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ABDULSALAMI ABUBAKAR URGES TRADIONAL, RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS TO PROMOTE COUNTRY’S UNITY
…AS AJIMOBI FORMALLY DECLARES TO CONTEST OYO SOUTH SENATORIAL ELECTION
A former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, has urged traditional and religious institutions to be in the vanguard of issues capable of advancing the course of inter-ethnic and religious harmony across the country.
He made the call while delivering the maiden General Abdulsalami A. Abubakar Foundation Peace Lecture, titled ‘Collaborative peace building in Nigeria,’ at the University of Ibadan, on Friday.
Insisting that the country was stronger socially and economically as a united entity, he warned that nowhere across the African continent could accommodate the people in the event of a breakup.
As the countdown to the 2019 general elections continues, the former leader further urged citizens to be wary of incendiary statements and to promote things that unite the country rather than those things capable of dividing it.
The occasion presented a veritable platform for the Governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, to make a formal declaration to contest the Oyo South senatorial district election under the platform of the All Progressives Congress, in 2019.
Already, the governor said he had appeared before the APC screening committee in Abuja, having obtained the nomination and expression of interest forms, ahead of the October 3 party primary.
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Abdulsalami had earlier called on academic institutions, especially universities, as well as traditional and religious leaders in the country to concentrate on how to change the attitude and thinking of the citizens to enhance the country’s unity.
He said, "The roles of the university in election and democracy cannot be underestimated. The trust that the general populace put upon the academic institutions made the university dons to be assigned the job of Returning Officers during general elections.
"Seminars, lectures and other programmes should be organized to enlighten the people more on the need for a united Nigeria. In my years of service, I have seen a lot and realized that peace is not achieved on a platter of gold.
"We all have to work for it to be sustained. Let us work more on those things that unite us than those that divide us. Nowhere in the continent can contain Nigerians if we break."
Announcing his senatorial ambition, Ajimobi said he was confident of clinching the party’s ticket judging by his impressive credentials, which he said had also put him a good stead to win the seat for the APC.
Ajimobi said, "I was in Abuja yesterday (Thursday) for our party's screening exercise for senatorial aspirants. I want to announce to you that I am contesting the Oyo South senatorial district ticket under our great party, APC.
"The screening was successful and I'm sure that it is a precursor to further victories ahead."
He described Abubakar as an epitome of humility and successful leadership, which he said were the unique attributes that made it possible for the former leader to succeed in overseeing the transmission of power from the military to the political class in 1999.
Ajimobi said peace was paramount in the development of a society, stressing that the enthronement of peace when his administration came on board facilitated the socioeconomic development of the state.
The governor said, "I have not met anyone who epitomises humility and love for peace than General Abubakar. He is also the only one that has never made any attempt to come back to power through politics.
"He is so detribalized, humble and full of respect for all. We are here to honour a man of honour and the university, as well as the World Peace Day.
"We are proud to say Oyo is one of the most peaceful states in the country today. The peace we enjoy in our state has served as the German floor for the pillars of development like health, education, agriculture, commerce among others on which our development is hinged.”
Obasanjo Farms, MRS, University Press, Chicken Republic, 10 Others Shut In Ibadan Over Tax Default
In continuation of its aggressive tax drive, the Oyo state government on Tuesday shut down the business premises of Obasanjo Farms, located in Oluyole Industrial Estate, Ibadan, MRS oil in the Oyo state capital city.
The farm is one of the sixteen other business organizations that were shut for defaulting in the payment of the environmental development levy due to the state government.
The companies are said to have defaulted in the payment for the year 2017 and or 2018.
The exercise by the combined task force teams of the Oyo State Inter-ministerial Enforcement Unit was being coordinated by the Oyo State Board of Internal Revenue.
Locations visited by the task force team included Dugbe, Eleyele, Podo, Challenge, Onireke areas of the capital city.
Some of the other firms affected in the seal up by the task force team include Black Horse, Heinemann Educational Books, Lister Flour Mills, and University Press Limited.
Others are Evans Brother, Brooking House, Group Medical hospital, Butterfield bakery, Chicken Republic, MRS oil and Rasmed publicity.
While addressing the press, the chairman, Oyo state Board of Internal Revenue (OYBIR), Mr. Bicci Alli said the exercise became inevitable due to the failure of the affected firms to comply with the state tax laws after series of formal communication failed
Stressing that the enforcement will be continuous, he warned all corporate organizations in the state to do the needful and be corporately responsible in line with the laws of the land.
He said “the exercise we carried out today (Tuesday) is not something new and not outside the law. It is within the law. We went to restrain some corporate organizations that failed to pay what is due to Oyo state government after giving due notices, demand notices and even public notices to that effect and they failed to pay.
“So we went to those places to distrain them from having access to their premises and it’s going to be a continuous exercise, all through the week and even next week.
“What they are guilty of is the payment of the environmental development levy. Some of them owe about two years. We wrote to them and gave them notices to pay, they refused to pay. It was as a result of their failure to pay that we now embarked on the needful.
“But it’s so sad that not until we have to take this step against the firms that they are now actually coming out to pay.
Government is not interested in disrupting the business of these corporate organizations, the business of government is to create an enabling environment for business to thrive which Oyo state government has done tremendously well in the last few years and that’s why you see businesses springing up on daily basis in Oyo state. The government cannot disrupt their businesses unless where it is absolutely necessary.
“The focus now is that we will collect every kobo that people are owing the state government, we did publication on August 13, in two widely read newspapers, drawing the attention of corporate organizations and individual residents of Oyo state to pay all their taxes, dues and levies that are supposed to pay to the state government within 14 days.
“But that was like a reminder, prior to that: we served demand notices in line with extant laws on corporate organizations, individuals to pay their taxes. Some of the taxes are due early January, February, March, depending on the position of the law. However, when they failed to pay, we did the reminder in line with the position of the law and we now did a public notice on 14th August, giving them 14 days to be able to pay. So, nobody could tell us that they were not informed.”
As a result of our strong faith in Public Private Partnership, we are ready to partner with Investors in the areas of Infrastructure, Education, Solid Minerals Development, ICT, Agriculture among others
-Governor Abiola Ajimobi
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