The Federal Inland Revenue Service has directed taxpayers in the country to continue to pay their Value Added Tax to it or risk penalties for failing to do so.
The FIRS says it decided to issue the directive following numerous enquiries in view of a recent court ruling obtained by Rivers State at a Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, that states, and not the federal government, are constitutionally empowered to collect VAT.
The FIRS argued that since it had already appealed the Rivers judgment seeking a stay of execution order, the status quo ante subsists on the VAT collection authority hence taxpayers should continue to pay their VAT to it.

The leadership of the National Association of Resident Doctors has refused assent to a new memorandum of understanding brokered by the Nigeria Medical Association to end the three weeks old strike that has crippled medical services in government hospitals across the country.
NARD President, Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi says NARD’s leadership has to consult with members of the association before he appends his signature.
Chris Ngige says all other unions in the negotiation, including the Nigeria Medical Association and the Medical and Dental Consultants of Nigeria, signed the new agreement, has agreed on all the issues raised.
The minister also clarified that the meeting did not discuss the issues of no work no pay but said all parties at the meeting agreed to an out-of-court settlement.

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has sued President Muhammadu Buhari over his failure to probe allegations that N106bn of public funds are missing from 149 ministries, departments and agencies and to ensure the prosecution of those suspected to be responsible, and the recovery of any missing public funds.
The group asked the court to direct and compel President Buhari to promptly investigate the alleged missing N106bn of public funds, ensure prosecution of anyone suspected to be responsible and the full recovery of any missing public money.
SERAP argued that recovering the alleged missing public funds would reduce the pressure on the Federal Government to borrow more money to fund the budget, enable the authorities to meet the country’s constitutional and international obligations, and reduce the growing level of public debts.

Uganda's foreign affairs minister says the government has not yet reached a formal agreement with the US to take in refugees who have fled Afghanistan in the aftermath of the Taliban's seizure of power.
Jeje Odongo's says discussions were continuing but no decision had yet been made.
He added that the US had approached Uganda because of its track-record on hosting refugees.
Members of parliament asked the government to explain why it made a commitment to take in the Afghans without consulting the legislature.

The United Nations Secretary-General has called for an immediate ceasefire in the Ethiopian region of Tigray, where government forces and rebel fighters have been locked in conflict since November.
António Guterres described the humanitarian conditions in Tigray as hellish and says aid agencies needed unrestricted access.
He condemned the use of sexual violence against women in Ethiopia as a weapon of war.
Mr Guterres says there could be no military resolution to the fighting, which has spread to neighbouring states.

A presidency statement says Algeria will review its relations with Morocco after accusing it of complicity in deadly forest fires.
President Abdelmadjid Tebboune says most of the fires were criminal in origin.
The decision to review relations with Rabat was made during an extraordinary meeting of the country’s Security Council, chaired by Tebboune and dedicated to evaluating the situation after the fires.
The statement says the incessant hostile acts carried out by Morocco against Algeria have necessitated the review of relations between the two countries.
It says there would also be an intensification of security controls on the western borders with Morocco.

The House of Representatives expressed displeasure over the way some Ministries, Departments and Agencies conceal their revenues, thereby denying the federal government the much-needed fund to fund its annual budget.
The Chairman, House Committee on Finance, Hon. James Faleke also condemned the federal government’s plan to borrow N5.62 trillion to finance the 2022 budget, while the MDAs starve the government of funds.
The lawmaker says the House of Representatives would be more interested in how much government agencies could save, saying the major problem facing the country was revenue generation.
He stressed that if the committee discovered that any of the agencies’ capital projects were unnecessary, they would be removed in a bid to get revenue for the country.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation inaugurated the board of Greenfield Refinery Limited, a subsidiary of NNPC, to oversee the establishment and operation of new refineries.
Group Managing Director of the corporation, Mallam Mele Kyari, charged them to explore all options to bring an end to the current challenge of petroleum products importation.
He urged the board and management team of the new company to set up a proper structure with the required skills, technology and finance to drive the company’s operations.

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved recommendations of a committee to review with dispatch 368 grazing sites, across 25 states in the country to determine the levels of encroachment.
A committee chaired by the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari had recommended the collection of field data collection on 368 Grazing Reserves across 25 states to assess encroachment and encroachers, stakeholder engagements and sensitization.
The Committee also recommended the production of maps and geo-mapping/tagging of sites, analysis of findings and report preparations as well as design appropriate communication on Grazing Reserves and operations.
The number of the Grazing Reserves and States were deduced from considerations of existing security concerns and other pre-existing socio-economic conditions.

Senator Godswill Akpabio says oil firms operating in the Niger Delta have defaulted in their statutory remittances to the Niger Delta Development Commission to the tune of $4 billion.
Akpabio noted that oil firms operating in the area are expected to provide three per cent of their annual budgets to the commission, but none has complied with this.
Akpabio stressed that the Ministry of Niger Delta will take a keen interest in the implementation of the three per cent Petroleum Industry Act compensation to host communities.
He stated that the NDDC owes contractors three ₦3 trillion however, explained that not all awarded contracts with costs can be regarded as debt.