PL : Tottenham identify Pochettino’s replacement

Champions League finalists, Tottenham have identified outgoing Juventus boss, Max Allegri as the possible replacement for Mauricio Pochettino, according to Sunday Express.

Pochettino had told Tottenham chiefs that he could leave the north London side if they win the Champions League final against Liverpool in Madrid.

Juventus have also confirmed that Allegri will leave the Turin outfit at the end of the Italian Serie A season.

And while chairman Daniel Levy hopes that the Pochettino will stay put, he has begun to identify potential replacements.

Juventus have also included Pochettino on their shortlist to succeed Allegri, while Bayern Munich are also interested in the former Southampton boss.

And Spurs could seek to bring in Allegri if their current head coach moves on ahead of the 2019/20 season.

- DAILY POST

Ex-governors retiring to Senate are unproductive – Senator Nwogu

Senator Nkechi Nwogu, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has taken a swipe at the former State governors for running into the National Assembly after expiration of their tenures as Chief Executive Officer of their various states.

Nwogu, asserted that retiring governors in the country, were gradually turning the Senate to a political burial ground, alleging that most of the former governors were trooping into the Red Chamber to dodge criminal prosecutions.

The Senator, who spoke in an interview with newsmen on Sunday, pointed out that the ex-governors could plot to remove a sitting President, because, they have their war chests.

“I think it is a time bomb in the making. The Senate is gradually turning to a political burial ground for retiring governors. I thought the system would stop governors from retiring to the Senate unproductively. They go there to hide and they have nothing to offer. If care is not taken, they would be the determinants of what happens in the Nigerian economy.

“If out of 109 senators, the former governors make up the majority, they can decide whether to bring down a president or not, because they have the war chest. Unless something is done, I foresee that in the near future, we would have more former governors in the Senate than people who are there to work”.

The APC chieftain, who was also the Senatorial candidate of the party for Abia South zone in 2019 poll, lambasted the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for allegedly promoting impunity and illegality during its sixteen years reign in Nigeria.

“The party did not get it right. They started playing God. They believed they could do anything and get away with it. They were no longer selecting their candidates based on merit; rather, they were only concerned about who paid the highest,” she said.

- DAILY POST

TRANSFER NEWS : Solskjaer, Woodward clash over Pogba’s move to Real Madrid

Manchester United manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, is prepared to let Paul Pogba join Real Madrid this summer in a £120million move, the UK Sun reports.

Pogba was seen as key to Solskjaer’s rebuilding project at Old Trafford, when he took over last December.

The France midfielder was keen on joining Barcelona last summer and, despite a mid-season upturn in performances, he remains keen on leaving the club and is said to have informed Solskjaer of his desire to join Real Madrid.

United’s executive vice-chairman, Ed Woodward, believes losing Pogba to the Spanish giants would be a major blow to United’s image and reputation across the world.

However, Solskjaer feels he can’t afford to carry passengers, as he looks to rebuild the club and is willing to let Pogba leave.

The Norwegian coach knows the pressure will be on during his first full season in charge and he wants players that he can rely on and that are fully focused on his project.

- DAILY POST

FIRS to impose VAT on online transactions, gives reason

The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) says it will soon begin collection of Value Added Tax (VAT) on online transactions.
The Chairman of the agency, Mr Babatunde Fowler, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in New York on Saturday.

Fowler said: “soon, we will ask banks to impose VAT on online transactions for purchases of goods and services.

“Not that it is something new; it actually should be in existence.

“We will certainly follow up to make sure that every VAT that is due to be collected is collected.”

He explained that the move was part of measures by FIRS to meet its N8 trillion revenue target for 2019.

Fowler said the agency had started taking action against companies and businesses that refused to embrace the Federal Government’s tax amnesty programme.

According to him, FIRS hopes to generate between N750 billion and N1 trillion from the clampdown, which includes closure of defaulters’ bank accounts.

“We are going after everybody. I am sure you have heard that we have placed lien on some accounts of defaulters that have a billion naira turnover annually.

“So certainly, we are not leaving anyone out of the tax net,” he said.

Officially known as the Voluntary Asset and Income Declaration Scheme, the tax amnesty programme was launched in 2017.

It gave tax defaulters a one-year period of grace to declare and settle their unpaid taxes.

There have been complaints by some taxpayers of being wrongly targeted by FIRS in the clampdown.

Asked to comment on that, Fowler admitted, as he blamed it on “administrative error,” arising from the huge number of accounts involved.

“Well, there is certainly one or two instances where we made administrative error, but when you are looking at over 50,000 accounts, there is a tendency that sometimes an error might be made.
“For those that we made errors on, I wrote them personally apologising and of course we lifted the lien on their accounts.”
On plans by the Joint Tax Board to raise the country’s tax population to 45 million, Fowler said the agency was relying on multiple information sources.
These, according to him, include the country’s Bank Verification Number database and sister agencies with relevant information.

- DAILY POST

EFCC arrests suspected Internet Fraudster

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Benin Zonal Office has arrested a suspected internet fraudster, Michael Ehizele.

The suspect was arrested in collaboration with a sister security agency. Upon his arrest, three phones and an exotic car, Benz C300 AMG were recovered from him.

The suspect has made useful statement and will be arraigned in court as soon as investigations are complete.

The arrest of the alleged internet fraudster is in line with the directive of the acting Executive chairman, Ibrahim Magu to rid the society of internet fraud and cyber crime.

- PM NEWS

CHIEF LOOTER ! ANIMAL TALK !! Emefiele: We will make it difficult for people to bypass our economic policies

Godwin Emefiele, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), says his next tenure would be used to pursue policies that will further diversify the economy and make it difficult for people to circumvent policies.

Emefiele, who was recently confirmed for a second term as governor of the apex bank, made this known on Friday at a special convocation of the University of Nigeria (UNN), where he was conferred with an honorary doctorate degree in business administration.

“Nigeria belongs to all of us and we have a role to play to make sure things get better,” he said.

“I will also emphasise that Nigerian policymakers are good at developing policies, but the biggest challenge of the Nigerian economic policy is that people try circumventing policies.

“Given this opportunity now, we will make it very difficult for people to circumvent economic policies.

“We must learn to respect our policies. If you don’t respect the economic policies of this country, and you fall short of our economic policies as an economic saboteur, you will be dealt with.”

According to the CBN governor, a lot still has to be done to ensure that the economic growth experienced so far is consolidated.

“Challenges still remain such as ensuring that the pace of GDP growth remains well ahead of our annual population growth at 2.7 percent. But this can only be achieved if we continue to support efforts aimed at improving domestic production of goods in Nigeria.”

Recently, the CBN boss warned that businesses that engage in smuggling will be blacklisted and barred from carrying out transactions with commercial banks.

His second term will begin on June 3.

- THECABLE

Ogoni Women accuse army of deliberate, systematic killing

Ogoni women, under the aegis of Ogoni Women of Praise have called on Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike to take steps to end the constant harassment of peaceful Ogoni community dwellers by the Nigerian army as the shooting in Ogoni communities is causing extreme fear and sending Ogoni women and children to early graves.

Coordinator of the group, Mrs Comfort Daada made the call on Saturday in reaction to yesterday’s heavy shooting by the army in Yeghe, Gokana Local Government Area, noting that the attitude of the army against the Ogoni people, especially the community of Yeghe must be discouraged as it appeared to be a deliberate plot to systematically kill the people .

The septuagenarian said there was no incident in Yeghe warranting any shooting and that to be faced with the sudden fright of a military raid is only killing innocent people especially women and children. She said the government was treating citizens in the most unpleasant ways by allowing the military to become an instrument of torture.

Daada said yesterday’s night raid was reminiscent of the Paul Okuntimo’s era and that the army should be advised against that as it seriously hurt the women, children and innocent citizens, including the strangers among them.

She said the fear and torment experienced by the community dwellers was horrendous and is gradually sending the indigenes to death.

“We are extremely terrified and many of our women and children are falling ill out of fear” she said. Narrating the case of a woman who collapsed and died just hearing the sound of gunshots during an army raid, Daada said what the army was doing in Ogoni was a way to gradually send people to early graves.

She urged the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike to take urgent measures to protect Ogoni citizens and end the spate of military repression in the land.

- PM NEWS