The Senate on Tuesday, December 17, summoned the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbosola, to appear before it with the comptroller general of the Nigerian Immigration Service, Muhammed Babandede.
Aregbesola and Babandede are to brief the Senate on Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters on latest visa on arrival policy for Africans visiting Nigeria by the Federal Government announced by President Muhammadu Buhari in Egypt.
The Herald gathered that the invitation of the minister followed a point of order raised by the Senator representing Ekiti North Senatorial District, Olubunmi Adetunmbi.
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Adetunmbi had drawn the attention of the Senate to the fact that the executive did not seek necessary amendments to extant laws by the National Assembly before the policy became operational.
The Herald reported that Aregbesola said that rich must be taxed mercilessly in order to eradicate poverty in Nigeria. Aregbesola made this known while speaking at the 60th birthday of the former governor of Oyo state, Abiola Ajimobi.
Aregbesola has always been a believer of using the wealth of the wealthy to empower the poor. According to him, “We must mercilessly tax the rich, if we are to cure the problem of poverty. We have two contending forces, the poor and the privileged rich.
“The rich have no problem, they are comfortable. The problem is the poor and they are in the majority. And the point is if the rich failed to address this problem, the comfort of the rich will be taken away, so they must release much of their money to help the poor.”
However, the minister of interior made no pretence about his stance on placing heavy taxes on the rich in the society.
During his screening at the Senate in July, the Minister told the members of Senate that he would pioneer privilege taxes for Nigerians with huge resources to help the other citizens struggling for survival.
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