Anambra deepens digital reforms, eyes top ranking in ease of doing business - ITREALMS

ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news! 

The Anambra State government has reaffirmed commitment to building a tech-driven and business-friendly environment, with Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo's administration leading the charge, reports ITREALMS.

The State Government recently hosted the maiden State Action on Business Enabling Reforms (SABER) technical session and statewide town hall meeting on July 8, 2025, at the International Conference Center in Awka.

How MTN’s financial woes highlight challenges of doing business in Nigeria by Elvis Eromosele - ITREALMS

Commentary@ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news!

Doing business in Nigeria is tough. While we say this all the time, nothing makes it more real than the release of annual financial reports. Take MTN Nigeria’s latest report, it shows the bruising realities faced by businesses in the country today.

Take a look at the numbers. MTN Nigeria generated a staggering ₦3. 36 trillion in revenue in the year ended December 31, 2024, up 36.03 per cent from N2.47 trillion in 2023. Yet, it is regarded as a bad year, because it reported a loss of N400.4 billion after tax for the financial year. This was due to a net foreign exchange loss of N925.36 billion from ₦740.43 billion in 2023.

Dangote doing good job says Tinubu - ITREALMS

ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news!

The Federal Government has affirmed the Dangote Group’s pivotal role in the country’s push towards industrialization, as the company took the center stage at the ongoing Kaduna International Trade Fair.

Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Dafang I. Sule, who represented President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, thanked the company for “doing a good job” in Nigeria.

Bayelsa: We're doing grassroots development

ITREALMS:

The Bayelsa State Government has expressed determination to complete developmental projects in the state, which will directly change the lives of the people and attract investments, reports ITRealms.

The government therefore solicited for more support from the people even as it moves towards the end of its second term in 2020.

The State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Daniel Iworiso-Markson gave the assurance on Wednesday in Yenagoa during a courtesy call on him by the leadership of a political pressure group, Forum of Ogbia former councillors.

He told his guests that the Restoration Government is spreading development across the state and urged them to join in galvanizing support for the Seriake Dickson led administration.

The Commissioner said, ‘’Let me thank you for finding time to visit me today. I want to assure you of the willingness of this government to make a difference before the end of our tenure and we are committed to that.

‘’We have spread development across the state and it is very visible for everyone to see. I charge you to do everything you can to galvanize more support for the Restoration Government’’.

He enjoined the group to play their part in the unity and peaceful coexistence of Ogbia Kingdom which is key for sustainable development in the area and assured them that the government will work with them as key stakeholders.

Earlier, Chairman of the Ogbia ex-Councillors, James Erefa thanked Iworiso-Markson for his contribution to the peace and development of Ogbia Kingdom.

He pledged the group’s unflinching support to the restoration government and promised to stand by the governor as he continues to attract meaningful development to Ogbia.

Uboshe Uboshe/GEE

ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!

Ease of doing business: Amended tax order inimical to telecom, imposes 38 levies – ALTON

ITREALMS:

The Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) has expressed concerned over the difficulties in doing business in the sector imposed by the Amended Taxes & Levies Order, 2015, reports ITRealms.

The order, ITRealms gathered imposed not less than 38 taxes and levies on telecom sector, which ALTON described as institutionalizing the multiplicity of taxes across different tiers of government.

Lamenting these difficulties to ITRealms, the ALTON chairman, Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, said the Amended Order failed to fix the taxable rate resulting in the imposition of arbitrary levies and charges at the State Government levels.

“The industry is also burdened with enactment of laws at the State Government levels to legitimate spurious levies and charges on our members which negates the ease of doing business in Nigeria,” he told ITRealms.

Particularly, ALTON noted that item 3 (b) of the Amended Schedule to the Taxes and Levies (Approved List for Collection) Act introduced new levies and taxes under items 12 – 25. Most of these taxes and levies were hitherto contested by our members on the grounds that they were not applicable to telecommunications operations justified by the previous Taxes and Levies (Approved List for Collection) Act 1998.

For ALTON, “It is disturbing that the entire instrument has given the State Governments authorization to coerce and disrupt the operations of our members in order to compel the payment of sundry levies, charges and taxes.  Rather than Amended Order addressing the issue of multiple taxation; it on the contrary increased the tax burden of our members and adversely impacted the ease of doing businesses in Nigeria.”

Further, ALTON pleaded for the intervention of the Honourable Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, to review the Amended Taxes and Levies Order 2015, which has been adjudged to be inimical to the normal operations of telecommunication operations, stressing that telecommunications infrastructure deserved a presidential executive order at this time of the nation’s growth. 

Chuks Egbune/GEE

ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!