Business
Tertiary Education Tax Will be Increased to Three Percent says FG
The Federal Government of Nigeria has increased the tertiary education tax from 2.5 percent to 3 percent for the second time in two years, after it was increased from 2 percent in the Finance Act 2021 to 2.5 percent and has gone up to 3 percent in the backdated 2023 Finance Act.
Recall that the former President Muhammadu Buhari signed the Finance Act 2023 on May 28, 2023 and backdated the commencement date of the Act to 1 May, 2023 and imposed on every company at the rate approved by the President of the assessable profit for each year of assessment.
The funds are disbursed for the general improvement of education in federal and state tertiary institutions, specifically for the provision or maintenance of: Essential physical Infrastructure for teaching and learning; instructional material and equipment; research and publications.
Also contained in this year’s Finance Act is the reintroduction of the payment of taxes for purchasing life insurance policy for an individual or a couple.
According to the Act: “Tax deduction is restored for premium paid in respect of insurance on own life and spouse”.
Other changes made to the old Finance Act include: taxation of gains on the disposal of digital assets including cryptocurrency at the rate of 10 percent; deduction of capital losses on assets for capital gains tax purposes. This may be carried forward for a maximum of 5 years.
There is now the rollover relief on sale of shares. This is however subject to reinvestment of the proceeds within the same year of assessment. There is now the deletion of investment allowance on plant and equipment.
Government has imposed a 0.5 percent levy on goods imported into Nigeria from outside Africa.
All services including telecommunication services are liable to excise tax at rates to be prescribed by the President.
Buhari in his last minute assent to the 2023 Finance Act retained the contentious sharing formula of Electronic Money Transfer (EMT) levy at 15 percent to the federal government, 50 percent to state governments and 35 percent to local governments.
EMT is a singular and one-off levy of N50 on the recipient of any electronic receipts or transfers of N10,000 or above.
Business
President Tinubu Leaves for Kenya, Rwanda and France to Strengthen Strategic Partnerships
At the two summits, President Tinubu will deliver statements highlighting his administration’s ongoing reforms to reposition the nation as a prime destination for investment and growth. He will also hold high-level meetings with top-tier global and African business leaders.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will depart Abuja on Saturday, May 2nd, on a visit to Kenya, Rwanda and France.
The itinerary details are provided by Bayo Onanuga,Special Adviser to the President(Information & Strategy), as follows:
” President Tinubu’s first stop will be in France, after which he will depart for Nairobi, Kenya, to attend the Africa-France Summit scheduled to begin next week.
Co-chaired by President Emmanuel Macron and President William Ruto, the summit focuses on energy transition, green industrialisation, digital transformation, restructuring of global financing architecture, and climate action.
President Tinubu’s participation at the summit from May 11- 12 will underscore Nigeria’s unwavering commitment to strengthening strategic partnerships with African nations and the French Republic.
The summit, with the theme – “Africa Forward: Africa-France Partnerships for Innovation and Growth” – will provide a high-level platform for African leaders and their French counterparts to deliberate on critical issues affecting the continent, including economic transformation, climate resilience, infrastructure development, youth empowerment, technological advancement, and peace-building initiatives.
At the end of the Kenyan summit, President Tinubu will depart for Kigali, Rwanda, to attend the annual Africa CEO Forum, taking place between May 14th and 15th.
With the theme “Scale or Fail”, this year’s Africa CEO Forum will be the largest gathering of African private sector leaders, investors, and policymakers, focusing on accelerating economic transformation through shared scale, regional integration, and increased cross-border investment.
Held in partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the summit brings together over 2,000 top executives and national leaders to debate strategies for building resilient, competitive industries.
At the two summits, President Tinubu will deliver statements highlighting his administration’s ongoing reforms to reposition the nation as a prime destination for investment and growth. He will also hold high-level meetings with top-tier global and African business leaders.
President Tinubu will be accompanied on the trip by some of his ministers and senior aides.
He will return to Nigeria at the end of the Rwanda summit. “
Business
Nigerian Lawmakers Demand Arrest of World Bank Official Calling for Reinstatement of Petroleum Import Licences
Declaring the unnamed World Bank official persona non grata, the Committee gave the Bank 30 days to issue a public retraction and written apology.
The House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream) has call for the dismissal and arrest of the World Bank official responsible for the April 7, 2026 Nigeria Development Update, which recommended the reinstatement of petroleum import licences.
The Committee described the recommendation as a reckless move capable of undermining Nigeria’s indigenous refining capacity.
In a formal resolution, the Committee condemned the World Bank report, which claimed that imported petroleum products are 12 percent cheaper than those from the Dangote Refinery.
It rejected the position as contrary to Nigeria’s national economic interest and an unacceptable interference in the country’s sovereign petroleum policy.
Declaring the unnamed World Bank official persona non grata, the Committee gave the Bank 30 days to issue a public retraction and written apology.
It further demanded that the staff member responsible for the report be relieved of their duties and subjected to investigation.
Business
Senate approves Tinubu’s $516.3m loan
The syndicated financing facility is being sought from Deutsche Bank, according to a letter of request Tinubu sent to the Senate last Thursday.
The Senate has approved the $516.3 million loan requested by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The money will be used for the construction of the Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway (Section One, Phase 1A and B).
The approval was given on Wednesday after the Senate considered the report of its Committee on Local and Foreign Debts.
The committee, chaired by Senator Magatagarda Wamakko, recommended the approval of the loan.
The syndicated financing facility is being sought from Deutsche Bank, according to a letter of request Tinubu sent to the Senate last Thursday.
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