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  • Tribunal Orders Multichoice to Pay N900bn to FIRS, As Firm Announces Demise of its Chief Customer Officer

    Tribunal Orders Multichoice to Pay N900bn to FIRS, As Firm Announces Demise of its Chief Customer Officer

    A Tax Appeal Tribunal sitting in Lagos on Tuesday ordered Multichoice Nigeria Limited to pay 50 per cent of the N1.8tn which the Federal Inland Revenue Service determined to be the amount the company has evaded in tax payments.

     

    This was disclosed in a statement issued on Wednesday by the Director, Communications and Liaison Department, FIRS, Abdullahi Ahmad.

     

    The statement was titled, “Tax Evasion: Tribunal Orders DSTV To Pay 50% Tax Backlog Before Hearing Appeal”

     

    It read in part, “A Tax Appeal Tribunal (TAT) ordered Multichoice Nigeria Limited, owners of popular cable television services, DSTV, to pay 50 per cent of N1.8 trillion which the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has determined through a forensic audit to be the amount in taxes that Multichoice Nigeria Limited had failed to pay to the Government of Nigeria in past assessment years.”

     

    Recall that in July, the FIRS appointed some commercial banks to recover the sum of N1.8tn from Messrs MultiChoice Nigeria Limited and MultiChoice Africa.

     

    The Service noted the appointment was necessitated by the group’s continued refusal to grant FIRS access to its servers for audit, the companies’ persistent breach of agreements and undertakings with the Service, under-remittance of taxes, among other things.

     

    According to the statement, the five-member TAT led by its Chairman, Professor Ahmed, issued the order following an application to it by the Counsel to FIRS.

     

    “The Counsel made the application under Order XI of the TAT Procedure Rules 2010 which requires Multichoice, or any other taxpayer who disputes their tax assessments, to make the statutory deposit required under Paragraph 15(7) of the Fifth Schedule to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (Establishment) Act 2007 (FIRS Act) as a condition that must be fulfilled before the prosecution of the appeal brought before TAT.

     

    “In certain defined circumstances to which the Multichoice appeal fits, Paragraph 15(7) of the Fifth Schedule to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (Establishment) Act 2007 (FIRS Act) requires persons or companies seeking to contest a tax assessment to pay all or a stipulated percentage of the tax assessed before they can be allowed to argue their appeal contesting the assessment at TAT,” the statement added.

     

    The application by the Counsel to the FIRS was in response to a notice of appeal filed by Multichoice.

     

    It read further, “Multichoice Nigeria Limited filed the matter at the Lagos TAT following its dispute over FIRS’ issuance of Notices of Assessment and Demand Note in the sum of N1, 822, 923,909,313.94k on 7 April 2021.

     

    “The amount constitutes what the FIRS calculated as due in taxation to the Federal Government of Nigeria from Multichoice after an investigation over several months to determine the extent to which Multichoice has been evading taxes in Nigeria.

     

    “At Tuesday’s hearing of the matter in Appeal No: TAT/LZ/CIT/062/2021 19/08/2021 (Multichoice Nigeria Limited v. Federal Inland Revenue Service), Multichoice Nigeria Limited amended its Notice of Appeal and thereafter sought through its Counsel, Bidemi Olumide of AO2 Law Firm for an adjournment of the proceedings to enable it to respond to the FIRS’ formal application for accelerated hearing of the appeal and prayer before the TAT to order Multichoice to produce DSTV’s revenue and subscriber database, among other prayers.

     

    After hearing arguments from both sides, TAT upheld the FIRS Act and directed Multichoice Nigeria Limited to deposit with the FIRS the amount prescribed by the law, plus a sum equal to 10 per cent of the said deposit as a condition precedent for further hearing of the appeal.

     

    The tribunal adjourned the Appeal to 23 September for the continuation of the hearing, subject to compliance with its order.

     

    When contacted Multichoice Nigeria refused to comment. 

     

    Recall that the company announced the demise of its Chief Customer Officer, Mr Martin Mabutho yesterday.

     

    The boisterous Mabutho died in the early hours of Tuesday, in Cape Town after a brief illness.

    Martin Mabutho
    Martin Mabutho

    “Martin was not just a colleague but a very close friend and most trusted adviser. He was well loved by everyone for his energy and hard-work, his warmth, good humour and the creativity and positive attitude he always brought to the team. He will be greatly missed,” said John Ugbe, CEO, MultiChoice Nigeria.

     

    Mabutho joined MultiChoice Botswana as a Customer Service Supervisor in 1999, and later became a Brand Manager at MNet in 2003. He led the Marketing and Sales effort for DStv Mobile in Sub-Saharan Africa before his appointment as MultiChoice Nigeria’s General Manager, Sales and Marketing in 2013.

     

    He was appointed Chief Customer Officer in 2018, responsible for driving the MultiChoice Nigeria customer group strategy covering customer value management, sales, marketing, customer experience and care.

     

    Aged 47, Mabutho is survived by aged parents, his wife Thato and their four children.

     

  • Globacom Unveils Glo TV To Alter Television Landscape in Nigeria

    Globacom Unveils Glo TV To Alter Television Landscape in Nigeria

    By Adejuwon Osunnuyi

     

    In a bold move to redefine the television experience for all Nigerians, telecommunications giant, Globacom, has launched Glo TV, an innovative TV streaming service on Android, IOS apps and web for watching live linear television video on demand and catch-up contents.

     

    Unveiling the new service at the company’s headquarters in Lagos yesterday, Globacom said that Glo TV would positively alter the television landscape in Nigeria as it will beam highly sought-after television content to millions of subscribers via their desktop and mobile handheld devices.

     

    Glo TV is powered by the reliable Glo 4G technology which ensures a pleasant streaming experience.

     

    According to the company, “Glo TV brings engaging, interactive and premium entertainment content through a rich bouquet of offerings including hundreds of live entertainment programmes, music, documentary, news, original shows, fashion, lifestyle, kiddies’ interest channels and over 1,000 videos as the company continues to partner with content providers to address the needs of more customers across social strata.”

     

    The company expressed excitement over the roll-out of the service, stating, “This first-of-its-kind mobile TV initiative will offer the best premium all-round entertainment, news and sports content and is set to become Nigeria’s one-stop entertainment destination.

     

    We are confident that with the launch of Glo TV, our network will cater to the content preferences of Nigerians across different socio-economic groups and offer them an exclusive opportunity to experience the best-in-class TV content.”

    Globacom further explained that users of Glo TV will find the service irresistible as it offers a wide variety of choices from entertainment, news, information, education to cartoons, assuring that there will never be a dull moment on the service over the web or app no matter the user’s subject of interest.

     

    For instance, subscribers who are news lovers and want to follow international news as it breaks can catch up with news-on-the-go channels including Aljazeera and France24, while subscribers who have interest in documentary channels can watch CGTN and RT Documentary, among many others.

     

    Children’s interests are also well taken care of by Glo TV. Regular kiddies’ channels such as ZooMOO, English Club TV and Lollykids are on offer to give healthy entertainment and robust education to children of all ages. This will ensure that they are not only acquiring new knowledge, but that they are also adequately entertained in line with the best practices of television viewership.

     

    Furthermore, subscribers of all ages will have access to movie channels including Nolly Africa, African Movie Channel and Legacy Network, among others.

    “We believe that with the rich entertainment value on the Glo TV, subscribers will see it as their preferred service for video content consumption, especially TV content,” the company explained further, adding that Glo TV also offers exclusive content which premiers for the first time.

     

    Globacom restated its commitment to continuously enriching and enhancing the Glo TV platform so that “it continues to deliver on its goal of creating entertainment, laughter, fun, happiness and excitement for our valued customers”.

     

    According to the company, subscribers are required to visit myglotv.com to register and download the Glo TV app free of charge till September 30th, 2021.

     

    All Globacom customers on the pre-paid and post-paid platforms will be eligible to register for the app once they have compliant android and iPhone devices.

     

  • MTN Nigeria Budgets N600b For Network Infrastructure

    MTN Nigeria Budgets N600b For Network Infrastructure

    MTN Nigeria Communications has concluded plans to invest over  N600 billion in network infrastructure in the next three years to improve telecommunications services.

     

    Chairman of MTN Nigeria Communications, Dr Ernest Ndukwe, disclosed this during the company’s 20th-anniversary celebration held on Sunday in Lagos.

     

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the telecommunication company launched its services on Aug. 8, 2001, connecting about 69 million people in communities across the country to date.

     

    Ndukwe said that MTN was also “committed to specifically expanding its rural connectivity to reach areas that were underserved” across the country.

     

    “We plan to connect approximately 1000 rural communities to our network this year with an additional 2000 communities in 2022,” the MTN chairman said.

     

    Ndukwe expressed optimism about what the future holds for Nigeria’s digital economy and looked forward to building it together with all stakeholders.

     

    Also speaking at the event, Chief Executive Officer of the company, Karl Toriola, restated MTN’s planned participation in the restoration and rehabilitation of the Onitsha-Enugu Expressway through the Federal Government’s Road Infrastructure Tax Credit ((RITC) Scheme.

     

    This is a response to government’s drive towards public-private partnership in the rehabilitation of critical road infrastructure in Nigeria, Toriola said.

     

    “We’ve initiated plans for the construction of a purpose-built, state-of-the-art head office in Lagos.

     

    “We will also be selling down 14 percent of MTN shares to over two million Nigerian retail investors,” Toriola stated.

     

    He expressed appreciation to the government for its vision in liberalising the telecommunications sector and the robust framework developed by the regulators.

     

    “We firmly believe that Nigeria’s digital journey is only just beginning and that the future is filled with promises.

     

    “Working together, we can and will build the more prosperous and inclusive future we seek and empower even more Nigerian to do greater things,” the MTN chief executive said.

     

    MTN Nigeria currently provides services in 223 cities and towns, in more than 10,000 villages and communities, in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

     

    NAN reports that as part of the 20th-anniversary celebration, MTN gave out 20 new Honda HRVS as car gifts to its subscribers from year 2011 across the country.

     

  • Fidelity Bank’s Chairman, Chike-Obi Succeeds Osaretin Demuren As BDAN President

    Fidelity Bank’s Chairman, Chike-Obi Succeeds Osaretin Demuren As BDAN President

    The Bank Directors Association of Nigeria (BDAN) has announced the appointment of Fidelity Bank Plc’s Chairman, Mustafa Chike-Obi, as president, following the completion of Osaretin Demuren’s tenure.

     

    The appointment was confirmed in a statement by the Executive Secretary of the BDAN, Adebukola Orenuga.

     

    Acccording to Mrs Orenuga Mr Chike-Obi’s appointment was ratified by the Forum for Banks’ Chairmen organised by the BDAN in June 2021.

     

    On his part, Mr Chike-Obi, a former head of the Asset Management Company of Nigeria, (AMCON) said he would continue to pursue the mandate of the association by working with relevant stakeholders to ensure banks play a more active role in the nation’s economy.

     

    “As the chairman of this important association, I plan to represent more robustly, the interest of the banking industry and to project the image of the banking industry as an essential partner with our customers and the Nigerian economy as a whole.

     

    “These are no-doubt interesting times given the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic challenges.

     

    “I look forward to partnering with shareholders as well as customers, regulators and all other players to contribute our quota to positioning the Nigerian economy for sustainable growth and recovery,” he said.

     

    The incoming chairman has over 40 years of experience in investment banking and the financial services sector, working with reputable global investment banking and asset management firms.

     

    He was appointed to the Board of Fidelity Bank Plc in August 2020 and is currently the Executive Vice Chairman at Alpha African Advisory where he provides overall leadership and has direct oversight over the capital raising division.

     

    Prior to joining Alpha African Advisory, he was the inaugural Chief Executive Officer of the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), a federal government institution established to resolve the problem of non-performing loan assets of Nigerian banks after the 2008 global financial crisis.

     

    BDAN is a non-profit making organisation, limited by guarantee, which was set up to be an effective forum for representing the interests of bank directors in Nigeria.

     

  • SME Clinic 2021: FirstBank Supports 5 SMEs With N500,000

    SME Clinic 2021: FirstBank Supports 5 SMEs With N500,000

     

    FirstBank of Nigeria has announced a N500,000 business grant to five Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), through its SMEConnect initiative aimed at boosting employment.

     

    Group Head, Retail Banking, Lagos Mainland 1, FirstBank, Mrs Oludolapo Adigun, listed the five beneficiary SMEs to include: Buyscrap Nigeria Enterprise; Arteasy Nigeria; Gris Business; Digital Solutions Network and Edatsu Technology Ltd.

     

    She said each of the SMEs was given a N100,000 grant to support their businesses after the SME clinic 2021, held in partnership with Techpoint Africa.

     

    Adigun explained that SMEConnect was one of the tools by which FirstBank delivers the capacity-building pillar of its value propositions to SMEs, with a focus on impacting SMEs in key areas that affect their business growth and development.

     

    “In recent years, FirstBank has embarked on the task of empowering SMEs, considering their immense value to the Nigerian economy.

     

    “We created SMEConnect to help drive this mission and we’re delighted to have partnered with Techpoint Africa for the SME clinic 2021.

     

    “The small business grant is the tip of the iceberg of what SMEs stand to benefit from the programme. We’re looking forward to future partnerships, Adigun said.

     

    Also speaking, Precious Mogoli, Director, SME Clinic by Techpoint, said SMEs were the lifeblood of any economy, and in Nigeria, current data had shown that SMEs made up to 96 per cent of businesses, contributing over half of the country’s Gross Domestic Product.

     

    She noted that COVID-19 was changing the way businesses operate globally, with more emphasis being placed on technology.

     

    “While technology startups have been able to handle this change, traditional enterprises have found it more difficult.

     

    “With this in mind, the SME Clinic by Techpoint creates a forum that teaches Nigerian SMEs grit, resilience, and how to scale their businesses with technology.

     

    “The SME Clinic by Techpoint tries to reach Nigerian SMEs through its newsletter, town halls/webinars, an annual flagship event.

     

    “It was a truly memorable moment and we hope to keep building a community of business owners who will use technology to impact the Nigerian economy,” Mogoli said.

     

    She explained that small business owners in a pandemic-ridden world must find ways to the new normal – social distance, remote work and technology, among others, to survive.

     

    “While few businesses have found ways to use these new and emerging tech tools to solve everyday problems and grow their businesses, several others still struggle to adapt,” she added.

     

    Participants at the 2021 SME Clinic, were taught how to sustain their businesses using technology, with trainings on bookkeeping and managing online business.

     

  • Customs Seeks Excise Duty On Non-Alcoholic Drinks, Says Soft Drinks Pose Harmful Effects to Humans

    Customs Seeks Excise Duty On Non-Alcoholic Drinks, Says Soft Drinks Pose Harmful Effects to Humans

     

    The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has called for the re-introduction of excise duty on all drinks produced in the country.

     

    Comptroller-General of the NCS, Hameed Ali disclosed this at an interactive session on the 2022-2024 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Finance.

     

    This is not the first time government is proposing a collection of excise duty on soft drinks.

     

    In 2019, Minister of Finance, Zainan Ahmed had announced that the government may introduce excise duty on carbonated drinks.

     

    Excise duty is a levy placed on the manufacture of locally produced goods.

     

    Chairman of the committee, James Faleke had asked why NCS does not charge excise duty on non-alcoholic drinks.

     

    Responding, the comptroller-general said the NCS had made several submissions for alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks to be taxed.

     

    He said both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks pose harmful effects to humans, adding that there is a 30 percent excise levy on alcoholic drinks.

     

    “On several cases, I have made submissions. Mr Chairman is aware that I have been on this battle that we should re-excise the companies that were de-excised in 2019,” he said.

     

    “What we have been fighting for is that if alcohol beverages and tobacco are injurious to our health that is why the government decided to tax them, the carbonated drinks are equally injurious to our health and they should be taxed.

     

    “I have sung this song for many years now, Coca-Cola is producing in this country and it is not being taxed. There is nowhere you go in the world that Coca-Cola is not paying tax to its host country, but Coca-Cola in this country is not paying anything because of the government unwillingness to re-excise those companies.

    “For us, we have been battling for it, and I hope that one day, we will start collecting.”

     

    The Committee chairman said the lawmakers may consider amending the Finance Act so that excise duty will be charged on both carbonated and non-carbonated drinks.

     

    “We will be considering, I am sure that the federal government will be coming up with the 2022 finance bill, there is a need for us to look at the possibility of charging excise duty on all drinks manufactured in this country, this on all drinks, carbonated and non-carbonated,” he said.

     

    “Carbonated is already part of the finance act, but companies cannot be operating and making huge profits. We are talking about excise – I am sure they are paying their income tax, but in terms of production tax, even non-alcoholic are injurious, if you drink too much you will just be consuming sugar.”

     

  • Access Bank Launches Awareness Campaign to Combat E-banking Fraud

    Access Bank Launches Awareness Campaign to Combat E-banking Fraud

    As part of its continued commitment to educate and protect customers from e-banking fraud, Africa’s largest retail bank, Access Bank Plc, has launched an awareness campaign aimed at sensitizing customers on measures they can take to protect themselves.

     

    The campaign, themed ‘Banks Don’t Ask’, focuses on three key activities that account for most fraud incidents in Nigeria, phishing, SIM card fraud, ATM fraud and POS fraud.

     

    From all indications, the rates of phishing, SIM card fraud, ATM fraud and POS fraud in the country has tripled in the past few years. Also, the sophistication with which these activities are carried out has evolved, resulting in unsuspecting customers being highly susceptible to these criminal activities.

     

    Victor Etuokwu, ED Retail Banking stated, “In the past few years, there has been a significant increase in the rate of internet-based and technology-perpetrated fraud.”

     

    He added: “We want to ensure that our customers are not only protected but are also aware of the tactics employed by fraudsters. Access Bank will never request for personal banking information such as your 16-digit card number, password, PIN, BVN, CVV or One-Time Password (OTP).

     

    “So, customers are also advised to never share this information with anyone even if they claim to be from the Bank.”.

     

    To report suspicious activities (phone calls, emails or text messages), customers can call Access Bank on 01- 2712005 or send a mail to contactcenter@accessbankplc.com.

     

    To prevent SIM card fraud in cases of lost or stolen devices, customers can simply dial *901*911# from any phone deactivate their USSD profile.

     

     

  • FG Inaugurates 1,667 ICT Centres, 455 Other Projects

    FG Inaugurates 1,667 ICT Centres, 455 Other Projects

     

    The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami said the Ministry has inaugurated no fewer than 1,667 Information Communications Technology (ICT) centres across the country.

     

    He also said more than 455 other projects were ongoing in different parts of the country.

     

    Pantami disclosed this when he featured on a special interview session, Forum, organised by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

     

    He said that the ministry had developed 16 policies within two years, geared toward supporting the digital economy sector in the country.

     

    He noted that there was no single state that a minimum of one class ICT park had not been established from the day he assumed office as a minister to date.

     

    According to him, the National ICT Park is under the ministry, it has its own role and National Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship Centre (NDIEC) is a policy developed to support ICT infrastructure.

     

    “Part of the implementation of the Policy is largely by National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and also it will provide office space for some of their activities.

     

    “I want to confirm to you that there is no single state from the date I became a minister to date that we have not established a minimum of one class ICT park.

     

    “I have already commissioned one in 2020 in Lagos State University.

     

    “We have already built an ICT park in Lagos University; this is one out of many.

     

    We have also provided the same intervention in the same zone in other institutions.

     

    “I personally commissioned the same ICT park in University of Port Harcourt. I travelled to Port Harcourt to commission it physically.”

     

    On the issue of training, the Minister said that the ministry and its agencies had so far trained a total number of 219,198 citizens.

     

    He explained that this was beside the training taking place at the 1,667 centres, adding that most of the training was advanced skills, not basic skills.

     

    “Within two years, we have trained 219, 198 citizens and most of them are advanced skills, not basic skills; in this, I have not included the training taking place at the 1,667 centres.

     

    “These are ICT centres and projects combined together.

     

    “The benefits of creating these ICT parks are many, we have job creation, providing digital skills and many more.”

     

  • Aminu Mohammed Dorayi: Behold Nigerian Prof Who Drove Peugeot 504 From London to Kano in 24 Days

    Aminu Mohammed Dorayi: Behold Nigerian Prof Who Drove Peugeot 504 From London to Kano in 24 Days

    Professor Aminu Mohammed Dorayi is an all-rounder scholar whose exploits in the academic world cannot be forgotten Professor Aminu is famous for reportedly driving a Peugeot 504 car from London to Kano, a trip that took him 24 days to complete.

     

     Aside from that, the professor of chemistry is said to have organized the first ever trade fair in Nigeria.

     

     Professor Aminu Mohammed Dorayi is not just a well-read Nigerian academic and elder statesman but holds some interesting records that cannot be forgotten in a hurry.

    Nigerian prof
    Prof Aminu Mohammed Dorayi, Nigerian Man who Reportedly Drove Peugeot 504 from London to Kano in 24 Days

    The Abusites reports that Professor Aminu who was a one-time Students’ Union Government President of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria reportedly embarked on a road trip from London to Kano many years ago.

     

    He was a former SUG President of Ahmadu Bello University, ABU.

    The Kano indigene, in an interview with Daily Trust in 2019 shared how he embarked on the trip which took him 24 days with a Peugeot 504.

     

     The trip from London to Kano reportedly took him 24 days.

     

     Recalling his historic journey, Auto Josh reports that, the man who is dubbed The Adventurous Chemist said he drove through the desert.