As part of efforts to prepare ahead for the local government elections, the Ogun State government has charged the staffers of the Ogun state Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC) to embrace attitudinal change towards work and be a Covid-19 compliant by wearing nose mask, washing of hands and uses of hands sanitizers at all times.

The Permanent Secretary, OGSIEC, Mrs. Mojisola Dosunmu made this known during a-day training programme organized for the staff and members of the commission, held at OGSIEC office, Oke-Ilewo, Abeokuta, the State capital.

Mrs. Dosunmu said the programme was birthed in order to further encourage the staffers to gear-up to their attitude to work, as well as adhering strictly to preventive measures of covid-19, especially in their offices as the virus still very much within, noting that it was important to prevent ourselves from contacting it than be looking for the cure.

One of the resource persons, Mrs. Idowu Kehinde, Director, Management Services and Zonal Administration, implored the staffers to cultivate the right attitude to work, while upholding the principles and ethics of the civil service, as this would foster achievement of organizational goals set by the government.

She added that officers should be willing and ready to learn as well as be a team player at every point in time, saying this will enhance their productivity at the workplace, especially through working together as a team.

Also, Dr. Olalekan Sodeinde of the State Ministry of health, in his lecture said Covid-19 was very much within, noting that observing physical distance reduces the risk of contact with droplets from an infected person’s sneeze/cough.

Dr. Sodeinde admonished the staff and management of the Commission to always wear a face mask, wash their hands frequently with soap under running water, cough/sneeze into their bent elbow and maintain physical distance, saying that as far as there are no vaccines for the virus yet, the state government was taking laudable steps to stem the communal spread of the virus, by creating centers across the 20 local government areas of the state for free Covid-19 testing and home treatment packages for people with mild symptoms.

The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, has said that for appreciable development to take place in the country, more women must be regarded and enlisted to take up more spaces in governanc

He said the 51 per cent ratio of women to men cannot be underestimated, urging that the country should learn from the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN) and give more women positions of authority.

Lawan, who spoke on Monday at the investiture of Mrs. Clara Nnachi when she was decorated as the sixth Chairman of the Abuja District Society of the CITN, observed that the National President of CITN, Gladys Olajumoke Simplice, is a woman and Clara, wife of Senator Michael Nnachi, representing Ebonyi South, is also a woman.
To him, there must be something unique about women that the CITN has seen and which Nigeria should learn from.

According to him, “I think Nigeria needs more women in government. We can’t neglect that sizable portion of our population. About 51 per cent of Nigerians are women. We have to ensure that opportunities are there for our women to participate not only in governance or politics because that is elite, but in other spheres, including business, market and farm. I think Nigeria has a lot to learn from CITN.”

On the importance attached to taxation, the Senate president said crude oil had been the mainstay of the nation’s economy but lamented that the country has not taken full advantage of it.

“Oil revenues are not properly utilised to fix the economy and now revenues are dwindling. When people pay taxes, they have the right to ask how the money is spent. Even though we need to expand the tax net, we shouldn’t capture those who need the tax to live decent lives.
[12/14, 16:29] : There are many people who ought to pay taxes and are not paying and there are businesses which ought to pay taxes but are not paying,” Lawan said.

Earlier, the outgoing chairman, Nwabuzor Emeke, while speaking on the theme of this year’s tax week, “Tax, Politics and Social Contract”, noted that an important part of every country’s development process is the building of a social contract in which citizens pay tax and, in return, receive public goods and services.