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Dangote Cement Creates 50 Agric Entrepreneurs

The beneficiaries were selected from the company’s host communities of Gboko Local Government Area of Benue State.

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Determined to support the government in its food security efforts, Dangote Cement Plc has launched a Farmers Empowerment Programme in Benue State.

The initiative is aimed at enabling 50 farmers to produce subsistence and cash crops in commercial quantities from Benue State, considered to be the food basket of the nation.

The programme is coming barely two months after the company empowered businesswomen in Gboko host communities of the State with cash grants, thus deepening business activities in the State.

Earlier, the company had increased bursary payments to students of host communities by more than 100 percent.

Speaking Thursday at the launch of the Farmers Empowerment Programme, General Manager Social Performance, Johnson Kor, described the programme as ‘historic and innovative.’

He said that the beneficiaries were selected from the company’s host communities of Gboko Local Government Area of Benue State.

According to him, the beneficiaries were carefully selected from the six catchment areas of the Local Government.

Mr. Kor said the projects have been earmarked for the communities as captured in the extant Community Development Agreement (CDA), adding that the contents of the CDA are progressively being executed. “Today we are witnessing an historic occasion in our journey of mutual development.

Farmers Empowerment Programme is the first programme to be launched since we signed the CDA with the immediate host communities in December 2024,” he said.

In his speech, Plant Director, Dangote Cement, Gboko Plant, Munusamy Murugan, said the company will also support farmers with fertilizers, Agro chemicals, Knapsack Sprayers and various types of seedlings. Mr. Murugan who was represented by Head of Production Department, Engr Soom Kiishi said: “This is the first batch but certainly just the beginning, and certainly not the end.

We plan it to be an annual event, but the choice of the Farmers programme may change, depending on the choice of the benefiting communities.”

He said that other economic empowerment programmes are lined up in the coming weeks.

“The Youth Empowerment Programme will soon be launched, and selected beneficiaries will receive training in Welding & Fabrication, and Solar Electrical Installation from Professional personnels,” he added.

He said the company’s scholarship scheme cuts across students from various disciplines and tertiary institutions.

In his address to the communities, a Consultant from Abbass Corporate Services, Dr. Ahemen Aondoaver Samuel, advised the beneficiaries to make use of what he described as a rare opportunity from the Dangote Cement Plc.

The Consultant said that the company’s effort will help transform beneficiaries into entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector and enable them to support the government’s food security effort.

A member of the community, Kwaghgba Isaac, described the Farmers Empowerment Programme as a historic and huge intervention from the company, noting that the effort will not only boost subsistence farming, but help feed the nation.

He urged members of the communities to sustain the peaceful coexistence currently being enjoyed with the company.

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FG Enforcing Compulsory “No Tax ID, No Bank Account Policy”

Section 8 (2) makes Tax ID mandatory for any person to operate a bank account or get involved in insurance, stocks or allied services in the country, once the Act comes into force from January 1, 2026.

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The Federal Government is making it compulsory for all taxable Nigerians to obtain a compulsory Taxpayer Identification (Tax ID) when the new tax Acts come into force in January 2026.

The policy will be enforced by the Nigeria Revenue Service (formerly Federal Inland Revenue Services).

Ohibaba.com gathered that the Tax ID is contained in the provisions of the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025, Part II Section 4 of the legislation which was recently signed by President Bola Tinubu.

It says: “Every Taxable person shall register with the relevant Tax Authority and obtain a Taxpayer Identification Card (Tax ID) for the purpose of compliance with tax obligations.

“Every ministry, department or agency of the federal, State or Local government shall register and obtain a Tax ID.”

It said that Section 6 (1) of the Act also requires Non-resident persons who supply taxable goods and services to any person in Nigeria to obtain Tax ID, as they shall be obligated to pay tax in Nigeria.

Section 7 (3) empowers the relevant tax authority to issue Tax ID to a person who should have applied for an ID but failed to do so.

The relevant tax authority is also empowered to refuse to issue a Tax ID to an applicant based on information available to it.

In such a case, the authority shall inform the applicant of its decision within five working days.

Section 8 (1) (c) makes Tax ID a condition for entering into any contract with the Federal and State governments.

Section 8 (2) makes Tax ID mandatory for any person to operate a bank account or get involved in insurance, stocks or allied services in the country, once the Act comes into force from January 1, 2026.

The Act, however, provides an allowance to suspend or deregister the Tax ID, if the holder ceases to undertake trade or business, either temporarily or permanently.

Section 10 (1) provides, “Where a taxable person temporarily ceases to carry on a trade or business in Nigeria, the taxable person shall notify the relevant tax authority of its intention to suspend its registration for tax purposes within 30 days of such temporary cessation of trade or business.(2)

“The Tax authority shall classify the Tax ID as ‘dormant’ and place it on suspension.

(3) “Where a taxable person permanently ceases to carry on trade or business in Nigeria, the taxable person shall notify the relevant tax authority of its intention to deregister for tax purposes within 30 days of such cessation of trade or business.

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Nigeria to host Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF) 2027

With Lagos preparing to welcome the world in 2027, the IATF mission continues its quest to deepen trade, unlock investment, and connect Africa to itself and the world at large.

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• IATF 2025 opening ceremony , 4 September, Algiers.

Nigeria has been officially picked to host the 2027 edition of the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF).

This was announced during the opening ceremony on Thursday in Algiers, with calls for African countries to accelerate growth in Intra-African trade and boost economic integration.

At the event, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, received the IATF flag on behalf of the country as Lagos was confirmed host city for the continental fair in 2027.

The Chairman of the IATF Advisory Council and former President Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, said, “Since its inception, the IATF has rotated across our continent, leaving its unique legacy and improving with each host nation.

“Today we continue the proud tradition by announcing the country that will host IATF2027.

“With Lagos preparing to welcome the world in 2027, the IATF mission continues its quest to deepen trade, unlock investment, and connect Africa to itself and the world at large.

Organised by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) in collaboration with the African Union Commission (AUC) and the AfCFTA Secretariat, the IATF brings together continental and global stakeholders to showcase goods and services, facilitates direct engagement and exchange between businesses and between businesses and government entities.

The fair was established to accelerate the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement which aims to create a single market for goods and services across Africa.

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OPSN Faults Repeated Summons of Private Companies by National Assembly

OPSN members comprise the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture(NACCIMA), Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), Nigeria Association of Small Scale Industrialists(NASS), and Nigeria Association of Small and Medium Enterprises(NASME).

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The Organised Private Sector of Nigeria (OPSN) has expressed deep concerns over incessant invitations, summons by the committee of the National Assembly on the activities of private companies.

OPSN members comprise the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture(NACCIMA), Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), Nigeria Association of Small Scale Industrialists(NASS), and Nigeria Association of Small and Medium Enterprises(NASME).

The Association of Food, Beverages and Tobacco Employees(AFBTE) and other 25 sectoral employers ’ associations also decried this situation.

The concern was conveyed through an open letter sent to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, which was published on Thursday, September 4, 2025.

The group said that the practice has continued unhindered despite judicial pronouncements, including a pending appeal before the Supreme Court, which affirms that the powers conferred on the National Assembly in line with sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution do not extend oversight powers to private companies.

They cite judicial precedents in the case of DHL International Nigeria Limited vs Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and ORS (FHC/ABJ/CS/261/2018).

The court unequivocally held that private companies do not fall within the category of persons contemplated by sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution.

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