Business
Alake: Reduction of N531bn 2025 Mining Budget To N9bn Unacceptable
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan emphasized that if Nigeria is serious about developing the mining sector, the 2025 budget proposal must be drastically reviewed upwards.
” In our budget proposals for 2025, we estimated over N531 billion for capital expenditure but was allocated a mere N9 billion.
This is unacceptable, as it will hinder any significant investment in exploration, which is crucial for generating the geo-data that will attract major players.”
Those were the words of the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, calling on the National Assembly for a radical upward review of the budget.
Dr Alake, supported the Joint National Assembly Committee on Solid Minerals for having rejected the proposed N9 billion capital budget for the mining sector in the 2025 budget.
He highlighted the positive outcomes of the reforms over the past year, which have created 45,000 new jobs in the sector, up from 30,000 the previous year.
He also noted that the 2024 revenue projection of N11 billion had been exceeded, with N38 billion generated in the year under review.
“We have not only succeeded in attracting global attention to Nigeria’s mining sector, but we have also seen an increase in revenue, despite receiving only 18% of our 2024 capital budget.
The Committee emphasizes that the allocation falls drastically short of the investment required to position solid minerals as the cornerstone of economic diversification.
During the budget defense session on Friday, the Chairman of the Joint Senate and House of Representatives Committee on Solid Minerals, Sen. Ekong Sampson, expressed the committee’s displeasure with the proposed allocation, noting that without substantial investments in exploration and other critical areas, the potential of solid minerals to drive the transition to green energy would remain unrealized.
In the same vein, the Co-chairman and House Committee Chairman on Solid Minerals,
Hon. Gaza Gbefwi condemned the reduction of the proposed N531 billion 2025 capital expenditure proposal to N9 billion, describing it as a disservice to the sector, which he argued is crucial for generating revenue beyond oil. “As a House, we will not allow the future of generations to be compromised because of misplaced priorities.
We, as elected representatives, understand the urgent need to diversify our economy, and no sector holds more promise in this regard than solid minerals. If we miss this opportunity to invest today, future generations will not forgive us,” Hon. Gbefwi asserted. Hon.
Gbefwi pointed to countries like Botswana, South Africa, and Ghana, which are investing heavily in exploration, and stressed that with Nigeria’s vast reserves of critical minerals, underfunding the mining sector would prevent it from becoming a key revenue driver for the nation.
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan emphasized that if Nigeria is serious about developing the mining sector, the 2025 budget proposal must be drastically reviewed upwards.
She added her voice to the call for the rejection of the proposed budgetary estimates and a suspension of the screening process until the review is implemented.
In an unanimous voice vote, Sen. Ekong Sampson, Chairman of the Joint Committee, announced the committee’s resolution to reject the proposed 2025 budgetary estimates, suspend further screening of the ministry’s budget, and invite the Ministers of Budget and National Planning, as well as Finance, to make a case for an upward review of the mining sector’s budget allocation to ensure the nation fully maximizes the potential of its mineral resources.
Business
Facebook, Others Pay Nigerian Govt N600bn VAT
The Special Adviser on Tax Policy to the Chairman of the Tax Reforms Committee, Mr Mathew Osanekwu, disclosed this during a workshop for media practitioners in Abuja on Wednesday.
Global digital service providers like Facebook, Amazon, and Netflix paid more than N600 billion Value Added Tax to the Nigerian government.
The Special Adviser on Tax Policy to the Chairman of the Tax Reforms Committee, Mr Mathew Osanekwu, disclosed this during a workshop for media practitioners in Abuja on Wednesday.
He explained that amendments to the VAT Act had empowered the Federal Inland Revenue Service to bring non-resident companies offering services in Nigeria into the tax net.
“These are not Nigerian entities, but they are now paying VAT under Section 10 of the VAT Act.
They are registered in Nigeria and are also appointed as agents of collection,” Osanekwu stated during a workshop for media practitioners in Abuja on Wednesday.
He stressed that the move aligns with global best practices and ensures Nigeria benefits from taxes on services consumed locally but delivered by foreign companies.
Business
FG gazettes new tax reform laws
The gazette stated, “Small businesses with turnover under ₦100m and assets below ₦250m are exempted from corporate tax.
• President Bola Tinubu
The Federal Government has published Nigeria’s new tax reform laws in the official gazette following President Bola Tinubu’s assent on June 26.
The announcement was contained in a statement signed by the Personal Assistant on Special Duties to the President, Kamorudeen Yusuf, on Wednesday.
The reforms introduce four legislations: the Nigeria Tax Act 2025, Nigeria Tax Administration Act 2025, Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Act 2025, and the Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Act 2025.
The gazette stated, “Small businesses with turnover under ₦100m and assets below ₦250m are exempted from corporate tax.
“Corporate tax rate for large firms may be cut from 30% to 25% at the President’s discretion.
“Top-up tax thresholds: ₦50bn (local firms) and €750m (multinationals).“5% annual tax credit was introduced for eligible priority-sector projects.
“Companies transacting in foreign currency may now pay taxes in naira at official exchange rates.”The Nigeria Tax Act and the Nigeria Tax Administration Act will take effect from January 1, 2026, while the Nigeria Revenue Service Act and the Joint Revenue Board Act became effective from June 26.
“These reforms aim to simplify Nigeria’s tax system, support small businesses, attract investment, and strengthen fiscal stability, aligning with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to diversify revenue away from oil,” said the statement.
… As PTD Passes Vote of No Confidence on NUPENG Leaders
The Association of Distributors and Transporters of Petroleum Products (ADITOP) has levelled serious allegations against the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), accusing it of extortion and excessive levy collections within the downstream petroleum sector.
In a statement released on Monday in Abuja, ADITOP’s National President, Alhaji Lawal Dan-zaki, strongly dissociated the association from the purported strike action by NUPENG, declaring that ADITOP was originally established to counter what he described as the “excesses” of NUPENG, Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD), and other groups allegedly collecting illegal levies under NUPENG’s cover.
Dan-zaki alleged that for the past five years, ADITOP had submitted several petitions to top government agencies—including the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Department of State Services, the Inspector-General of Police, and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation—accusing NUPENG of extortion and illegal financial practices.
According to him, NUPENG and its affiliates impose unauthorized levies on petroleum product distributors, including a charge of ₦1 per litre on every product loaded at depots, and an additional ₦1 per litre by marketers, alongside loading fees ranging between ₦80,000 and ₦100,000 per truck.
“This is outright extortion and economic sabotage by NUPENG, PTD, and their affiliated unions and associations,” Dan-zaki stated.
The allegations surfaced just days after the Lagos Zone of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) branch of NUPENG passed a vote of no confidence on the union’s national leadership. The vote targeted NUPENG National President, Comrade (Prince) Williams Akporeha, and General Secretary, Comrade Afolabi Olawale, accusing them of “greed, impunity, manipulation, and gross incompetence.”
The internal dissent follows rising tensions over reported resistance by Dangote Refinery and MRS Holdings Limited to unionize their drivers and the rollout of 4,000 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered trucks for nationwide fuel distribution.
Dan-zaki concluded that while NUPENG continues to feed off these alleged illegal levies, it remits no tax revenue to the federal government, further exacerbating challenges in the downstream sector.
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