The Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos has upheld an additional $6,972,248 (about N1.24 billion) tax assessment against the Halliburton Energy Services Nigeria Limited, HESNL. The Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, had raised an additional tax assessment against HESNL for year 1996 to 1999. Displeased with the FIRS decision, Halliburton filed a complaint at the defunct Body of Appeal Commissioner.

Just last weekend, I had an interesting conversation about vegetarian diet. These conversations come up regularely because, or so I think, whenever I say at a lunch or dinner table that I do not eat meat (and fish etc) a whole (meat) world is at stake. It was lunch time and the usual parade of chicken and fish dishes was tabled – followed by my request for ‘food without eyes which can look at me’.

Another well-attended and thought-provoking edition of the British Council Creative Industries Expo was concluded in Lagos yesterday with speakers and moderators from Nigeria, UK and South Africa sharing their experiences, expertise, vision and strategies for building collaborative work practices and gave examples of the diverse forms of collaboration taking place both in Nigeria and around the world.

All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, unveiled his running mate, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo as a man of unimpeachable integrity who he said would join him in restoring hope to the country’s citizenry.

Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babatunde Fashola SAN, has urged corps members deployed to Lagos State to leave behind a positive impact at the expiration of their service year.

He gave this charge during the swearing-In ceremony held at the NYSC orientation camp, Iyana Ipaja, Lagos.

He said: “As agents of change and development, the state is looking up to you for physical transformation and technological ideas that will add to the socio-economic development in our education sector.” Also, he pointed out that attention of corps members are needed in poverty eradication, rural health and in combating the HIV/AIDS pandemic as well as other ills and diseases bedeviling the society.

Yaba College of Technology, Yabatech, with a total of 17 gold, 8 silver and 9 bronze medals, has won the 18th Nigeria Polytechnic Games, NIPOGA, held in Bida, Niger State, bring it to seven, the number of times the school has won the title and giving them the most successful school in NIPOGA history

WINNERS of the 2014 UBA Foundation National Essay Competition have emerged. This was disclose on Monday in a ceremony held at UBA House, Lagos.

Miss Fabelurin Fehintoluwa 15, of Maverick College, Ibadan, Oyo State clinches the N1 million education grant to attend any university of her choice in Africa. The grant becomes effective immediately she gains admission to the university.

In furtherance of the search for Africa’s best début fiction writer for 2014, Etisalat Nigeria has announced a shortlist of three writers.

The shortlisted writers and their works are Nadia Davids, An Imperfect Blessing published by Random House Struik-Umuzi; Chinelo Okparanta’s Happiness Like Water published by Granta Publication and Songeziwe Mahlangu, Penumbra published by Kwela Books, Imprint of NB Publishers.

In a conscious bid to put an end to the crisis of standard and performance in Nigeria secondary schools, as well as proffer solutions to the numerous challenges facing the educational system, Voluncercorps held a one day conference in Lagos.

Africa Development Bank (AfDB) has imposed a three year debarment on China First Highway Engineering Co. Ltd. following its admission of fraudulent and collusive practices in an AfDB-financed project. The bank also levied a financial penalty of $18.86 million on the company to support anti-corruption projects on the continent.