The federal Governments Thursday set up eight tax administrative tribunals to handle tax dispute in the country. This is coming on the heels of the federal government determination to focus on non oil tax revenue. The tribunals are located in the six geopolitical zones of the federation and one each in Lagos and Abuja. Each of the tribunals has a chairman and four other members called commissioners.

Eight insurance companies have established a study centre in Warri, Delta State for prospective students of the industry’s Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN) examinations as well as insurance professionals.

The Institute of Risk Management (IRM) in collaboration with the Risk and Insurance Managers Society of Nigeria will be certifying managers after a 2-day intensive training scheduled for March in Lagos.

To ensure massive rice production in the country, the Third National Fadama Development project is collaborating with the National Centre for Agricultural Mechanism (NCAM) and Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria via an international initiative to boost rice production using simple cultivation technology.
The National Project Coordinator of Fadama project, Mr. Bukar Tijani who disclosed this while speaking during the collaborative meeting in Abuja, explained that the Fadam project is specifically designed to increase the incomes of users of rural land and water resources on a sustainable basis.

He explained the aim of the collaboration was to further improve rice production as an integral part of the mandate of the project towards reducing poverty, unemployment through improved agricultural activities particularly in the rural areas as a means ensuring food security.

The Fadama III Project and NCAM according him would work closely to ensure that Fadama groups are well trained for the adoption of the technology, which provides for a simple method of rice farming through bounding, pudding, levelling and smoothening of the soil.

In his remarks, the Acting Executive Director, National Centre for Agricultural Mechanism (NCAM), Engineer Ike Azogu, explained that the organisation would collaborate with the Fadama project under an improved rice production technology known as ‘SAWAH’ Technology Project.

The technology he said places high emphasis on water, soil fertility and weed management to achieve higher yields was said to has been domiciled in NCAM for the last eight years.

Engr. Azogu stressed further that, because of the close linkage of Fadama III project with farming communities was considered a veritable platform on whcich the technology could thrive effectively taking into cognisance its wide coverage of about 641 local government areas in Nigeria.

The Federal Government is to provide 600 hectares of land to cattle rearers under its grazing reserve project in Katsina State.
Dr Aminu Umar, the Project Manager, National Livestock Project, made the announcement in Runka village, Safana Local Government Area of Katsina State, during an inspection tour of the project.

Strong protest from Insurance brokers is trailing the Federal Government’s Group Life Insurance Scheme (GLIS). The protest is over the selection of insurance companies to insure federal government properties across the country for 2010.

Last Tuesday, the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee (LPPC) headed by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu, okayed 19 senior legal practitioners including two academics for admission into the prestigious rank of the Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN).

The Commonwealth Lawyers Association, CLA, an international Organisation, which seeks to promote and maintain the rule of law through out the Commonwealth regions by ensuring that the an independent and efficient legal profession with the highest standards of ethics and integrity serves the people of the region, will hold its regional conference in Abuja.

Efforts to tackle human rights abuses which are prevalent in the Africa region, especially in Nigeria received a boost recently with the introduction of the new Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules (FREP), 2009.

The party cannot claim to have integrity when it is still holding on to the money it collected from aspirants. Good conduct and governance are best defined by equity and justice. What informed the choice of Soludo’s over the unarguably better qualified aspirants some of whom have laboured to establish the party in Anambra State over the past 10 years? Soludo may be very tall in learning but what of character?