 years.

The EIA data indicated that imports to the US from Nigeria tumbled to a record low in February, going back to 1995.

The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, had stated that a committee set up by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries had initiated a study into shale and would consider the effect of shale oil on the global market for OPEC crude “in the not-too-distant future.”

Farouk explained that the increased production of shale oil in the US had particularly affected imports from Africa, which typically produce lighter grades of oil similar to the North American blends.

He added that with the volatility in Nigeria’s oil production, many countries might want to go into agreements with the US on crude oil supply.

He said, “The reason is because they know that if they go into agreement with America, the chances of the oil companies there declaring force majeure is very slim, and they are assured of guaranteed supply with more flexibility.

“But if they are to go for cheap oil from Nigeria, there is no guarantee.”
The Punch

Power generation in the country dropped by 1,598 megawatts on Sunday, the Transmission Company of Nigeria said.

The company explained that the massive load shedding being experienced nationwide was caused by vandalism of two major gas pipelines supplying gas to eight power generating stations.

The affected stations are Egbin/AES, Olorunsogo, Omotoso, Geregu NIPP, Afam IV and VI as well as River State Independent Power Station, resulting in drastic reduction of power supply.

In a statement signed by the General Manager (Public Affairs), TCN, Mr. Dave Ifabiyi, the company said that one of the vandalised gas pipelines was taking supply from the Okoloma gas plant, while the other was taking from Escravos.

Ifabiyi said, “With the disruption of gas supply through the lines, the Nigerian Gas Company is unable to move gas to Afam IV and Afam VI as well as the Independent Power Plant in Rivers State, resulting in generation loss of 593MW.

“Also, the second vandalised gas pipeline from Escravos to Warri caused a cutback of 1,005MW  in power generation from Egbin/AES power generating station, Olorunsogo, Omotosho and Geregu NIPP power generating plants.”

According to the statement, with the loss of 1,598MW, the total power generation as of 2pm on Sunday is 2,290MW.

With this low level generation, the company said the operation and control of the power system was a major challenge.

TCN said due to the critical importance of the pipelines to power generation, NGC was working seriously to isolate the vandalised portions of the pipelines in order to effect repairs, with the hope that gas supply could be restored to the affected generating stations soonest.

The company said it deeply regretted inconveniences the attendant load shedding was causing Nigerians nationwide.

Apart from gas supply shortage, the worsening power supply situation in the country had in recent times been blamed on frequent collapse of the generation and transmission systems.

Contrary to the claims in government quarters that the country was generating at least 4,500MW of electricity daily, it was gathered that the figure was significantly lower than that.

PHCN statistics showed that the last time the country generated 4,500MW of electricity was on December 23, 2012.

This means that all the power generation plants in the country have not generated up to 4,000MW since January 2013 due to consistent system collapse.

For instance, power generation had dropped to 3,118.4MW on June 16, 2013, though the peak demand forecast as of that day was 12,800MW.

This was 1,370MW lower than the highest peak generation of 4,517.6MW achieved on Sunday, December 23, 2012.

Generation picked up again on Monday, June 17, 2013 to 3,720.50MW, but dropped to 3,507.90MW the following day.

The country had, in the past five months, recorded more than 15 power system collapses.

“The high rate of system collapse in recent time, which has given rise to more than 15 collapses in the last five months, calls for a critical look,” the Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, said recently.

In view of this, the minister set up a 13-member Technical Investigative Panel on System Collapse to find the causes of the incessant collapse of electricity infrastructure across the country.

The country recorded a total of 24 system failures in 2012, with 15 being total and nine partial system collapses. It recorded 39 and 42 system failures in 2009 and 2010, respectively.

Power generation had dropped by 31,529MW in April, which was 33.9 per cent of the 4,517MW attained on December 21, 2012.

The Ministry of Power had attributed the sharp drop in supply to general system collapse.

Power generation had experienced a downward trend since December 17, 2012 when it dropped to 4,349.7MW amid fluctuating figures, finally declining to 2,987.6 on April 6, 2013.

The expected peak production from the projects is 215,000 barrels of oil per day equivalent.
Oil major, Shell, is to invest $3.9billion (about N612.3 billion) in two major gas projects in Nigeria, the company announced on Friday.
Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd (SPDC), an operator of a joint venture with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), said final investment decisions have been reached for the Trans Niger Pipeline loop-line (TNPL) and the Gbaran-Ubie Phase 2 projects, both located in Nigeria’s eastern Niger Delta.
The total capital investment for the TNPL project bundle is expected to be $1.5 billion, while total investment for the Gbaran-Ubie Phase Two bundle is $2.4 billion. The expected peak production from these projects is 215,000 barrels of oil per day equivalent.
The firm’s Managing Director, Mutiu Sunmonu, said the company has taken a “strategic review” of its interests in selected onshore leases in the joint venture portfolio in Nigeria, though he did not name the leases.
“Today’s announcements demonstrate our long term commitment to Nigeria by clearly signaling our intent for the strategic direction of Shell in Nigeria,” Mr. Sunmonu said.
The Trans Niger Pipeline (TNP), which has capacity to convey about 180,000 barrels of crude oil per day to the Bonny Export Terminal, is part of the gas liquids evacuation infrastructure being developed by the company.
The pipeline is of strategic significance to the country, particularly as it is a critical facility for the continued supply of gas to some power plants, for example, the Afam VI power plant, for domestic power generation and liquefied gas exports.
With sections of the TNP facility coming under increased attacks and sabotage by armed militants in the Niger Delta responsible for crude oil theft, officials said it became necessary for the pipeline to be redesigned, to improve its safety and ensure that it was better protected against sabotage.
The initiative, which involves removing the pipelines and re-buring them in new depths that would be difficult to reach by vandals, is expected to reduce pollution related to criminal activities, which was a key aspect of the 2011 United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report on Ogoniland.
The Gbaran-Ubie Phase Two project consists of five gas supply and infrastructure projects, which are critical for the continued gas supply to the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) plant and the Gbaran-Ubie domestic power plant (IPP).
“These investments will help to secure energy supplies for domestic and international markets. The TNPL project demonstrates the tangible steps SPDC and its partners are taking to tackle the scourge of criminal activity – pipeline sabotage and crude theft in the Niger Delta, which is the cause of so much environmental and economic damage in this region,” Mr Sunmonu said.
Premiumtimes

Google likely sees more data than any company on the planet. And that obsession carries through to hiring and management, where every decision and practice is endlessly studied and analyzed.
In an interview with The New York Times' Adam Bryant, Google's Senior Vice President of People Operations Laszlo Bock explains that some of the biggest stalwarts of the hiring and recruiting world, the interview, GPA, and test scores, aren't nearly as important as people think.

Google doesn't even ask for GPA or test scores from candidates anymore, unless someone's a year or two out of school, because they don't correlate at all with success at the company. Even for new grads, the correlation is slight, the company has found.

Bock has an excellent explanation about why those metrics don't mean much.

"Academic environments are artificial environments. People who succeed there are sort of finely trained, they’re conditioned to succeed in that environment," he says.

While in school, people are trained to give specific answers, "it's much more interesting to solve problems where there isn’t an obvious answer," Bock says. "You want people who like figuring out stuff where there is no obvious answer."

As for interviews, many managers, recruiters, and HR staffers think they have a special ability to sniff out talent. They're wrong.

"Years ago, we did a study to determine whether anyone at Google is particularly good at hiring," Bock says. "We looked at tens of thousands of interviews, and everyone who had done the interviews and what they scored the candidate, and how that person ultimately performed in their job. We found zero relationship."

Google also used to be famous for posing impossibly difficult and punishing brain teasers during interviews. Things like "If the probability of observing a car in 30 minutes on a highway is 0.95, what is the probability of observing a car in 10 minutes (assuming constant default probability)?"

Turns out those questions are"a complete waste of time," according to Bock. "They don’t predict anything. They serve primarily to make the interviewer feel smart."

The only thing that works are behavioral interviews, Bock says, where there's a consistent set of questions that ask people what they did in specific situations.

Many of the assumptions and practices we have about hiring came about because we didn't have anything better. For decades, the only (relatively) consistent data point among hires was GPA and test scores. It was an easy way to sort, and because that's the way it was always done, people stuck with it.

We can do better now. And though Google has something of a head start and a lot more data, more and more companies are catching on.

The best thing about data? It's hard for people to contest. Even when people don't want to believe that they're under-performing, it's hard to dispute years worth of numbers. "For most people, just knowing that information causes them to change their conduct,"  Bock says.
BusinessInsider

The Mobil had challenged the tax payment saying it violated an agreement.
The Tax Appeal Tribunal, Lagos Zone, on Friday ordered Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited to pay $83.4 million (N13 billion) education tax to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
The tribunal gave the order while delivering judgment on an appeal filed by the oil company against the FIRS.
Chairman of the five-man tribunal, Kayode Sofola, said the amount represented the company’s education tax liability for 2008.
The company had instituted the appeal on May 5, 2011 when FIRS issued with it an education tax liability of $83.4 million for 2008. The appellant’s counsel, T. Emuwa, had claimed that the assessment breached an agreement signed by the company with the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
Mr. Emuwa said the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was first signed in 1986 and renewed in 2000. He said the 2000 MoU allowed the company to deduct all amounts paid to other agencies from the tax due to the federal and state governments
FIRS had through its counsel, B.H. Oniyangi, claimed that the 2000 MoU was signed for a three-year term, adding that its validity ended on Jan.1, 2003.
Mrs. Oniyangi held that the federal government, through a letter issued by the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) on January 17, 2008, also confirmed that the MoU had lapsed.
According to her, the 2000 MoU was replaced by the Petroleum Profits Tax Act (PPTA) which was used to issue the disputed assessment.
Delivering the judgment, Mr. Sofola agreed that the said MoU was only for a three-year term, noting that there was no evidence before the panel that it was renewed.
“The 2000 MoU thus expired at the end of 2002. The parties never did anything to keep it alive longer, as stated in clause 7.1.
“In effect, clause 7.1 contains an option to renew, exercisable at the joint instance of all the parties. This option was never exercised, and thus no renewal or extension was triggered,” he said.
Mr. Sofola said the appellant was no longer entitled to make deductions allowed under the 2000 MoU, in calculating their education tax.
“The PPTA is the legislation in force and cannot be subordinated to the mere contemplations of the MoU. We uphold the respondent’s (FIRS) assessment of the appellant to education tax of $83,414,793.
“We order the appellant to pay accordingly,’’ the tribunal chairman added.
(NAN)

FIRS says it is committed to operating a transparent and efficient tax system that optimises tax revenue collection and voluntary compliance.
The Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, said on Wednesday that discussions are ongoing with commercial banks in the country to make the Taxpayer Identification Number, TIN, mandatory for all individuals and corporate customers intending to open new accounts or conduct transactions in the country.
The Acting Executive Chairman of FIRS, Kabir Mashi, said in Abuja at the sensitisation workshop for FIRS Field Officers, Collection Agents and Banks that beginning next September, Value Added Tax, VAT, and Withholding Tax deductions by operators in the country’s aviation sector would be automated.
Mr. Mashi said the pilot scheme of the automation processes is expected to go live in the third quarter of 2013 and would ultimately extend to other sectors and government agencies, such as Telecommunications, Power, and Financial Institutions, including the Nigeria Customs Service, Central Bank of Nigeria, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, and the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation.
Mr. Mashi, who was represented by the Coordinating Director, Direct Report Group (DRG), Onyekachi Ihedioha, said as part of steps by FIRS to increase its tax revenue collection for the government, there are plans to bring all its receipt processes on the automation platform, while increasing the number of payment channels as well as implementation of the Integrated Tax Administration System (ITAS).
“We have extended invitations to our Collecting Agents for their magnanimity in collecting and remitting taxes on behalf of the Service,” Mr. Mashi said.
“Businesses now know that there is no hiding place for them anymore. Yes, they can run, but they can no longer hide.
“We appreciate the level of cooperation thus far in the implementation of the Taxpayers Identification Number (TIN) system. We have achieved some significant mileage with the introduction of TIN, and we hope the banks will fully adopt the “No TIN No Account” option as we go on.”
According to him, efficient revenue management entails generating the maximum level of revenue without leakages, prompt delivery of quality services to the taxpaying public and high level of transparency and accountability. Mr. Mashi said the automation project is part of the ITAS initiative focused on taxpayers registration using TIN in the filing and registration and returns processes, payment processing.
He said the FIRS has adequate mechanisms for proper analysis and monitoring of these initiatives to enable the agency address attendant challenges as they occur, pointing out that the success or otherwise of some of the initiatives depended on the level of cooperation by the government agencies.
“I am sure you are all aware of the introduction of the Electronic Form M by the Nigeria Customs Service and the Central Bank of Nigeria. We have also keyed into this arrangement in such a manner that transactions involving the use of e-form M cannot be processed without a valid Taxpayers Identification Number (TIN),” he said.
The chairman said that at inception the service focused on efficiency in collection, assessment and accounting, adding that while the primary mandate remained unchanged, a lot has since changed from process re engineering to process automation through its modernisation programme.
He assured participants of FIRS’ commitment to keeping its mission statement to operate a transparent and efficient tax system that optimises tax revenue collection and voluntary compliance.
The sensitisation workshop organised by the FIRS Revenue Accounting Department (RAD) featured presentations by various officials.
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Prof. Wole Soyinka

Nigerians who are old enough will surely recall the source of the above title. For others, I ought to narrate its origin. Fortunately, early this year, I delivered a lecture at the University of Ibadan, where I made a passing reference to the true owners of that copyright. Here is the relevant section:
“At the passing of a short-lived dictator, his successor decreed two weeks of mourning, two weeks during which the nation went into a coma. Even the television and radio stations closed down – nothing but martial and funereal music was played, while churches and mosques took over the abandoned airwaves to drown the nation in suras and canticles of lachrymose outpouring. A very sharp group quickly formed something that was called the National Mourners Association – clever lot!  While the nation was quarantined and bogged down in the orgy of lamentation, they were touring the world, sponsored by government, to take the gospel of anguish to every corner of the world that boasted a Nigerian diplomatic mission.”
Yes, that was at the death of General Murtala Mohammed. But now, we turn to address the latest progenies of that association, operating in a different clime and context, but cacophonously enmeshed in variations on that ancient tune.
When that day comes that individuals encounter hostility over their sensibilities in dealing with loss in their own way, privately, away from public eye, with or without symbolic public gestures, then we are witnessing the end, not simply of plain civility, but of civilization, and the enthronement of Fascism. It is not the intolerance and excess of a moment’s excitation, but of a cultivated arrogance and will to imposition, one that attempts to dictate the private responses of others to shared events. Once again we are confronted with the Nigerian phenomenon of the egregious appropriation of what is not on offer and thus, is not subject to dispute. Where frustrated, these claimants reel out chapters from their Book of Imprecations.
Let it be stated here, for the avoidance of doubt, that I am a solid believer in the collective rites of Farewell. I believe in Ritual. Humanity is often assisted to reconcile with loss in a collective, and even spectacular mode. The choice to participate or not, however, belongs to each individual, including even those who arrogate to themselves the mission of imposing on others their own preferred mode of bidding farewell. These self-righteous clerics are dangerous beings, especially where they flaunt the credentials of secular learning and gather in caucuses of presumed Humanities. From the herd, the mindless Internet fiddlers for whom the landing of a planetary probe, or a medical breakthrough is simply distraction from fraudulent internet mailing, nothing less is expected. What menaces the collective health of society is when the deserving highs of intellectual application of the former, become indistinguishable from the loutish low of the latter.
I do not pander to the expectations of the sanctimonious. I can absent myself from any event, for reasons that are personal to me. I can absent myself as the result of a mundane domestic situation, as legitimately as from a visceral rejection of occupancy of the same space, at the same time, in the same cause, with certain other participants. I may absent myself for the very reason of my disdain for that breed which is certain to cavil at the very fact of my absence. Such specimens pollute the very space they claim to honour.  Sputter and rage they may, but even the most illustrious of that ilk cannot control that choice, neither will they be permitted free passage to encroach upon, and abuse the private spaces of human responsiveness.
I shall speak to them directly: your psychological profile is commonplace. It is not the honour to Chinua that agitates you, no, it is your own self-regarding that seeks to be reflected in the homage to a departed colleague. It does not take a psycho-analyst to recognize this phenomenon of greedy acquisitiveness, even of immaterial products.  Like emotional parasites, you feed off others, but you have never learnt to value what others give, or be thereby nourished.  I recognize you, atavistic minds – was it not your  type that once disseminated an unbelievably primitive accounting for Chinua Achebe’s motor accident? Here goes the story, for those who seek light relief from ponderous unctuousness:
What happened was that I found myself unable to return to Nigeria for a Colloquium in honour of Chinua’s sixtieth birthday.  My dramatic mind immediately scrambled for some striking manner of compensation. So I telephoned a business friend who had some agricultural connections in Delta State and told him: find the chunkiest, spotless ram in Delta State – all white or all black, but a thoroughbred of striking physique. Find a leather pouch, tie it to its neck with the following message and deliver it at the venue of the Colloquium. I no longer recall the exact dictated wording, nothing inspirational, just the usual felicitations and injunctions to turn that ram into asun for general feasting.
Those who attended the event will recall the grand entry of the gift – as reported by one and all, including the foreign visitors, and Chinua’s reported reaction, seated on the podium. He shook head and said, “Typical of Wole”. The ram was then led off to meet its destiny at the hands of the gathered. (As a side note, it was I who took a gift away from his seventieth at Bard University – a sobering flash of time past that resulted in my ELEGY FOR A NATION. I had that poem re-published to mark the day of his funeral.)
Our story is only beginning. On the way back from that celebration, Chinua had his accident and was flown to the United Kingdom. At the first opportunity, I made my way there and called up the High Commissioner, Dove-Edwin, who was certain to know the hospital location. It turned out that he also planned a visit that afternoon, and he agreed to give me a ride. We waited – I was joined by two others – waited, and waited, then a phone call came from him that the visit had been called off. The High Commissioner would explain why, on arrival – over a promised dinner, as compensation.
That explanation was this: Dove-Edwin had received communication that some of “Chinua’s people” – a university professor among them, who was named – had pronounced publicly that  “Chinua should have known better than to accept a spotless ram from his enemy” – yes, that was the word used – “enemy”.  I verified this report from various other sources. Later, an alternative diagnosis surfaced: “Chinua had been too long away from the chieftaincy politics of his hometown, otherwise he would have realized that the title that he took was coveted by some others – and these were deeply steeped in traditional psychic combat”.  In short, those rivals “did him in”.  Both diagnoses competed for dominance for a while, petering out eventually.
Before the promotion of that alternative cause-and-effect however, Dove-Edwin had re-scheduled, and we had a most bracing, optimistic afternoon with Chinua. Yes, our patient was eventually told the cause of the earlier postponement, and he had a good laugh. On my return to Nigeria, I could not wait to take the opportunity of a public lecture to invite all desperate enemies to please send me their rams of choice – spotless, spotted, piebald, striped or nondescript – so I could treat starving writers to free meals in my home for the rest of the year. And I promised to taste a piece of each ram before serving.
Yes, it is that same breed that continues to sow poison in the minds of the susceptible. Alas for you, it so happens that some of us insist on our own way of commemorating, of being there, even when absent.  You, by contrast were never there, however ostentatiously you position yourselves at the event, or at vicarious gatherings to denounce, attribute sinister motivations, and inseminate hate against those whom your pedestrian vision cannot see. Your very loudness proclaims your absence. You were always absent. You will always be absent. So, this communication is not really meant for you but for those potential almajiri – whose minds you corrupt daily with your jeremiads in that accomodating madrassa known as Internet. As a teacher, I lament your failure to use the opportunity of the passing of a revered writer to turn your younger generation in enlightened directions.  You have chosen instead to coarsen their sensibilities and breed in their minds misunderstanding, suspicion and above all – hate!
You will have understood by now how I have come to view you as no different from the homicidal clerics who arm youths with kerosene and match, cudgel and knife, a few Naira in their beggars’ bowls, and dispatch them to set fire to structures of comradely cohabitation, of reflection, of mind enlargement, and destroy communities of learning. Your gospel of separatism goes beyond the geographical – in which I have not the slightest interest! – but the humanistic. The difference is in the weapon – in  your case, poison, mind corrosion. The means – Internet, and its wide open, undiscriminating generosity. That is where you lay spores of poison, and doom future generations to a confinement of human relationships within the darkest corners of the mind.
You are beyond pity. Kindly absent your selves from my funeral, when that event finally intrudes.
Wole SOYINKA
Saharareporters

Tony Uranta says these men and women are dead woods
This may include scrapping of FRSC, EFCC and ICPC.
The Executive Council of the Federation, FEC, may approve the recommendations of the Stephen Oronsaye-led presidential committee on the rationalisation and restructuring of federal ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs). Part of the recommendations was the scrapping of some parastatals, agencies and commissions; a move that has drawn mixed reactions from Nigerians and labour unions.
The Council, which began deliberations on the Committee’s White Paper last Wednesday, is expected to give its final approval or review the recommendations on Wednesday during its weekly meeting. The meeting is expected be to be presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan, who would be making a presentation seeking approval of the recommendations contained in the report.
The Oronsaye committee, which reviewed the operations of 541 federal parastatals, commissions and agencies, recommended the abolition of 38 agencies, merger of 52 and reversal of 14 others to departments in various ministries.
Some of the agencies recommended for scrapping include the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC; the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC; and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC; which the committee said were exercising same functions as some other more established agencies.
PREMIUM TIMES gathered on Tuesday that the cabinet would also consider the report on the mid-term review of the first National Implementation Plan (2010-2013) of the Nigeria Vision 20:2020 Economic Transportation Blueprint to be presented by the Minister of National Planning, Shamsudeen Usman.
The Council is also expected to deliberate on the memo to be presented by the Minister of Transport, Idris Umar, seeking the ratification of the President’s anticipatory approval for the development of the Lekki Deep Sea Port, Lagos State; and approval for the issuance of sovereign guarantee for the development of the port.
The transportation minister is also billed to present another memo seeking approval for the award of contract for the development of phase 48 port facilities at Onne Oil and Gas Free Zone Port Complex in Rivers State; while the Minister of Power, Chinedu Nebo, will ask the council to approve the award of contract for the supply of Hitachi generator special tools to Jebba Hydro Electric PLC.
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Fifty-five journalists from 21 countries fled their homes due to violence, imprisonment, and death threats in the past year,according to a new report from the Committee to Protect Journalists, CPJ.
The annual survey, marking World Refugee Day on June 20, spotlights the plight of journalists who have been forced into exile from some of the world’s most repressive nations and have received assistance from CPJ over the last 12 months.
The top countries driving out journalists were Iran and Somalia, followed by Ethiopia, Syria, and Eritrea, among others.
“Journalists all over the world are being forced from their homes to escape persecution, imprisonment and sometimes even death,” said María Salazar Ferro, CPJ Journalist Assistance Program coordinator.
“When journalists flee, their absence often weakens the besieged media community already struggling to provide insightful reporting about sensitive issues,”Ms. Ferro added.
Journalists assisted by CPJ consistently cited fear of violence as the top reason for fleeing.
The most deadly country for journalists in 2012 was Syria, where at least 28 were killed for their work, according to CPJ research. Violence was also acute in Mexico, where reporters are faced with intimidation and death threats if they do not self-censor, and in East Africa, where CPJ supported 18 exiles fleeing since May 31, 2012.
In Eritrea, Africa’s worst jailer of journalists, many who fled had been unlawfully imprisoned without charge or trial.
Journalists also face imprisonment in Iran, where authorities cracked down on freedom of speech ahead of elections.
Those who do manage to escape violence, intimidation, and jail in their home countries do not necessarily find an easier life in exile. Many are unable to secure entry visas, and it can take up to two years to register for asylum. As refugees they are often stigmatised, and can face the very same threats they fled from in the first place. Even when journalists are able to successfully build a new life in a new country, they pay a psychological toll.
CPJ added that only about one-fifth of exiled journalists are able to resume work in their field.
“Forced exile can wreck journalists’ lives, as well as the lives of their families,” Ms. Ferro said.
To help journalists reach safe destinations, regain stability, and earn a living, CPJ’s Journalist Assistance Program works with other organisations to optimize advocacy, logistic and financial support.

Prof.

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has announced 180 points as cut-off marks for admission into Nigerian Universities for the 2013/2014 academic session.

The Minister of Education, Professor Ruqayattu Rufai who announced this at the end of a policy meeting with administrators of tertiary institutions in Abuja also announced 150 marks as cut-off point for students seeking admission into polytechnics and colleges of education.

Professor Rufai says the reduction in the cut-off marks for polytechnics and colleges of education is aimed at encouraging students to seek admission into those educational institutions.

Vice Chancellors, Registrars and Administrators of Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education as well as the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board attended the policy meeting to determine cut-off marks into tertiary institutions for the 2013/2014 academic session.

The Minister of Education stressed the need for students to be encouraged to seek admission into polytechnics and colleges of education.

On his part, the Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike, advocated the complete computerisation of JAMB examinations while the Senate committee chairman on Education, Senator Uche Chukwumerije, appealed for greater funding for the examination body.
Channels

The National Bureau of Statistics released the data.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has said Nigeria’s inflation rate for the month of May on a year-on-year basis was slightly lower than the level attained in the previous month by about 0.1 per cent.
The decline represents a marginal difference from the 9.1 per cent it attained last April, an indication that the year-on-year rates continue to hold below single digits as since the beginning of the year.
The Composite Price Index (CPI), which measures the rate of inflation rate, by the NBS and approved by the Statistician General of the Federation, Yemi Kale, showed that the core sub-index continues to show a slow rise due to base effects.
The statistics agency said the year-on-year muted changes for the rest of the year in the Core Index may be sustained until the end of the year due to substantially higher price levels this time last year.
“As stated in the April 2013 CPI Report, the year-on-year changes in the Core index for the rest of the year are likely to be muted as a result of substantially higher price levels this time last year. The increase in food prices captured by the Food Sub-index are also lower year-on-year,” the agency said.
“Through the first five months of 2013, the Food Sub-index has averaged 10.0 per cent, 1.8 per cent lower than rates recorded over the same period last year.
“Relative to April, the rise in the headline index could be attributable to higher prices in all 12 COICOP divisions. Higher, prices were also reflected in the Food and Core sub-indices. All divisions (except the Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages) rose faster that levels exhibited in April. This is also reflected in the faster month-on-month rates in the Core sub index in May vis-à-vis April. On the other hand, the Food Sub-index indicates a slower rate of increase in food prices in May relative to April,” the NBS added.
Besides, the agency said the composite CPI for May increased by a faster rate than that recorded in April, as the index increased by 0.67 per cent, compared to the 0.5 per cent in April.
The Urban composite CPI was recorded at 144.5 points in May, a 9.4 per cent year-on-year change which was lower than the 9.7 per cent recorded in April. Similarly, the Rural National CPI also recorded an 8.6 per cent year-on-year change, lower than the 8.9 per cent in April by 0.3 percentage points.
The Urban All-item index increased in May by 0.6 per cent, roughly the same rate as recorded in the preceding month on a month-on-month basis, while the Rural All Items index increased from levels recorded in April by 0.5 per cent.
The statistical agency reported further that the percentage change in the average Composite CPI for the twelve-month period ending in May 2013 over the average of the CPI for the previous twelve-month period was recorded at 10.8 per cent. The corresponding 12-month year-on-year average percentage change for the Urban index was 12.6 per cent, while the corresponding Rural index was 9.5 per cent.
The Composite Food Index increased year-on-year by 9.3 per cent to 146.4 points in May, representing 0.7 percentage points lower than the 10.0 per cent recorded in April.
The NBS reported that food index increased by 0.5 per cent between April and May, as food prices continue to exhibit increases across all classes in the food sub-index largely due to dwindling supplies in face of a relatively stable demand. It attributed the increases to meats, oils and fats, and potato, yams and other tubers classes whose prices rose the highest in the month under review.
The “All items less Farm Produce” or Core index, which excludes the prices of volatile agricultural products, increased by 6.2 per cent year-on-year in May, a rate which was lower than the 6.9 per cent recorded in the preceding month by 0.7 percentage points. This indicated the third consecutive month of muted year-on-year changes in the Core sub-index due to base effects.
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Prof. Aize Obayan

Professor Aize Obayan, a former Vice Chancellor of Covenant University, Ota has been suspended from her position as director of the Education Commission of the Winners Chapel by the church’s general overseer, Bishop David Oyedepo. Ms. Obayan was suspended for reportedly altering examination results for several students in the department of Mass Communications. Among the students who benefited from the former VC’s grade alteration was Ms. Obayan’s own daughter. The former VC was accused of perpetrating the academic fraud during her tenure.

The former VC’s daughter graduated with a Second Class Upper Division in Mass Communication and is currently doing her National Youth Service Corps service. A source at the university revealed that Ms. Obayan inflated all of her daughter’s scores, otherwise the young woman would have earned a Third Class degree.


Our source added that the former VC had re-introduced make-up examination without proper authorization – and after the university’s Senate had abolished the option. “She introduced make-up exam to enable her daughter [to] retake the course she failed,” said a source.

Recently, a Dr. Omojola, a lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication, petitioned the Chancellor of the University after his first protest was suppressed by the then VC. In his protest, Mr. Omojola alleged that Nnamdi Ekeanyanwu, the acting Head of Department of Mass Communication, had engaged in extensive alteration of students’ examination results. The petition led to Mr. Ekeanyanwu’s removal as Head of Department. Dr. Stanley Ngoa replaced him, but spent only the 2011-2012 session at the helm, before the former VC reappointed Dr. Ekeanyawu to return as departmental head.

Our source indicated that, with Dr. Ekeanyanwu’s return, the fraudulent practice of grade alteration worsened in the Mass Communication Department and across other departments of the university, including Chemistry where one student’s score was raised to 45% from 5 %, an outright failure. Associate Professor Taiwo Abioye, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Administration, headed a panel appointed by the Chancellor, Professor C.K. Ayo, to investigate the case. Dr. Ekeanyanwu was summoned by the panel to defend himself on charges of altering examination scores of students, including Miss Obayan, for monetary benefits. He not only accepted his guilt for all the charges, but also confessed that he acted in collusion with the former VC, Professor Obayan.

Ms. Obayan was also invited to appear before the Abioye panel, but she reportedly offered no defense.

Pastor Faith Oyedepo, wife of Bishop Oyedepo, has taken over the duties of Ms. Obayan at the church’s secretariat. SaharaReporters learned that plans were underway to return Dr. Daniel Rotimi to the Education Commission. Mr. Rotimi was a one-time registrar of the University. SaharaReporters learned that Mr. Rotimi, who is a pastor, last year married a second wife (a former student at Covenant University) in his quest for a male child. He and his first wife had only girls. A lecturer at Covenant University told SaharaReporters that he wondered whether the university could really realize its much touted claim of raising a new generation of African leaders when top officials at the school offer examination grades for sale?
Source: SaharaReporters

CBN Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Monday reiterated its decision to change some naira notes from polymer to paper.

Mr Ugochukwu Okoroafor, Head of Corporate Communications Department of CBN, however, in Lagos said that the change would be gradual.

The Deputy Governor of CBN, Mr Tunde Lemo, on April 2013, in Washington, said there were plans to withdraw the polymer notes.

Okoroafor said that there was no fixed date for the change, but the apex bank would complete the phase-out before December 2013.

“We will print all the paper notes here in Nigeria as usual, but it is only when we have cash in hand that we will print the naira notes abroad.

“It depends on the volume the CBN intends to produce. Our hope is to print everything here in Nigeria, “ he said.

Okoroafor said that the change became necessary because of the challenges associated with the use of polymer notes.

He said that one of the challenges was the fading of the polymer notes and the high cost of printing.


Okoroafor said that in spite of the CBN’s plan to print paper notes, the bank would not relent in its effort to ensure that the cashless policy was effective.

He said that the apex bank was working with the service providers to reduce challenges that could arise from banks’network connectivity.

“We want less of cash in the system. We are encouraging people to use their payment devices such as Point of Sale (PoS) machines, phone lines and ATM cards, “ he said.
 (NAN)

Dave Kerpen, CEO, Likeable Local, NY Times Best-Selling Author & Keynote Speaker

I recently interviewed an excellent candidate for a position at our growing startup, Likeable Local. The woman had an incredible resume, an infectious personality, and, seemingly, a great work ethic. She was dressed for success, with a style fitting our culture. She answered all of my questions well, and seemed like a potential excellent fit for our company. Yet, despite all of this, she didn’t receive another interview, and I absolutely couldn’t seriously consider hiring her. What went wrong?

When I asked her what questions she had for me, the job candidate replied, “None, really. I’ve been following you guys online for awhile and feel like I know everything already.”

That was a fatal error, of course. By not asking questions, she told me she wasn’t truly interested in learning more, in creating value, and in our company. I couldn’t hire an otherwise very-well-qualified candidate because, in her lack of questions, she displayed a lack of passion for, interest in, and curiosity about our company and the position.

The most important thing you must do in every interview is to ask great questions.

The key is to ask great questions- not to ask questions that you should know the answers to already (“What does the position entail?) or questions that make it all about you (“What is your vacation policy?”)

Here are 9 great questions you can use or make your own on your next job interview. Obviously they're generic and should be tailored based on circumstances:

1) Who would make the ideal candidate for this position?

2) How will the work I’ll be doing contribute to the organization’s mission?

3) What were the best things about the last person who held this position?

4) What are three ways I can contribute to the company beyond the job description?

5) How can I best contribute to the department’s goals?

6) How do you see me best contributing to the corporate culture and morale?

7) What do you see as the biggest challenges of working here and how can I overcome those challenges?

8) What is your vision for where the company or department will be in one year? In 3-5 years?

9) How can I best help you and the team succeed?

Of course, the more research you do in advance, the more you can ask specific questions about the company’s recent news, blog posts, product launches, plans, etc. But here’s the bottom line:

Ask questions that demonstrate genuine interest in the organization and how you can fit in to their success.

Remember, also, job interviewing is a two-way-street! By asking questions, you can get a much better sense of the organization you’re interviewing at, and the extent to which you’d even want to work there.

An interview is just like a date. A date is a two way street-- where both parties are seeing if tis a right fit. The dater who talks and talks, even if they're a good match, seems disinterested in the other person. It's the same with interviewing. Show that you are invested and interested in the person, by asking questions.

When job seekers come in to Likeable not only with great answers, but with great questions, I get excited about the prospects of hiring them. And hopefully, they can get some great answers from us, and get excited about the prospects of working there as well.

Now it’s my turn to ask you some questions. What questions have you asked in job interviews? If you’re a manager, a recruiter, or in human resources, what questions do you recommend that job seekers ask? What questions shouldn’t you ask in interviews? Let me know your answers in the Comments section below, and please do share this article with your network if you think it’s helpful.

Dave Kerpen loves interviewing great candidates for his companies. Dave is the founder and CEO of Likeable Local. He is also the cofounder and Chairman of Likeable Media, and the New York Times bestselling author of Likeable Social Media and Likeable Business.