This is contained in a statement signed by Dr Ejike Ndiulo, head of Corporate Communications, Air Peace, on Wednesday in Lagos.
According to Ndiulo, the decision is necessary because NiMet is the agency responsible for issuing CNH (Current Nowcast of Hazardous Weather) reports, critical for safe landings, especially during this season of heavy rainfall and thunderstorms.
He said without these reports from the control tower, flight safety could not be guaranteed.
“As a safety-first airline, we have chosen to act responsibly by suspending operations until NiMet resumes full service.
“We understand this may cause inconvenience, and we sincerely apologise. Passengers will be contacted with updates and options for rescheduling,” he said.
The staff of NiMET on Tuesday commenced an indefinite strike over the condition of service and other demands.
News
Global Tech, Digital Giants Won’t Escape Tax in Nigeria- FG
Federal government has vowed big technology and digital companies with a significant economic presence in Nigeria, though without physical offices, won’t escape tax payments henceforth.
The government said it would rely on the provisions of the Finance Act 2019 to ensure that they no longer escape such payments.
It noted its decision was in tandem with ongoing international talks in Paris on global standard rules for governments to receive taxes from technology and digital firms with a significant economic presence in foreign countries.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo stated this during an interaction with a delegation from the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), led by Mr Adesina Adedayo, its president, at the Presidential Villa.
Osinbajo’s spokesman, Laolu Akande, made this known in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.
“While the Federal Government will not be raising tax rates at this time, based on the Finance Act 2019, it is already empowered to widen the tax net.
“This includes collecting taxes on the Nigerian income of global tech giants with a significant economic presence here, even if they have not established an office or permanent establishment, and are currently not paying taxes in Nigeria.
“In this regard, Section 4 of the Finance Act 2019, provides that the finance minister, may by order of the president, determine what constitutes the significant economic presence of a company, other than a Nigerian company.
“We have had severe economic downturns, which of course implies that we may not be able to collect taxes with the aggressiveness that would ordinarily be expected.
“I think the most important thing is that we must widen our tax net so that more people who are eligible to pay tax are paying,” Osinbajo said.
Akande siad in the statement that the vice president also noted that several efforts had been made in that regard.
“I am sure you are aware of the initiatives including the Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS), which was also an attempt to bring more people into the tax net, including those who have foreign assets.”
According to the vice president, the Federal Government has also recently taken a step with respect to a lot of the technology companies that are not represented in Nigeria, but who do huge volumes of business in the country.
He said that the Finance Act had shown that Nigeria was prepared to ensure that the big technology companies did not escape without their fair share of taxation in Nigeria.
“Many of them do incredible volumes here in Nigeria and in several other parts of the region.
“We have drawn up the regulations and we are prepared to go, and I think that we are at least in a good place to tap into some of the tax resources we can get from some of these companies.
“Besides the Federal Government, a recent Bloomberg news article reported that “Governments around the world are grappling with how to modernise their legal frameworks to account for the global reach of the digital economy, reshaping how policymakers think about issues as varied as monopoly power, taxation and workers’ rights.”
He said that international talks were currently ongoing in Paris on global standard rules for governments to receive taxes from such digital and technology firms with a significant economic presence in foreign countries.
Osinbajo gave further explanations on legal provisions for the subject matter.
“In Nigeria, according to the Finance Act 2019, a company will pay taxes if it transmits, emits or receives signals, sounds, messages, images or data of any kind by cable, radio, electromagnetic systems, or any other electronic or wireless apparatus to Nigeria.
“This in respect of any activity, including electronic commerce, application store, high-frequency trading, electronic data storage, online adverts, participative network platform, online payments and so on, to the extent that the company has significant economic presence in Nigeria and profit can be attributable to such activity.”
He said that the Federal Government had no plans to raise taxes currently in reference to arguments that tax rates were too low, comparing Nigeria to other places in the region where the rates were much higher.
“So we have had to balance all of these issues because clearly, higher tax rates can be a disincentive to businesses and investments.
“In terms of domestic resource mobilisation, we are trying to do the best we can given the present circumstances and I believe that there is room for improvement.
“Actually, under the Finance Act 2019, the Federal Government has reduced taxes for small companies – companies with less than N25 million in annual turnover are charged Zero Company Income Tax, CIT.
“Also CIT for Companies with revenues between N25 million and N100m (described in the Act as “medium-sized” companies) has been reduced from 30 percent to 20 percent.
“Besides, Nigerians making minimum wage income are not to pay tax at all,” he said.
He said that under the 2020 Finance Act, there was also an exemption of small companies from payment of education tax under the Tertiary Education Trust fund (TETFUND), meaning companies with less than N25 million turnover were eligible.
Osinbajo added there was a 50 per cent reduction in minimum tax; from 0.5 per cent to 0.25 per cent for gross turnover for financial years ending between Jan. 1, 2020, and Dec. 31, 2021.
Earlier in his remarks, Adedayo commended the leadership of the vice president in the implementation of key government interventions in the economy.
“We acknowledge your great zeal and commitment to the Nigeria project,” he said.
Adedayo said the visit became necessary given the enormous work the administration had done towards addressing the huge fiscal challenges in the polity, public financing reforms, and sustained efforts towards addressing infrastructure deficit.
Against the backdrop of Lagos State’s proactive efforts to reform its electricity sector, the Consumer Advocacy and Empowerment Foundation (CADEF) has launched its ‘Renew Energy Nigeria’ platform, a nationwide initiative with potential synergies for the state’s ambitious energy goals.
Professor Chiso Ndukwe-Okafor, CADEF’s Executive Director, introduced the platform in Lagos, highlighting its aim to empower Nigerians with information and access to decentralized renewable energy (DER) solutions. “The launch of this platform marks a significant step towards democratizing access to information and resources within Nigeria’s burgeoning sustainable energy sector.”
The platform’s launch comes as Lagos State, under the Lagos State Electricity Law, is actively establishing a regulatory framework and attracting private sector investment. Kamaldeen Abiodun-Balogun, General Manager of the LSEB, detailed the state’s progress in creating a functional electricity market, ensuring payment security, and addressing infrastructure challenges. “This law enabled us to create policy documents and establish regulatory agencies to initiate the implementation of the Lagos electricity market,” he explained, adding that private sector involvement will be key in areas where existing Discos face performance issues.
Segun Adaju, a private sector player deeply engaged in the energy sector, lauded Lagos State’s leadership. “In all these, Lagos State is always setting the pace. Many of us in the private sector players like myself, we are also looking up to Lagos State to set the pace,” he said, also mentioning his work on the Centralized Renewable Energy Desk for the state government.
While acknowledging national-level challenges such as import restrictions and forex fluctuations as noted by Professor Ndukwe-Okafor: “The recent federal plan on restrictions on the importation of solar products and the fluctuation of forex rate have made clean energy solutions costly”, the focus on Lagos State’s progress suggests a promising local environment for DER adoption, potentially amplified by CADEF’s new platform.
The broader socio-economic context, as highlighted by Olumide Ajayi, “Over 40% of Nigerians do not have access to reliable electricity”, underscored the importance of initiatives like ‘Renew Energy Nigeria’ and the enabling policies being implemented in states like Lagos.
Professor Ndukwe-Okafor concluded with a powerful call to action. “This platform is not an isolated intervention. It is aligned with our ideal country’s national vision, the 30-30-30 initiative. Let us not build a solar future that only serves the wealthy. Let us democratize clean energy. Let us make it local, inclusive, and scalable.”
The launch of “Renew Energy Nigeria” marks a significant step towards a more sustainable and equitable energy future for Nigeria, driven by innovation, collaboration, and a commitment to empowering its citizens. The platform is now live and accessible to all Nigerians seeking reliable and clean energy alternatives
A federal high court in Abuja has granted permission to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to arrest and detain six Crypto Bridge Exchange (CBEX) promoters over allegations of investment fraud to the tune of over one billion dollars.
Emeka Nwite, presiding judge, gave the order following an ex parte application moved by Fadila Yusuf, counsel to the EFCC.
In the application by the EFCC, the six suspects are Adefowora Olanipekun, Adefowora Oluwanisola, Emmanuel Uko, Seyi Oloyede, Avwerosuo Otorudo and Chukwuebuka Ehirim.
The commission sought an order of the court for a warrant of arrest of the defendants.
They also prayed the court for “an order remanding the defendants in the custody of the complainant/applicant pending the conclusion of investigation of the alleged offences and possible prosecution”.
Yusuf said that the defendants are at large and a warrant of arrest is required to arrest the defendants for proper investigation and prosecution of this case.
In the affidavit in support of the motion, the EFCC said preliminary investigation into the intel revealed that the defendants “using their company ST Technologies International Limited, promoted another company Crypto Bridge Exchange (CBEX) by making adverts and lured unsuspecting members of the public to invest crypto cryptocurrencies on the CBEX investment platform”.
The EFCC said the defendants promised an unrealistic return on investment of up to 100 percent.
“The victims were made to convert their digital assets into a stablecoin of USDT for onward deposit into the suspects’ crypto wallet,” Yusuf said.
“The victims were initially given full access to the platform to monitor their investment.
“Following the deposits valued at over $1 billion by the victims, the CBEX investment platform became inaccessible to them, and they could no longer withdraw from the investment made.
“The victims later discovered that the said scheme is a scam.
“During the course of investigation, it was discovered that the said ST Technologies International Limited, though registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), it was not registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for investment purposes.
“It was also discovered during the investigation that the defendants had moved out of their last known address in Lagos and Ogun states.”
The anti-graft agency said obtaining a warrant of arrest was necessary in order to place the defendants on a watch list, enabling authorities to trace and apprehend the suspects to face the charges brought against them.
Nwite granted the request for a warrant of arrest and remand, adding that the order was necessary to enable the commission to apprehend the defendants and conclude its investigation.
“I have listened to the submission of the learned counsel for the applicant,” Nwite said.
“I have also gone through the affidavit evidence with exhibits thereto, along with the written address.
“I am of the view and I so hold that the application is meritorious.
“Consequently, the application is granted as prayed.”
Earlier in April, reports emerged that CBEX users could no longer withdraw their funds.
On Monday, angry investors stormed and looted the office of Smart Treasure (ST Team), an affiliate of CBEX, in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The EFCC recently confirmed receiving multiple complaints about the platform.
Dele Oyewale, the commission spokesperson, assured affected investors that efforts were underway to recover their funds.
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