NIGERIAN LADIES AND BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS.

Talking of the average Nigerian girl who resides in Nigeria.
Sometimes i just feel irritated when they say some awkward
things.
I am not an exceptional person (at least no one has ever said i
am) but there are just somethings ladies ought to say like people
with common sense. It wont cost anyone anything to give a
thought to something before talking. Just a little thinking wont
hurt.
1 Nigerian men are the best : Okay i know being
loyal is a good thing and al' . I actually love people who are
faithful and protective. However there is a thin line btw loyalty
and common sense.
Apart from the fact that we appear more loyal than our male
counterparts, i dont see how saying they are the best changes
anything. It just makes you look kinda dumb to converse with
since you clearly dont know when to use common superlatives.
2, Like really? Oh pls say something different for once.
3, I will make my hair very soon She has been
carrying her natural God given hair for a while but she still
feels a need to explain to every1 why she has not rocked an
artificial one yet.
O dear, just go and wear a weave and stop throwing ur
insecurity on people's faces
.
A lady can rock her natural hair and still look classic and do as
many styles as she wants. Why is hers making her feel sick?
eeewww.
4, You are shining, which cream are you
using? 90% of the time she means which lightening cream are
you using.
Dear girl, not every girl with a fair skin uses "cream"
Even if she is using one, not everyone is ready to disclose their
"beauty enhancement" products to anyone. Lol
5, You have pointed nose, you are so lucky
And she is so unlucky with her button nose!
6, I like my men tall, dark and handsome Can
you just stop parroting that 1800s ideal male look that you know
nothing about and come up with something original?
7, Wow you are a black beauty She says this when
she sees a stunning girl with dark skin.
Sweetheart that girl knows she is black, she has seen herself all
her life as a black girl. Why do u feel she has to be reminded
of her blackness everytime you throw her a compliment. *rolls
eyes*
8, Why do you act this way It is called
"individualism" Everyone must not act the same or love the same
things. We are not all born to follow a status quo. Its very
easy to wrap around the head but she wont because she does not
want to embrace the complexities of life.


written by; Uchechukwu Vitalis.

Do NOT Marry Someone Until You Can Honestly Answer These 20 Questions.

About to say "I do"? Our friends at YourTango share the questions you should be able to answer honestly before you make it to the altar.





You *must* have these internal conversations before walking down the aisle.
Maybe you've been together a while and are considering taking a big step, or perhaps you just started seeing one another and aren't sure if you should stay the course.
Whatever your situation, a check-in is never a bad thing. Read on for 20 tough questions to ask about your relationships before moving forward.


1. Is for better or worse making me better or worse?
Does your partner encourage you to be your best self, or does he or she get intimidated by any triumphs and feel more secure when you're not putting your best foot forward?


2. Do we really accept one another?
There will always be things you want to change about the people in your life, but no one should be in a situation where they feel they aren't allowed to be authentic and accepted as the unique, special (yet flawed) person they are.


3. Who am I?
How can you know if your partner is a good match if you have no idea who you are?


4. Am I happy to be in this relationship?
The idea of sharing a life together is not to find someone to complete you or make you happy. But let's face it: being unhappy at home can seep into other areas of your life . . . and fast. If you're always fighting or just generally not feeling great about your twosome, it doesn't mean you have to bail out (counseling might be a good option) but marrying someone in the hope that it changes things is a bad, bad idea.


5. Am I feeling trapped?
Do you really want to be in this relationship the majority of the time or do you find yourself wishing for a way out? Do you stay because you've invested time or are you really invested in your mate?


6. What am I doing to hold us back?
Maybe you could be more attentive, more thoughtful, quicker to let things go, or the first to bring up going to counseling. Whatever it is, take this as your sign to step up.


7. Is this relationship balanced?
Do you feel you're both on the same page in terms of compromise, care, support and sacrifice? Or is one of you doing most of the giving while the other just sits with their hand out?


8. Can we have fun together?
Have you ever seen two people sit across from one another in silence at brunch as though they are being forced to walk through their day together? Not. fun.


9. Can we have fun apart?
Co-dependency ain't cute, y'all.


10. Why am I in this relationship?
Is it because you respect, love, trust, and value the person you are with? Or because you're afraid of being alone, worried about finances, or have built a life you're scared to leave?

Related Stories:
Spice Up Your Relationship With This 30-Day Challenge

 

 

11. Where is this going?
Living in the "now" is great, but eventually the partnership will need a plan or someone will begin to feel anxious.


12. Do I really trust my partner?
For some, the immediate response to this can be devastating. If you're one of them, it's time to ask why and how you can begin to build or rebuild trust. Without it, there's no chance.


13. Am I with a good person?
Knowing what you know about your partner today, would you vouch for them if they were a friend?


14. Am I attracted to my partner?
Physical attraction is hardly the most important component in a relationship, but forcing yourself to be in a relationship with someone who you're not attracted to — just because it's comfortable or "perfect on paper" isn't fair to anyone. You will feel resentful and they will feel rejected.


15. Am I a parent or a partner?
Taking care of someone you love is a great thing to do, but when you feel like you're raising a boyfriend — or worse, a husband — things get a little complicated. You'll resent his childish ways. Who wants to sleep with their mom?


16. Does my partner have my back?
Do you feel like you're a part of a loyal team who stands up for one another, supports one another, and shows a united front (even when the other is not around)? Or, do you feel like you're constantly being thrown under the bus by your mate?


17. Are we looking in the same direction?
Some couples avoid having the big talks (religion, marriage, babies) because they think that, somehow, these things will just "work themselves out." By the time they realize they won't, they're in a complicated, painful situation that leaves one (or both) feeling a little bit duped.


18. Are we growing together?
Being a human being living on this earth, we all have a right to grow and develop, and create a full life for ourselves. Are you and your partner still indulging in your passions (individual and shared) and growing as individuals?


19. Am I still me?
Being in love with someone should not require changing our identity to fit someone else's idea of who we should be, on any level.


20. What is my gut telling me?
You have intuition for a reason. Listen to yourself.


by:  Brenda Della Casa

7 Unexpected Signs You're a Lot More Successful Than You Think.

Once in a while, you need to stop and smell your roses: Not only is it good for you, it will motivate you to plant even more.

By Jeff Haden

Contributing editor, Inc.
If you compare yourself to certain people it's easy to feel you're unsuccessful. If you're an entrepreneur and you compare yourself to Richard Branson, you lose. If you're a musician and you compare yourself to Taylor Swift (especially if the point of comparison is earnings), you lose. If your goal is to change the world and you compare yourself to Steve...you lose.
That's the problem with comparisons. No matter how successful you feel, there will always be someone who is more successful. There will always someone better, or smarter, or wealthier, or seemingly more happy.
So let's stop comparing and just focus on you. Here are a few signs that you're more successful than you might think--and, in all likelihood, happier too:


1. You have enough money that you can make positive choices.
Many people live paycheck to paycheck. Worse, many have to decide between necessities. (My wife just mentioned the other day how once upon a time she had to decide between filling a prescription for an antibiotic or putting gas in her car.)
If you make enough money, and don't spend so much money, that you can make positive choices about what to do with some of it--whether it's investing, or taking a vacation, or taking classes...anything you want to do instead of have to do--then you're successful, both because you've escaped the paycheck-to-paycheck grind and because you can leverage that extra money to become even more successful.


2. You have close friends.
Close friendship are increasingly rare; one study found that the number of friends respondents felt they could discuss important matters with has dropped from an average of 2.94 to 2.08 in the last 20 years. (So much for the power of social media.)
If you have more than two or three close friends, be glad, not only for the social connection but also because the positive effect of relationships on your life span is double what you get from exercising and just as powerful as quitting smoking.
And where professional relationships are concerned...


3. You choose the people around you.
Some people have employees who drive them nuts. Some people have customers who are obnoxious. Some people have casual acquaintances who are selfish, all-about-me jerks.
Guess what: They chose those people. Those people are in their professional or personal lives because they let them remain.
Successful people attract successful people. Hardworking people attract hardworking people. Kind people associate with kind people. Great employees want to work for great bosses.
If the people around you are people you want to be around you...you're successful. (And if they're not, it's time to start making some changes.)


4. You see failure as training.
Failure sucks, but it's also the best way to learn and grow. There will always be trials, challenges, and obstacles--but perseverance always wins in the end.
Every successful person has failed, numerous times. (Most of them have failed a lot more often than you. That's why they're so successful now.)
If you embrace every failure--if you own it, learn from it, and take full responsibility for making sure that next time things will turn out differently--then you're already successful.
And in time, you'll be even more successful, because you'll never stop trying to be better than you are today.


5. You don't ask for anything.
We've all experienced this moment: We're having a great conversation, we're finding things in common...and then, boom: The other person plays the "I need something" card.
And everything about the interaction changes.
What once appeared friendly has turned needy, almost grasping...and, if you're like me, you feel guilty if you decide you don't want to help.
 People who feel successful aren't needy. They accept help if offered, but they don't feel the need to ask. In fact, they focus on what they can do for other people.


6. You let others grab the spotlight.
OK, maybe you did do all the work. Maybe you did move mountains. Maybe you did kick ass and take names.
If you aren't looking for praise or accolades, that means you're successful. That means you feel proud on the inside, where it counts. You don't need the glory; you know what you've achieved.
If you enjoy the validation of others but don't need the validation of others, you're successful.
And you know it...even if you don't show it.


7. You have a purpose.
Successful people have a purpose. As a result, they're excited, dedicated, passionate, and fearless.
And they share their passions with others.
If you're found a purpose--if you've found something that inspires you, fuels you, makes you excited to get up, get out, and achieve--then you're successful, regardless of how much money you make or what other people think.
Why? Because you're living life your way--and that's the best sign of success there is.

YOU ARE LOT MORE SUCCESSFUL THANK YOU THINK...

 

6 Things You Should Unlearn to Succeed at Work

Life has a way of instilling lessons in us that don't always apply in every context. That's especially true when it comes to work: You may have habits or ways of thinking that served you well in school or beyond, but which will actually hold you back in your professional life. Here are six of the most common things you may need to unlearn in order to succeed at work.

 1. Thinking that being thorough is always better. You might assume that of course your boss wants to know every detail about the situation you're emailing her about -- being thorough is good, right? -- but in most cases, most managers just want the upshot. You'll generally do better if you focus on high-level takeaways and save background and details for when and if they're specifically requested, especially when you're communicating in email. That can be a hard lesson to learn if you're naturally thorough -- but remember that it's not that your boss doesn't want you to be thorough. Rather, it's that she trusts you to gather the details and then curate the most important points for her.

 2. Figuring that guessing at an answer is better than nothing. Sometimes when people feel put on the spot by a question from a colleague or boss, they respond by giving their best guess. That can be fine if you're upfront about the fact that it's a guess. But if you present your guess as a certainty, it can be disastrous since people may act on the potentially wrong information you've provided. Instead, it's far better to acknowledge when you don't know something, and say that you'll find out and come back with the answer.

 3. Thinking that appearing impartial will make you more credible. People often assume that appearing impartial and perfectly objective will make them come across as more credible, but in fact the opposite can be true. Your boss knows that you have biases because you're human and we all have biases and agendas, and making a point of disclosing those conveys that you're being open and transparent. For example, if you're recommending that your department purchase a new software, it's fine to say, "I have a bias in favor of this software because it will make my life significantly easier, although I know that not everyone will like it as much as I do." Or if you're sharing concerns with your boss about someone you manage, you might say, "I want to be transparent that Jane really gets under my skin at times, and it's possible that's influencing my take on this situation." Good bosses will appreciate the full disclosure.

 4. Assuming it's normal to not get along with co-workers. Whether or not you like every co-worker or enjoy working with them, part of what you're being paid for is to be pleasant and polite to people and to maintain decent relationships with them. That doesn't mean that you need to be friends with everyone at work, but it does mean that you need to be cordial and not take out a bad day, a bad mood or a personal dislike on the people you work with.

 5. Thinking it's OK to show that criticism gets you down. Another thing you're being paid for is to take feedback with reasonably good grace. Part of having a job and a boss is that your boss may sometimes point out weaker areas of your work and ask you to do things differently (or simply better). An unspoken part of your employment agreement is that you'll listen with an open mind and not get defensive or angry or shut down.

 6. Figuring that perfect is always better than good. Conscientious employees tend to think that "perfect" work is always better than "good enough" work, but very often the opposite is true. Often the time that it would take to perfect a project means that other work will get short shrift, and in many cases getting something done quickly is more important than making it flawless. If you struggle with perfectionism, it can be useful to ask your manager whether she actually cares about the details you're spending hours to perfect; you might find that she doesn't.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO NIGERIA'S BEST GOAL KEEPER.

On August 29, Vincent Enyeama celebrates his 34th birthday. Goal takes a look his glittering career in images. It all started as a youngster at Aba. By: Shina Oludare

vincent eyeama and lionel messi

Image credit: GettyImages

Buhari assures world leaders of full rehabilitation of Boko Haram Victims ON AUGUST 27, 2016 1:46 PM

By Levinus Nwabughiogu
Nairobi- President has assured the world that his government would ensure full rehabilitation and resettlement of the victims of the Boko Haram insurgents in the north east who are currently scattered in different camps as Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs.

This was even as he expressed special appreciation to the government of Japan for its contribution of 800 million Dollars to the fight against malaria, tuberculosis among other deadly diseases in Nigeria.
President Buhari participates at the Opening Session of the 6th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI) in Nairobi Kenya
The contribution was part of the 1.3 billion Dollars made available to the Nigerian Health Sector by the Global Fund.

Both the assurance and the pledge were contained in the speech delivered by the President at the opening ceremony of the sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI) in Nairobi, Kenya on Saturday.

The 2-day summit which featured the theme ‘‘Advancing Africa’s Sustainable Development Agenda-TICAD Partnership for Prosperity”, attracted the presence of Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe, some 35 African leaders and chief executives of at least 80 major companies from Japan.

The TICAD VI agenda and programme was specifically focused on the three thematic areas which included “Economic transformation through diversification and industrialization; promoting resilient health systems for quality life; promoting social stability for shared prosperity.

Welfare of IDPs, my priority-Buhari

President Buhari who told the world leaders that the insurgents had been decimated however remarked that the welfare of the IDPs whom he said were about 2 million was his responsibility and would ensure it was done.

Acknowledging Japanese assistance through UNICEF in the rehabilitation of the victims of Boko Haram, the President commended development partners for their work geared towards improving the lives of some 2 million IDPs in the country.

“The bottom line is that these problems are our primary responsibility. We must tackle them and find lasting solutions for ourselves.

”I took over the mantle of leadership in Nigeria when the North-Eastern part of the country was being ravaged by Boko Haram.

”However, soon after assumption of office, our administration with the support of our immediate neighbours — Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Benin- and international partners including Japan, faced the challenge frontally.

”As I speak, the terror group has been decimated and life is beginning to return to normal in the affected region. The challenge we currently face which is also being addressed, is that of the IDPs which number over two million to get them re-integrated with their families and their original homes,’’ he said.

On the gains of TICAD which was holding on African soil for the first time since its beginning in 1993, the President noted that partnerships between Africa and Japan would help create and improve investment opportunities in industries, agriculture, information technology, science and technology among others for the good of the continent and investors from Japan.

He told the conference that already his government had taken concrete steps to diversify the economy.

”In view of the challenges Africa is facing, the imperative for a viable partnership like the Tokyo International Conference on African Development cannot be over emphasized.

”Today, many countries in Africa including the oil producing ones are wisely seeking to diversify their economies away from mono-cropping.

”In Nigeria, our Administration has already taken concrete steps to diversify the economy by making agriculture not just a development programme but a thriving business.

”Investing in the economies of this continent especially through Public-Private-Partnership can contribute to building capacity for our economies,” he said.

Terrorism dismembering Africa

In his welcome address earlier, President of Kenya, Mr. Uhuru Kenyatta said that the world must be supportive of African aspiration.

He also said that the challenge of terrorism was dismembering African countries.

He said: “I am happy that TICAD will be held every 3 years.

“Together we must ensure that global trade is supportive of african aspiration. We must press for open and fair trade for the development of human resource for our people.

“Terrorism in particular is threatening or even dismembering some states. Organizations practicing this illicit and savage form of violence are spreading themselves throughout the world.

“We must also ensure that global governing system response is robust to Africa security as it does to other parts of the world”.

Japan to invest $30 billion in Africa-PM Abe

Also speaking at the Summit, the Japanese Prime Miniter, Abe in his remarks announced that Japan would be investing $30 billion in different areas ranging from agriculture, industrialization, health, energy, water among other things in Africa.

He expressed pleasure that finally TICAD has come to Africa.

He said: “With 23 years behind us, TICAD is now on African soil, opening a new chapter in the relationship between Japan and African countries.

“Throughout the continent, I cannot but think that we are witnessing a “quantum leap.”

“Today, Africa has leapfrogged over legacy technologies and aims at cutting-edge quality.
It is little wonder that an increasing number of young people from Japan find Africa intriguing and want to be a part of it.

“For a period of three years from 2016 to 2018, Japan will invest for the future of Africa through implementating measures centering on developing quality infrastructure, building resilient health system and laying the foundation for peace and stability, amounting to approximately USD 30 billion under public-private partnership.”

Under Economic Diversification and Industrialization, Abe recalled that one of the Priority areas in the Nairobi Declaration of TICAD VI was that “Japan will steadily translate into action in Africa the outcomes of the G7 Ise-Shima Summit”.

The Prime Minister also hinted that that under Human Resources Development, “Japan will provide training to 1,000 people to promote public awareness for intellectual prosperity in Africa”, addint that “Japan will promote practical training for youths engaged in the IT industry which is expected to grow in Africa under the collaboration among industrial, public and academic sectors”.

Abe also stated that “Japan will aim by 2020 to have agreements related to investments signed or entered into force in 100 countries and regions and will intensify work towards concluding them with African countries to achieve the goal above”.

While regretting that Africa has no permanent membership at the United Nations Security Council despite huge potentials and contributions the continent has made to the world, the Prime Minister said that Agenda 2063 was aimed at rectifying the problems by 2023.

He said: “Africa is now off and running, aiming at long-range goals, aspiring to be a certain kind of continent with certain kinds of countries in 2063

“Agenda 2063 — the grandness of this concept, to the best of my knowledge, is simply unparalleled.

“However, the enormous continent of Africa has given no permanent member to the United Nations Security Council. Agenda 2063 states clearly that by 2023, it will rectify this situation. Please accept my complete support on this point.

“You in Africa have a right as a matter of course to demand that the international community better reflect your views. Africa should send a permanent member to the United Nations Security Council by 2023 at the very latest.

Reform of the United Nations Security Council is truly a goal that Japan and Africa hold in common. I call on everyone here to walk together towards achieving it. Can I have your approval of that?”

Invest massively in Africa-AU tells Japan

Similarly, the Chadian President and Chairman of African Union, dris Derby in his remarks called the attention of the world to the challenge of terrorism in Africa, urging that African Fund against Terrorism, AFT be established.

He called for massive Japanese investments in Africa, urging that to contribute

“AU is happy to be part of TICAD and will play its role. I plead in favour of massive japanese investments in Africa agriculture, industrialization, health, energy, water etc

“The trend of terrorism compromises…to contribute to african fund against terrorism as was established”, he said.

While making her opening remarks earlier, the Cabinet Secretary, Foreign Affairs, Kenya said that the conference “brings together regional and international organizations”

In his goodwill meassgae, President of World Bank Group, Dr. Jim Yong Kim said that the world must stop the illicit flow of stolen funds, recognizing that Africa though faced with numerous challenges still had opportunities in energy.

“African countries face key economic challenges, yet there are significant opportunities especially in energy. There are untapped resources. We must stop illicit financial flows”, he said.

Meanwhile, a draft declaration seeking to combat the growing threats of terrorism, conflicts and violent radicalism through the promotion of education and job creation would be adopted at the end of the summit.

SOURCE: Vanguard

GSM tax: Labour, CLOs fume, threaten showdown

 

Labour movements and civil rights organisations are on a collision course with the President Muhammadu Buhari administration over the proposed communication tax.
Groups, including the Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress, Civil Liberty Organisations, in separate interviews with Saturday PUNCH in Abuja on Friday, vowed to shoot down the GSM bill.
The bill, which has been submitted to the National Assembly by the Ministry of Communications, will empower the Federal Government to impose nine per cent taxation on all calls, texts and data packages if passed into law.
The General Secretary of the NLC, Dr. Peter Ozo-Eson, described the planned telecommunications bill as a bad policy with potential to deepen poverty in the society.

“If they go ahead with it, we will also, through the National Assembly public hearing, before passage into law, make our input to it, by submitting a memorandum,” he said.
Ozo-Eson said that the tax was regressive as it would have more adverse effects on the poor than the rich.
He said that the poorest segment of the society needed telecommunication to run their lives and their small businesses.
Ozo-Eson stressed that while the NLC believed that the Federal Government should come up with taxation to raise revenue, the burden should not be on the poor.
He said, “We believe it is a bad policy, it will visit more hardship on Nigerians by the very nature of the tax, it is a regressive tax because even the poorest require communication to run their lives.
“Even the small traders depend of communication via GSM to be able to transact their businesses and therefore the tax that is imposed across board is regressive.
“And the burden is higher on the poor. While we agree that the government should design taxes that should raise revenue, we believe that progressive taxation would be the best way to do that.”
He urged Buhari’s administration to focus on the rich in the drive to regenerate revenue through taxation.
He said, “We always insist that you must do a tax system that does not put unnecessary burden on the poor. We need a tax system that is progressive, not regressive.
“When you have a tax system that is regressive, it means you are placing undue burden on the poor in the society. A progressive tax system gives relief to those at the very bottom of the income ladder so that they are not taxed, or are even placed on minimal taxation. That is how other societies function.
“And then, of course progressively, you tax those that are more capable, and who have more income and more wealth. This is what we think Mr. President must strive to put in place, to target the rich and the wealthy.”
Ozo-Eson, who also commented on the claim by the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi, that the current administration had created millionaires through the sale of foreign exchange, urged the monarch to provide more facts on the issue.

The Trade Union Congress also condemned planned tax
The group, in a statement by its President and Acting Secretary-General, Messrs. Bala Kaigama and Simeso Amachree respectively, wondered how the government  would expect workers in a country with a minimum wage of N18,000 to pay such a tax in the face of aggravated economic difficulties.
They said that the policy, which according to them, was designed to exploit the impoverished masses, would discourage investments and cause job losses.
The unionists warned the Federal Government to suspend the bill as the masses expected to cough out the tax were already over-burdened with multiple taxation.
Kaigama and Amachree said that it did not make economic sense to initiate policies that could stifle businesses and worsen the woes of the citizens.
The TUC leaders faulted the claim of the Minister of Communications, Chief Adebayo Shittu, that the country could earn as much as N20bn monthly from the passage of the proposed bill, and could help to alleviate the economic challenges facing the country and fund budget deficit.
Also, the President of Civil Liberties Organisation, Igho Akeregha, said the planned GSM tax by the Federal Government would amount to excessive oppression of Nigerians who had been severely burdened by the government’s “warped economic policies.”
According to him, it is either the All Progressives Congress does not articulate a sustainable political and economic development plan for the country or President Muhammadu Buhari is insensitive and bereft of ideas on how to govern.
Akeregha said, “The CLO shall resist the obnoxious and tyrannical plan to further impoverish Nigerians by way of foisting devious tax on them. We have a great tradition in the CLO of standing with the people and defending their rights when the need arises.
“The CLO will definitely join forces with our allies in labour and the CSO’s to resist the GSM tax which clearly is an extortionist agenda. Enough is enough of this undemocratic assault on Nigerians.”
Akeregha said although the CLO had deliberately refrained from joining issues with the current administration, it had become irrational to be silent in the face of the unprecedented suffering that Nigerians were going through.
He asked, “How can any sane person propose a bill to tax Nigerians for use of GSM when the people are already too poor to feed themselves? This idea is criminal as it seeks to abort and significantly infringe on the rights of citizens to freely receive and impart information as provided and guaranteed in the constitution.
“Already, Nigerians are paying so much for the use of GSM as all kinds of taxes and levies are hidden in recharge cards while the network providers rip citizens off through unsolicited network services amid poor quality service.
“It’s only in Nigeria that citizens have remained docile and complacent while being daily subjected to inhuman and degrading policies by the same government they elected to govern them. It is the inalienable right of all Nigerians irrespective of status, creed or tribe to enjoy democracy dividends.”
On his part, the Board Chairman, International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law, Emeka Umeagbalasi, said that Nigerians were already over-burdened.
He said, “People are passing through challenges in the hands of the Buhari administration. Nigeria under him has already graduated into a jungle. Big businessmen and importers of consumable goods have shut down their importation businesses and are divesting outside the country. Exchange rates are acutely unsteady, unavailable and unaffordable.
“Even if you are able to source for foreign currencies locally, then how will you remit them to your foreign business partners or factories? The worse is that 95 per cent of imported items in Nigeria cannot be manufactured locally.  Recent media reports have it that 272 major industries have shut down their industries in Nigeria and relocated beyond the shores of the country and 180,000 jobs lost in the process.
“Imposition of GSM tax on consumers or network users will have no meaningful effect on the embattled economy. It will go the same negative way of payment of the forceful lodgment duty of N50.00 imposed on every cash deposit and the Treasury Single Account; yet nothing meaningful has happened.”
Umeagbalasi said that the economy would only thrive where government’s credibility among its people was positive.
He stated, “Unless Buhari’s administration reverses itself in all the areas of its governance blunders, the country will continue to rigmarole in intractable absurdities and confusions.
“We totally oppose any form of the so-called GSM tax. Nigerians are already over-taxed, yet nothing to show for it. This is eight months into the 2016 fiscal year, still Nigerians are yet to feel any positive impact of public governance except mass hunger and poverty, falsehood, deceit, propaganda, violence and bloodletting. It  saddens our heart!”
Faulting the proposed tax, a constitutional lawyer and Chairman, Egalitarian Mission for Africa, Dr. Olukayode Ajulo,  said the proposed bill   was  absolutely anti-people and a sure way of “killing” the telecommunications industry in Nigeria.
He added, “The bill, if passed into law, will be impracticable due to the social, political and legal irregularities imbedded therein that would embarrass the government of President Buhari. Politically, almost 110 million people in Nigeria have access to mobile services that is about two-thirds of Nigeria’s population. With two-third of the population without a mobile connection, you can imagine the consequence.”
On what the group will do, he said, “We are playing down the option of street protests as we believe that once premium is given to superior arguments at the National Assembly  public hearing on the proposed bill, the bill will find its rightful place in the dustbin of history.”
Shittu, had at a private sector dialogue session organised by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Lagos last week, said that the planned tax, which had passed first reading in both chambers of the National Assembly, would help the Federal Government develop the ICT sector and implement its policies and plans in an integrated manner.
According to him, the country will earn as much as N20bn monthly if the bill is passed into law.
In his reaction, Special Assistant, Media,  to the Minister of Communications, said, Mr. Victor Oluwadamilare, said, “The bill in the National Assembly is not an executive bill; it is a private member bill.
“What the minister has told those against the bill is to aggregate their views and present them to the National Assembly.
“The government is doing its best to address the recession in the country. If there is no money to run the government, the government can look into all the sectors.
“There is need for all stakeholders to get involved and address their positions to the National Assembly.”


SOURCE: The punch.