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Human Rights Commissioner wants Governor Ododo to reverse tax policy that infringes rights of children to education
Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, has been urged to reject a new memo from the State Board of Internal Revenue Service which recommends that children must present their parents tax clearance certificate as a precondition for their registration in schools.
Sir Agabaidu Jideani, the National Commissioner in Charge of the Right to Education at the National Human Rights Commission of Nigeria, gave the caution recently while reacting to an ongoing efforts by Kogi State government to improve its internally generated revenue.
Jideani said his office is aware of a memo dated November 26, 2024 from the Chairman of the Kogi State Board of Internal Revenue Services which directed educational institutions not to register students who fail to present verifiable Tax Clearance Certificates from their parents.
While commending Governor Odoodo for his efforts to bring development to Kogi State, Sir Jideani frowned at the content of the memo and called on Governor Ododo, to find a policy mix that prioritizes the right to education of children in the State while seeking tax compliance by schoolchildren’s parents.
He said that the memo as sent to the Governor, was a direct infringement on the right of children to education as contained in Nigeria’s constitution and affront on Geneva Convention on rights of education, among other UNESCO provisions.
Sir Jideani said- “I appreciate the efforts of the Kogi State Government to ensure tax compliance among its citizens, particularly parents. However, I strongly believe that the recent memo issued by the Chairman of the Kogi State Board of Internal Revenue Service, which mandates institutions of learning to refuse registration to students without a verifiable tax clearance certificate from their parents, may inadvertently deny children their right to education.”
Continuing, he observed that education is a fundamental human right, universally accepted in democratic societies and enshrined in the Nigerian constitution, saying- “We must balance the obligation to pay taxes with the need to protect this right. I urge the Governor of Kogi State to revise this policy, ensuring that it does not jeopardize the education of innocent children.”
He noted that successive governors in Kogi State have done well with establishing and renovating schools as well as encouraging universal basic education, leading to a significant reduction in out-of-school children in the state.
The Human Rights Commissioner observed that this policy that seeks to keep children out of school on account of the poverty of their parents would negatively impact on the progress made by the state in this sector and called on the governor to revise the policy.
“I commend Governor Ododo for his efforts to bring development to the state. I am confident that, together, we can find a solution that balances tax compliance with the right to educati,” he concluded.
The legal team of suspended Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, say they are ready with factil evidence to defend her in court.
The team received a formal summons in the case filed against her by the Federal Government at the Federal Capital Territory High Court last week.
On Friday, May 16, 2025, the Federal Government filed the suit, marked CR/297/25, over alleged defamatory remarks made during a live appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on April 3, 2025.
The government accused the senator of “making imputation knowing or having reason to believe that such imputation will harm the reputation of a person”, citing Section 391 of the Penal Code, cap 89, Laws of the Federation, 1990.
Among the witnesses listed to testify during the trial were Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and a former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello.
Others include Asuquo Ekpenyong, a senator; Sandra Duru; Maya Iliya, investigating police officers; and Abdulhafiz Garba, investigating police officers.
However, in a statement issued Friday night by Dr. Ehiogie West-Idahosa (SAN) on behalf of the legal team, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s lawyers confirmed receipt of the formal summons and pledged to prepare all “factual and statutory defences” available to the lawmaker during trial.
“At about 2:30pm on Friday, May 23, 2025, within the premises of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, we received the information filed by the Director of Public Prosecutions, containing three counts alleging that our client, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central, made imputations she had reason to believe would harm the reputation of Senator Godswill Akpabio, President of the 10th Senate,” the statement read.
“We received the said information on her behalf through a letter of authority duly issued and filed in the court’s registry.
“The legal team will fully prepare and present all factual and statutory defences available to our client during the trial.”
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) will on Tuesday next week begin the take over of 4,794 properties in Abuja, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) headquarters, due to unpaid ground rent.
The PDP headquarters, currently under construction in Abuja’s Central Business District, is among the affected properties, having been revoked in March for several years of unpaid ground rent. The FCTA disclosed that 4,794 titles had been revoked for failure to pay ground rent, with some defaults dating back 43 years.
The affected properties are located in various districts, including Central Area, Garki I and II, Wuse I and II, Asokoro, Maitama, and Guzape.
The defaulters owe over N6.96 billion in ground rent. The FCTA had given a 21-day grace period for owners with debts under 10 years, which has now expired.
The FCTA officials announced that the takeover would begin on Monday, May 26, 2025, with the sealing off and restriction of access to the affected properties.
The Director of Land Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze emphasized that the revocations were carried out under Section 28(5)(a)(b) of the Land Use Act, which empowers the government to reclaim land when the terms of occupancy are violated.
Two people sustained serious injuries when a training aircraft crash-landed at the Ilorin International Airport on Friday.
Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance, NSIB, Mrs Bimbo Oladeji, who disclosed this in a statement, said the incident occurred at 17:28 local time on May 23, 2025, during a simulated instrument approach on Runway 05 at Ilorin International Airport.
Oladeji said the aircraft veered off the runway and came to a stop on the grass verge, leaving the two occupants on board injured.
She stated: “Both sustained serious injuries and were swiftly evacuated to a medical facility, coordinated by the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA.
“In response, the NSIB Go-Team is currently preparing to depart from Abuja to Ilorin to conduct on-site investigations. The team will secure the site, collect physical evidence, interview witnesses, and retrieve operational data to establish the cause and contributing factors of the incident.”
Quoting the Director General of the NSIB, Captain Alex Badeh Jr., she said “Our thoughts are with the injured, and we commend the swift medical and emergency response. Now, our focus is on understanding exactly what went wrong. Every investigation is an opportunity to improve safety. We are deploying our team to Ilorin to ensure that no detail is overlooked.”
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