Here is a roundup of some Nigerian newspaper headlines with advocacy calls.
1. ‘Prison decongestion: 53,225 pretrial detainees languish in jail despite push to pardon ‘politicians’ – The Guardian
Amid the pressure on the federal government to grant pardons to politically exposed persons (PEPs) and the attendant review of such requests, a larger population of detainees that need clemency the most are getting ignored.
Our Take: Honourable Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, while the political elite push for VIP pardons, over 53,000 pretrial detainees continue to waste away behind bars. If prison decongestion is truly the goal, perhaps the focus should shift from liberating well-connected ‘victims of circumstance’ to ensuring justice for those who can’t afford a team of senior advocates.
2. ‘Proponents, opponents dissect Tinubu’s tax reform bills’ – Daily Trust
Stakeholders including the Association of Capital Market Academics of Nigeria (ACMAN), Supreme Council for Shariah in Nigeria and the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN) yesterday rejected the incremental increase in the Value Added Tax (VAT) as proposed in the tax reform bills.
Our Take: The Senate needs to tread carefully on these tax reform bills because squeezing more VAT out of already struggling Nigerians is like trying to milk a cow that’s barely standing.
3. ‘Filling stations shut, loading halted as Lagos impounds tankers’ – Punch
Marketers of petroleum products have expressed concerns that the alleged harassment of tanker drivers by officials of the Lagos State Government could lead to fuel scarcity in a few days, as some filling stations were shut in various parts of the state on Monday.
Our Take: The Lagos State government needs to swiftly release the impounded tankers and find a less disruptive way to enforce regulations because, quite frankly, Nigerians already have enough battles to fight – rising costs, epileptic power supply, and the ever-present game of ‘fuel scarcity roulette’. If swift action is not taken, long queues at filling stations will once again become the new normal, adding unnecessary suffering to an already burdened populace. Governance should be about solutions, not creating more problems.
