The presidency said no amount of opposition pushback would stop the implementation of the laws in January, while dismissing claims that it secretly altered some provisions of the newly enacted tax reform laws.

It was reports that the tax reform laws, which faced stiff opposition from federal lawmakers from the northern part of the country before their passage, are scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2026.

President Bola Tinubu signed the four tax reform bills into law, marking what the government has described as the most significant overhaul of the country’s tax system in decades.

According to the Federal Government, the reforms are designed to simplify tax compliance, expand the tax base, eliminate overlapping taxes, and modernise revenue collection across federal, state, and local governments.

However, the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and several civil society organisations have called for the suspension of the implementation of the laws.

The call follows alleged discrepancies between the tax laws passed by the National Assembly and the versions gazetted and released to the public, raised by a member of the House of Representatives, Abdussamad Dasuki.

Dasuki, who made the allegations during plenary, insisted that the content of the gazetted tax laws did not reflect what members debated, voted on, and passed, warning that, if not addressed, the alleged alterations could render the new tax laws legally vulnerable because they lacked legislative approval.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmaker further urged the speaker to ensure that all relevant documents, including the harmonised versions, votes, and proceedings of both chambers, were brought before the Committee of the Whole for scrutiny by all members.

In response to the opposition outrage, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, in an interview with Punch, insisted that there was no evidence that the laws had been altered.

While describing the criticisms as opposition noise, aimed at creating controversy around government policy, Ajayi argued that allegations that the tax documents were altered had not been established by any constituted authority.

According to him, the tax laws were enacted through due process and would take full effect from January 1, 2026, with relevant government agencies already mobilised to ensure smooth implementation.

He stressed that the implementation committee had been working for the past six months and would not be distracted by what he described as attempts to undermine the policy.

He said, “Opposition elements can say whatever they want, even when it is very obvious to every rational person that all they seek to do every time is to pollute the waters and create a toxic environment around policy issues.”

Ajayi noted that the House of Representatives had already established a committee to examine the allegations, led by the Chairman of the House Committee on Finance, James Faleke.

According to him, the appropriate course of action is to allow the committee to carry out its assignment and present its findings.

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Nollywood actress, Doris Ogala has taken her dispute with Pastor Chris Okafor, founder of the Mountain of Liberation and Miracle Ministry, to a new level by calling on Nigeria’s Department of State Services to step in.

It was reports that the actress made the call during an appearance on the KAA Truths podcast, where she spoke about the church altar and said security authorities should examine what is beneath it.

Her comments comes on the heels of a long-running fallout between her and the pastor, which began over a marriage promise she claimed was made but never kept.

Ogala alleged that a tragic incident happened while the church altar was being built, claiming that the structure collapsed at a point and led to a death.

She also stated that a blogger later noticed something unusual at the site, which allegedly caused concern.

According to her account, the discovery pushed Pastor Okafor to reach out to her privately to ask how the situation could be handled and how the blogger could be silenced.

She insisted that the DSS should visit the church, dig up the altar area, and carry out a proper investigation to clear the air.

The actress has had several public clashes with the pastor in recent times, including sharing personal videos online.

She said: “DSS should go to that church and open his altar. I wouldn’t say further than that. When they were building that place, that place collapsed, somebody died. Apart from somebody dying, there is a blogger that found something on the ground. This man was begging, he called me and asked me what he could do to let the blogger close his mouth. DSS should go and open that altar. The church altar where he used to stand, they should dig it up and open it.”

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The United States Government has temporarily halted legal immigration applications filed by Nigerians and nationals of other countries newly added to the US “travel ban” proclamation this week, CBC News reports.

The suspension primarily impacts immigrants from certain African and Asian countries, marking a further escalation of a broad crackdown on legal immigration initiated by the Trump administration this month.

Many of those affected by the pause are believed to be legal immigrants already in the United States who are seeking to change their immigration status or become US citizens.

Earlier in December, the Trump administration directed US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to freeze all immigration petitions, including requests for American citizenship and permanent residency, made by individuals in the US who are nationals of the 19 countries originally banned or restricted under the travel ban imposed in June.

That order, commonly referred to as the “travel ban” was one of several immigration restrictions announced in the aftermath of the Thanksgiving week shooting of two National Guard soldiers in Washington, D.C., an attack reportedly carried out by an Afghan national.

The administration also suspended decisions on asylum cases handled by USCIS and the processing of all immigration and visa requests by Afghans.

Additionally, on Tuesday, Trump expanded the travel ban proclamation to include 20 more nations, fully barring immigrants and travellers from five new countries and partly restricting entry from 15 others.

Speaking with CBS News on Friday, a US official, who requested anonymity due to the internal nature of the changes — said USCIS has broadened its suspension of immigration cases to include the new nationalities added to the proclamation.

The pause will now affect nationals of Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan and Syria, the new countries facing full travel bans.

It will also impact those from Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia and Zimbabwe, who face partial restrictions under the latest directive.

Previously, the suspension applied to nationals of Afghanistan, Burundi, Chad, Cuba, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Laos, Myanmar, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Togo, Turkmenistan, Yemen and Venezuela.

In his latest proclamation, Trump imposed a full entry ban on citizens of Laos and Sierra Leone, which previously faced only partial restrictions.

In a statement posted on social media late Thursday, USCIS Director Joseph Edlow appeared to allude to the expanded travel ban.

“USCIS is conducting a comprehensive review of anyone from anywhere who poses a threat to the US, including those identified in the President’s latest proclamation to restore law and order in our nation’s immigration system,” Edlow wrote.

Taken together, Trump’s latest travel ban affects nationals of over 60 per cent of countries in Africa and roughly 20 per cent of all nations worldwide.

Trump has defended the sweeping restrictions as necessary to safeguard national security and address concerns about the ability to vet people from the affected countries.

However, the decision has sparked reactions among Nigerians, with many denouncing the move as unfair and exaggerated, dismissing the security and religious freedom concerns cited by Washington.

Commentators highlighted potential diplomatic embarrassment and economic harm, while disputing or downplaying the rationale given by US officials.

Former senator Shehu Sani described the ban as “a clear signal that migrants from developing countries are no longer welcome.”

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