New Telegraph 
Implications of next tax policy
Dear Editor,
A deity that cannot add value to one’s life should leave one’s life as it has been! (Orisa ti ko gbe eniyan ye ki o fi aye eniyan si gege bi o ti ba aye eni!) The fact is that the newly introduced tax reform will definitely bring chronic hardship into the lives of the depositors in the sense that the money that is not sufficient for people to spend would be slashed from their accounts in their respective banks.
That is an act of shortchanging an individual whose tax had been withdrawn by their employers, especially the civil servants who are paying their taxes from the source before they even collect their salaries. The same thing applies to an individual whose money had been deducted by the bank operators after making transactions either through withdrawal or by making a deposit into their accounts.
The truth of the matter is that any products that were purchased from the grocery store call for deductions for value-added tax, i.e., VAT payment. People are earning their day-to-day incomes out of hard labour with rigorous engagement before they can obtain any amount to be deposited into their bank accounts.
There is nothing wrong with increasing the internally generated revenue by the Federal Government so as to have sufficient funds in the federation account to run the affairs of the country, but such raising of funds should be done correctly!
Those who have looted the colossal amount of money meant for infrastructure are to be traced by the whistle-blowers who can easily get the looted money recovered from them for the developmental projects across the country.
The traders are not exempt from the hardship, as the capital being deposited into their banks shall be gradually diminishing after making each transaction with their clients daily. I, therefore, urge the Federal Government and all the stakeholders involved to consider the plight of the masses and reverse the policy that can result in the economy’s strangulation in the country. Michael Oladimeji writes from Ibadan, Oyo State
WAEC CBT Exams: Laudable initiative, but wait…
Dear Editor,
The Senior Secondary School Certificate examination, conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), is held in Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia, The Gambia, and Nigeria. WAEC announced plans to shift from traditional paperand-pencil tests to Computer-Based Testing (CBT) for Nigeria’s 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), affecting about two million students across 23,554 schools.
The rollout begins with this year’s edition, tentatively scheduled from 24 April to 20 June 2026, to improve integrity, reduce malpractice and ensuring results are released 45 days after the exam, with digital certificates available within 90 days.
To support students, the examination body says it has introduced digital learning tools like the WAEC E-Study Portal, E-Learning Portal, and WAEC Konnect. These platforms offer past questions, marking schemes, and performance analysis.
Despite all these promises, a young student’s apprehension is not an isolated case. It is the silent and loud cry of thousands of students across Nigeria. While the shift toward digitalisation is a progressive move intended to curb examination malpractice and speed up the release of results, the infrastructure on the ground tells a different story.
In many suburban and rural schools, the “digital revolution” feels like an ancient myth. It was only last year that Nigeria crossed the 50 per cent broadband penetration mark, according to data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) under the National Broadband Plan (NBP) 2020–2025.
Students in urban centres may not be affected; both at home and in school, they’re exposed to computers and the internet. But introducing a computer-based exam to a student who has never held a mouse or sat before a steady power source creates an unfair playing field.
Interestingly, WAEC, through the Nigeria National Office Head, confirmed in the last week of the same month that “its plan to introduce a fully Computer-Based Test (CBT) system for the 2026 WASSCE for school candidates is firmly on track”, assuring the public that a key concern regarding travel has been addressed: “No candidate will have to travel more than 2km from their location to take the exam.
This assurance is based on a new school mapping strategy.” The transition to digital examinations cannot be successful through pronouncements alone, but if the examination body insists, then there must be clear communication to students through their schools and other stakeholders on a step-by-step strategy for this rollout, because students have registered and the examinations are underway.
What is the plan to equip public schools at 2km intervals with functional computer laboratories and consistent power solutions, such as solar energy? This must be considered carefully because our reality tells us that there are students across Nigeria who study on bare floors and in other dilapidated conditions.
There must be a nationwide programme for “Mock CBT” exams to familiarise students in underserved areas with the software interface before the actual harvest of grades begins. In this case, even teachers in such areas must be trained to ensure adequate supervision.
Without adequate information, one may not be able to speak for The Gambia, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Ghana, but here in Nigeria, WAEC and the Federal Government must speak clearly on how they want this to happen, because if the questions raised above cannot be answered with clarity, we should as well heed the advice of the lawmakers in the green chamber. Lawal Dahiru Mamman writes from Abuja via dahirulawal90@gmail.com
Another call for stiff penalties for drug traffickers
Dear Editor,
A few days ago, while browsing online, I came across a troubling report about a 37-year-old man who was once arrested for the same drug-related offence and was punished some years earlier. The story was unsettling, not just because of the crime itself, but because it highlighted a deeper problem: how lightly some drug offences are treated, even after the damage they cause has become painfully clear.
Stories like this revive a long-standing public conversation about whether punishments for drug trafficking truly match the gravity of the harm involved. Across the country, many concerned citizens have continued to argue that weak sentences fail to discourage offenders, especially when drug abuse and trafficking are already tearing families apart, destroying young lives, and burdening communities with lasting health and social problems.
There is a widely held belief that punishment should not only be corrective but also preventive. When penalties are mild and easily bypassed with money, they send the wrong message—that crime can be a calculated risk rather than a serious moral and legal violation.
Young people watching from the sidelines may conclude that the rewards outweigh the consequences, and that is a dangerous lesson for any society. Consider the effort involved in bringing a drug offender to justice. Law enforcement officers often risk their lives tracking suspects, gathering evidence, and seeing cases through to court.
Yet, after all that sacrifice, a conviction may result in a short prison term with an option of a fine that a well-funded offender can easily pay. The individual walks free, unchanged, while the officer is left wondering whether the struggle was worth it.
In such situations, justice feels incomplete— not just to the public, but to those tasked with protecting it. Contrast that with a firm, non-negotiable sentence that reflects the seriousness of the offence. A lengthy prison term without the option of a fine sends a powerful signal.
It tells potential offenders that drug trafficking is not a business risk but a life-altering mistake. It also reassures honest citizens and dedicated NDLEA officers that the law stands firmly on the side of public safety. The case is cited because it follows a familiar pattern. After an earlier arrest involving a large quantity of hard drugs concealed for export, he was convicted and paid a fine.
Rather than abandon the trade, he reportedly returned to it, adopting new methods and deeper secrecy. That return to crime suggests that the earlier punishment failed to reform or deter him. One can only imagine the mindset of those around such offenders—friends, partners, or associates—who may assume that arrest is merely a temporary inconvenience, easily resolved with money.
If consequences were truly severe and unavoidable, that confidence would vanish, and with it, much of the temptation to persist in the trade. Ultimately, this is not about vengeance; it is about protection, responsibility, and the value we place on human life.
Drug trafficking fuels addiction, violence, broken homes, and lost futures. If the law treats it casually, society pays the price repeatedly. Stronger, more consistent punishments may not solve the problem overnight, but they could mark a decisive step toward discouraging repeat offences and safeguarding the next generation from a path that leads only to ruin. Aernan Lubem writes from Makurdi, Benue State
Why the US must capture terrorists alive to avoid casualties
Dear Editor,
The significant and unending insecurity facing Nigerian citizens forced the USA AFRICOM to conduct precision airstrikes against terrorist camps in the Sokoto State at Tambuwal local government area on December 25, 2025. Areas in Kwara State were partly affected by the incident, as debris from the munitions was found there.
This left some residents and indigenes of Offa in Kwara State to count losses of their properties. Nigerian citizens who lack the means to hire a security guard and cannot afford to get a licensed gun to protect themselves when criminal elements invade their homes at midnight are unhappy about the incessant killing of innocent Nigerians by criminal elements who use the country as a base to commit their crimes.
The USA AFRICOM has sought the complete permission of the presidency before it entered Nigeria to bomb terrorists in Sokoto State. The bombing of terrorists through airstrikes must stop. The USA AFRICOM should begin the use of its modern technology weapons as a world superpower to capture terrorists alive to avoid human casualties and property destruction in Nigeria, provided that this is possible for the USA.
The questions to ask the USA are these: What exactly can happen to any land where the USA conducted bombing operations? Will these I.S. airstrikes not turn Nigeria into a battleground for terrorists and external powers? Our nation must not become a battlefield for terrorists.
The USA is expected to do its surveillance properly before attacking terrorists. We have many innocent Nigerians living in the villages of Northern rural areas where these terrorists are living to perpetrate their evils. The USA should get rid of those sponsoring these terrorists so that the poor masses in Northern States of Nigeria, who have been the victims of this evil act of terrorists, can have peace.
We need peace in Nigeria. Let me also use this medium to call on the South-West governors to beef up security around their citizens living in the rural areas. Let us be vigilant in the southwest. We must report anyone whose face is not friendly and whose movement is suspicious to the security agents. The terrorists must leave Nigeria. Jimoh Mumin writes from Ibadan, Oyo State via jimohmumin@yahoo.com.
