The Ovori of Ibeshe, Oba Alani Gausu, on Wednesday blamed lack of
training and human error from boat operators for the death of 16 boat
passengers who are from the Sumola Aniajogun family of Ibeshe in Mile2
area of Lagos recently.
This is even as the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA)
revealed that the jetty where the ill-fated boat departed last Friday
had been closed down since last year June. The Authority also arrested
seven people in an open boat without wearing life jacket, who claimed
to be boat drivers.
Speaking when a delegation from the Lagos Area office of the NIWA
visited him in his palace yesterday, Oba Alani Gausu, urged the
regulators to carry out more training for boat skippers to ensure such
avoidable incidents are not repeated.
“The boat tragedy that resulted in the death of 17 boat passengers
last Friday was due to human error. The boat driver failed to do what
he ought to have done before loading passengers on the boat and
pushing the boat into water. How can a boat driver load passengers on
a boat, push the boat into the water before checking if he had the
correct mixture of engine oil in the boat engine?
“Due to this error from the boat driver, the tide pushed the fully
loaded boat underneath a barge and the entire passengers, including
the boat driver drowned. It all boils down to lack of training for
boat drivers. Many of them are not educated. Many of them operate
under the influence of drugs. It is important that NIWA, Lagos State
Waterways Authority (LASWA), and other stakeholders provide training
for boat skippers,” he added.
JTB Swoops On Tax Defaulters As VAIDS’ Amnesty Ends
Joint Tax Board (JTB) and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS)
have mobilised for a full-scale enforcement and recovery of taxes owed
by recalcitrant defaulters.
The move, which includes prosecution, follows the expiration of a long
grace window provided by the Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration
Scheme (VAIDS) set up by the Federal Government of Nigeria through the
Federal Ministry of Finance.
In a Public Notice, titled: “Post-VAIDS Enforcement and Prosecution
Exercise,” and signed by Muhammad Nami, the Executive Chairman FIRS,
who doubles as the Chairman JTB, the tax bodies stated that a
full-scale enforcement exercise, including prosecution is to commence
immediately on defaulting taxpayers who did not take advantage of the
Scheme (VAIDS). “The defaulting taxpayers will be assessed to tax in
accordance with the relevant provisions of the tax laws.”
Taxpayers who had outstanding tax liabilities, which had previously
been declared under the Scheme were encouraged to pay up their
outstanding liabilities immediately to avoid having the reliefs
granted by the Scheme withdrawn.
VAIDS is powered by Executive Order 004 of 2017, which provided an
opportunity for taxpayers who were in default of tax liabilities to
voluntarily declare their assets and income, and pay taxes due on
them, and in return obtain amnesty from prosecution among other
benefits for a 12 month period from the 1st of July, 2017. The scheme
also provided that upon taking advantage of the amnesty, tax reliefs
such as immunity from prosecution for tax offences, immunity from tax
audit, waiver of interest, waiver of penalties and the option of
spreading payment of outstanding liabilities over a maximum period of
three years would be available.