Category: Nigerian Tribune

Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, has disclosed that sex workers are liable to pay tax under the new reform laws recently signed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Oyedele stated this during a lecture on tax education at a Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) church in Lagos.

In a video sighted by Tribune Online, the Fiscal committee boss was explaining and giving an example on whether money paid into someone’s account as upkeep is taxable, noting that there has to be value exchange, especially services rendered, before tax payment can be applicable, citing a sex worker being liable to pay tax as long as they are rendering services.

‘If somebody is doing run girl, they go and look for men to sleep with; you know that’s a service, they will pay tax on it.’

He further explained aspects of tax law, stating that it does not care whether the service rendered is legitimate or illegitimate.

‘One thing about the tax law is, it does not separate between whether what you’re doing is legitimate or not, it just asks you whether you have an income,’ Oyedele added.

Tribune Online reports Tinubu signed four bills into law on June 26, 2025, which includes the Nigeria Tax Act, Nigeria Tax Administration Act, Nigeria Revenue Service Establishment Act, and the Joint Revenue Board Establishment Act. Together, these laws, known as the Tax Acts quartet, aim to broaden the tax base and improve compliance across federal, state, and local governments.

Earlier, Tinubu, aimed at guiding the reforms, appointed Taiwo Oyedele, Fiscal Policy Partner and Africa Tax Leader at PricewaterhouseCoopers, as chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms. The committee includes experts from both the private and public sectors.

New research has found that one inhaler containing two drugs can cut the risk of asthma attacks by almost half, giving hope to an estimated millions of families worldwide.

This new study, termed the CARE (Children’s Anti-inflammatory REliever) trial, the first randomised controlled investigation to directly compare the effectiveness of a budesonide-formoterol 2-in-1 inhaler against traditional salbutamol, revealed that this 2-in-1 inhaler is not only safe but also works for five-year-olds and younger.

The results show that using a single 2-in-1 anti-inflammatory reliever inhaler, which combines the inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) budesonide and the fast-acting bronchodilator formoterol, reduced children’s asthma attacks by an average of 45%, compared to the widely used salbutamol inhaler.

Asthma is the most prevalent long-term childhood illness, with around 113 million young people worldwide thought to be affected. The attacks can be fatal, so preventing them is as vital as alleviating them.

For decades, salbutamol inhalers have been the cornerstone of asthma symptom relief for children aged five to fifteen, despite increasingly compelling evidence supporting alternative treatments in adults. It rapidly expands the airways but doesn’t do much to stop swelling.

The CARE study was undertaken by the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand in collaboration with Imperial College London, University of Otago, Wellington, Starship Children’s Hospital, and the University of Auckland.

Researchers followed 360 New Zealand children aged between 5 and 15 years for a year. Half of them were told to take the combined budesonide-formoterol inhaler every time they experienced symptoms. The control group utilised the standard salbutamol inhaler.

Children on the combined inhaler, on average, experienced 0.23 attacks per year, while children on salbutamol experienced 0.41 attacks. Simply put, if 100 children made the change from salbutamol to the new alternative, 18 attacks would be prevented per year.

Equally as important, no other safety problems were found in the study. Side effect rates were effectively identical in both groups, and there were no differences in lung function, growth, or overall asthma control.

Researchers say the findings, published today in The Lancet, provide the evidence needed to bring children’s global asthma guidelines into line with adults’, which could benefit millions of children around the world with mild-to-moderate asthma.

Dr. Lee Hatter, first author of the study and Senior Clinical Research Fellow at Medical Research Institute of New Zealand, called the results a breakthrough.

Hatter declared: ‘For the first time, we have demonstrated that the budesonide-formoterol 2-in-1 inhaler, used as needed for relief of symptoms, can markedly prevent asthma attacks in children with mild asthma. This evidence-based treatment has the potential to lead to improved asthma outcomes in children globally.’

In a remark, Dr Andrew Bush, a senior respiratory paediatrics consultant at Imperial College London and one of the researchers behind the study, said: ‘I am thrilled that we have been able to show that an inhaler that significantly halves attacks-a breakthrough in itself for adults-is safe for children with mild asthma too. We believe this will transform the management of asthma worldwide.’

The CARE study has the potential to alter the way asthma in children is treated across the world. By proving that a single inhaler can both treat symptoms and prevent attacks, the study supports combining pediatric with adult recommendations.

A prominent gubernatorial aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State, Omooba Dotun Babayemi, has appealed to Nigerians not to lose hope on the country as it was already on the path of recovery.

According to him, the various reforms, programs and policy direction of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, were already paving the nation’s path to recovery speedily and steadily.

In his congratulatory message to the people of the nation on the 65th independence celebration, Babayemi said the efforts of Tinubu’s administration had shown that the country’s problems were not irredeemable

‘With our trajectory as a nation and given our resilience and contributions at different times and levels as a people, we have continued to move on. Though we are not where we should be, however, we are no longer where we used to be. All these go to show that our seeming chaotic situation are not insurmountable’, the notable aspirant said.

According to him, it was gladdening that Nigeria was beginning to wear a new transformative face due to the drive of President Tinubu anchored on the Renewed Hope Agenda.

‘We must commend President Tinubu for painstakingly taking Nigeria through a new phase of developmental rebirth in different sectors in the country. The result of this will no doubt, endure in the long run’ he maintained

The leading governorship contender expressed the optimism that with sustained efforts by the Tinubu’s administration at ensuring a better life for the populace, the dreary situation would soon give way.

Babayemi then pleaded with the people to continue to support the government advising that they must always give peace a chance in order to ensure the achievement of the desired tranquility and development.

‘Please, let’s always strive to seek peace; for that’s when anything meaningful can be achieved. In this strand, we must equally be law-abiding so as not to put people’s lives and property in jeopardy’ added the Prince of Gbongan.

Babayemi, while applauding the country’s founding fathers for their vision and efforts, praised past and present leaders at all levels for their contributions on the nation. He wished citizens, both at home and in Diaspora, happy and memorable celebrations.

Gunmen have abducted a commissioner serving in the Niger State Independent Electoral Commission (NISIEC), Ahmed Mohammed, his driver and former Niger State Universal Basic Education Board (NSUBEB) Chairman, Alhaji Mohammed Bawa Niworu.

The incident occurred on Monday in the early hours of the day, around the Ibbi National Park along Zugurma-Ibbi to New Bussa road in Mashegu Local Government Area of Niger State.

The victims were said to be returning from Borgu when the incident occurred, just as an unidentified passersby later spotted their vehicle parked by the roadside, while the victims’ mobile phones were left behind in the vehicle.

It was further gathered that the armed men blocked the road ahead of a police checkpoint, and after the attack along the Ibbi-Bussa road, the Police tactical team were said to have engaged and repelled the hoodlums.

A Police operative allegedly sustained a gunshot injury and was taken to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Niger State Command Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the incident, in a brief chat with journalists, saying, ‘a Police patrol vehicle was damaged with gunshots in the process, adding that they abducted some passengers along the road from about three commercial vehicles.’

According to SP Abiodun, the state police command has mobilised more tactical teams with other security agencies, and vigilante members trailing the suspected kidnappers with a view to rescuing the abducted victims and possible arrest of the fleeing hoodlums.

Also, a family member of the former NSUBEB Chairman, Niwero, also confirmed the incident, adding that the victim was kidnapped on Monday.

The source, who pleaded for anonymity during an interview with Tribune Online in a telephone conversation, said the former chairman is still in captivity.

The Niger State Government, through the Niger Food Security System and Logistics Company Limited, has signed a land lease agreement with communities in Wushishi Local Government Area, aimed at boosting rice production and strengthening food security.

The land lease agreement, signed on Tuesday at the Niger Foods office in Minna, brings together over 100 communities represented by their District Heads, Hakimis, and Village Heads, signalling strong grassroots support for the initiative.

Chairman of Niger Foods, Mr Sammy Adigun, who addressed journalists immediately after the signing, described the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) as a transformative step for both the state and Nigeria’s agricultural sector. He explained that the project targets an annual production of about 360,000 tons of rice, representing between 7 to 10 per cent of Nigeria’s total rice demand.

‘This development is not just about food production; it is a complete value chain that will create job opportunities, especially for young people. It will also drive community development through the provision of infrastructure such as roads, power supply, and schools,’ Adigun said.

He stressed that the initiative aligns with the national goal of achieving food sovereignty and enhancing agricultural capacity, while also empowering communities through employment across the value chain, from farming to factory operations.

Chairman of Wushishi Local Government, Hon. Mohammed Yelwa, commended the state government and Niger Foods for bringing the project to his constituency, pledging his support and commitment to ensuring its success.

In separate remarks, the District Heads of Akera and Zungeru assured of their communities’ readiness to cooperate fully to ensure the project’s success, describing it as a dream that would benefit not just Nigerlites but Nigeria as a whole.

The project is expected to significantly boost rice production, strengthen food security, and deliver socio-economic benefits across Niger State and beyond.

CAMEROON is heading toward its October 2025 presidential election, but what is unfolding feels less like a campaign and more like a tragic play. At the centre of this spectacle is President Paul Biya, one of the world’s longest-serving leaders, who is barely present. Instead of the man himself, his supporters display giant portraits of his face. These posters are not just unusual campaign tools; they are a shameless admission of reality. At 92, Biya is largely absent from the daily life of his nation, and his portrait has become the ultimate symbol of a government that clings to the image of power while abandoning the real work of leadership.

The sight of campaigners waving his posters through dusty streets raises more questions than answers. Where is the president? Why does he not appear before his people to share his vision for the future? The truth is an open secret. Biya spends long stretches in Geneva, Switzerland, and rarely appears in public at home. His rare appearances are tightly controlled, serving only to remind citizens of his absence. He is now the world’s oldest Head of State, and his campaign by proxy shouts the question his regime refuses to answer: if he cannot campaign, how can he govern?

This silence is no accident. The ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) treats the president’s health as a state secret, forbidding open discussion. This censorship is not about protecting Biya but about protecting the system around him. By avoiding public debate, the regime prevents any real conversation about succession. The campaign, run through sanitised social media posts and official statements, is less about engaging citizens than about instructing them to accept the status quo. In Cameroon’s tightly controlled political space, the people are expected to obey rather than be heard. The real force behind Biya’s re-election bid is fear, not hope. His inner circle, who have benefited from his 42 years in power, know that only his presence keeps their competing ambitions in check. By keeping him in office, they delay an inevitable power struggle. The portrait campaign is therefore less about the future of Cameroon and more about preserving the privileges of a small elite. For the country’s youth, who have never known another leader, it is a painful message that their future must remain on hold for the sake of an aging regime.

The cost of this long rule is visible everywhere. Important decisions are delayed, state institutions stagnate, and frustration grows among citizens who live with the consequences of an absentee president. Leadership demands presence, and Biya’s absence has crippled governance and slowed national development. Yet this campaign of portraits may also be exposing cracks in the regime’s armor. Former allies and ministers have begun to break away, and in a dramatic gesture, Biya’s own daughter, Brenda Biya, has reportedly denounced his endless hold on power on social media, urging Cameroonians to reject him. This is not the behaviour of a confident political dynasty but of one unraveling under the weight of its own excess.

For the opposition, this moment is a rare chance. If they can put aside personal rivalries and unite, they can rally citizens around a simple but powerful contrast: the choice between a living, accountable leader and the rule of a portrait. Ultimately, Cameroon must face a question it has avoided for decades: has the presidency become a lifetime throne? The endless cycle of re-election, now reduced to campaigning with posters instead of a candidate, makes a mockery of democracy. It turns the sacred act of voting into a hollow ritual.

The image of Paul Biya held high in the streets is more than a campaign tool. It is a mirror reflecting a country at a crossroads. It shows a system that has traded vitality for frailty, engagement for silence, and the future for the past. This campaign of portraits is a campaign of shame. The time for illusions is over. Cameroon must now choose reality over a picture.

Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has revealed that the controversy surrounding President Bola Tinubu’s Muslim-Muslim ticket in the 2023 election caused a division in her church and tested her Christian faith.

In her new memoir, ‘The Journey of Grace: Giving Thanks in All Things’, Mrs Tinubu described the episode as a ‘bitter pill’ that created discord in her parish of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).

The 52-page book, released to mark her 65th birthday, chronicles her journey between 2021 and 2025.

Reflecting on the Muslim-Muslim ticket, she wrote: ‘One of such decisions was the unpopular ‘Muslim-Muslim ticket’. My being a Christian did not matter. My local assembly, Redeemed Christian Church of God, was split.’

The former Lagos Central senator recalled that church opposition was not new to her. During her 2011 senatorial campaign, she said her posters were rejected by the parish.

‘I later realised that we are a church like other churches with members of all political parties in attendance. I experienced this during my campaign in 2011 for the senate, when I took my campaign posters to the church, and it was rebuffed. After that, I never tried again,’ she explained.

Mrs. Tinubu noted that while some parishioners showed hostility, many elders and members supported her with prayers, which kept her steadfast in her faith.

‘But I kept attending church, and I thank God I have grown from being a baby to a mature Christian. So the little resentment I witnessed from a few was met with the peace of God.

‘All the same, despite a few who showed hostility, many were encouraging, especially our elders, who would encourage me from time to time with prayers,’ she wrote.

She expressed gratitude to her local assembly for standing by her, adding that many of them lived to witness her husband’s inauguration as president.

‘To this end, I am grateful to God and every one of them, especially those who lived to watch the presidential inauguration when the time came. I thank the pastorate also for making arrangements for them.

‘I thank my local assembly because most of them made me feel welcome and comfortable enough to come to church whenever I was home from Abuja, where I was still serving as a senator representing Lagos central senatorial district.’

Notable personalities who have made significant contributions towards the development of democratic governance are set to be conferred with awards of recognition at the 2025 edition of the Democracy Heroes Award Africa.

Organised by the Face of Democracy Nigeria projects (FDN projects), among those expected to be honoured include FCT Minister, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, members of the Nigerian Senate, Sani Musa, Opeyemi Bamidele, President of Botswana, Duma Gideon Boko, former Nigerian President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, Governors of Borno, Cross River, Ondo, Oyo, and Katsina.

Others include the governors of Delta, Ebonyi, Kaduna, Kebbi, and other notable individuals from the political, business, and entertainment world.

With the theme, ‘Legacy of leadership: Powering Africa’s future’, Democracy Heroes Award Africa 2025 will hold on the 16th of October at Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.

Democracy Heroes Award recognises political leaders for their contributions in deepening the culture of democracy in the country through impactful projects.

It also recognizes entrepreneurs, businesspeople, and entertainers whose contributions have helped in entrenching stability through job creation, youth empowerment, and poverty alleviation measures.

The Project Director FDN, Olufunsho Ajagbonna, while congratulating winners of the awards, said the organization will continue to encourage excellent performance by recognising those who have distinguished themselves in serving the people.

The Owa Obokun Adimula and paramount ruler of Ijesaland, Oba Clement Adesuyi Haastrup, Ajimoko III, has announced the removal of Chief Busuyi Gbadamosi, as the Oba-Odo of Ilesa.

The Owa, in a statement signed by Chief Shola Oshunkeye, for the palace, explained that the decision to remove Chief Gbadamosi was informed by his alleged ‘unlawful removal of two electric transformers, 300KVA and 500KVA respectively, from the post office in Atakumosa market, IKEA, sometimes in 2023.’

The statement further recalled that the previous Owa Obokun of Ijesaland, Oba Dr. Gabriel Adekunle Aromolaran II, had rebuked Chief Busuyi Gbadamosi for carting away the two transformers without his permission and that of the affected communities, namely: Araromi, Adeti, palace and Odo Osunmu, which the two electrical equipment served.

It explained that all efforts, made by the previous Owa, to ensure that Chief Gbadamosi returned the transformers were thwarted.

‘Consequent upon the installation and coronation of the current Owa Obokun, a Committee on Resolution of Chieftaincy Disputes, Land and Sundry Matters was set up.

‘Among the petitions received by the committee was one written and submitted by members of the above-mentioned communities against Chief Gbadamosi, accusing him of illegally and unlawfully removing the said transformers. Consequently, Chief Gbadamosi was invited to appear before the committee to state his side of the story and explain the whereabouts of the two transformers,’ the palace stated.

During the committee’s sitting, the Iyaloja of Atakumosa market, Chief (Mrs.) Awe and the youth leader of Araromi community was said to have given evidence against him, narrating to the committee how Chief Gbadamosi had sent two emissaries to her, asking her to append her signature to a document confirming the sale of the two transformers and that, in return, he would give her #750,000.00 (Seven hundred and fifty thousand naira only) from the proceeds of the sale. But Mrs. Awe was said to have rejected the offer and declined to sign the documents.

When questioned, Chief Gbadamosi was said to have confessed selling one of the two transformers, specifically the one of 300KVA, for N120,000, adding that he used the proceed to transport the second transformer (500KVA ) to Ibadan, Oyo State, for repairs.

Chief Gbadamosi was said to have been given 30 days within which to retrieve the two transformers and return them to where they were previously installed at the post office, but failed to retrieve and return the transformers.

The Umo Eno-led administration in Akwa Ibom State has launched a N100 million Creative Industry Fund to boost the state’s entertainment and film sector, in a fresh push to empower young people and expand opportunities under his ARISE Agenda.

The fund, announced during the Ibom Entertainers Week in Uyo, is targeted at building capacity, supporting practitioners, and positioning Akwa Ibom as a creative hub in Nigeria.

Briefing newsmen on Tuesday, Commissioner for Information, Hon. Aniekan Umanah, said the initiative was one of the administration’s most significant interventions in September 2025.

‘This is not just about entertainment, it is about building an economy around the talents of our young people, giving them the tools to compete nationally and globally,’ he stressed.

The Commissioner also highlighted the inauguration of the fourth batch of the Ibom-LED Entrepreneur Accelerator Programme and the continued distribution of ARISE food packages across the 31 local government areas.

‘In just one month, more than 10,000 youths and SMEs have benefitted from training and empowerment schemes,’ he said. ‘Our governor is deliberate in creating jobs and giving hope to young people.’

On infrastructure, Umanah noted that over 771 kilometres of roads and 31 bridges are at various stages of completion, while Ibom Air has acquired four new aircraft, with work ongoing at the new Terminal Building and MRO facility at Victor Attah International Airport.

Workers’ welfare, he said, has remained a top priority. ‘Over ?78 billion has been paid in pensions and gratuities. Teachers have received N1.2 billion in wardrobe allowance. We have implemented the ?80,000 minimum wage, introduced a 13th-month salary, and approved the recruitment of 4,000 new workers,’ Umanah declared.

On social welfare, he revealed that more than 500,000 vulnerable households have benefitted from interventions, while in housing, 267 Compassionate Homes have been delivered, with 150 free houses for public servants already underway.

The health sector has equally recorded progress with the expansion of health centres, an emergency ambulance service, a medical oxygen plant, and the ongoing construction of a 350-bed International Hospital.

To secure lives and property, the governor launched the State Security Trust Fund, recruited 4,500 community watch personnel, and established a Ministry of Internal Security and Waterways. ‘We are reinforcing Akwa Ibom’s status as one of the safest states in Nigeria,’ Umanah added.

In tourism, projects such as the ARISE Resort, Ibom International Convention Centre, ARISE Shopping City, and a 2,000-capacity amphitheatre are ongoing. The ecological remediation of 70 hectares of gullies has also commenced.

The governor also partnered with FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to commission 17.33 km of roads in Ika Local Government Area, while presenting new vehicles to all former deputy governors of the state.

Sports development received a boost with the successful return of the Ibom Sports Festival after 14 years, alongside the revival of inter-house sports and the Governor’s Cup, and plans for a Sports Academy.

Summing up, Umanah said: ‘These achievements are not happenstance. They are the deliberate outcomes of a governance strategy anchored on the ARISE Agenda. Akwa Ibom is on a steady path of growth, innovation, and transformation under Governor Umo Eno.’