The Treasure House Blog

The Federal Government has imposed a luxury tax on private jet owners and operators in the country. As a result, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority has directed the owners and operators of private jets to pay the sum of $4,000 for every flight departure within the country. According to a memo to all private jet operators and obtained by our correspondents, the NCAA ordered that Nigerian-registered private jets would henceforth pay the sum of $3,000 for every departure, while foreign registered private jets would pay $4,000 per departure. The memo, dated August 28, 2013, and signed by the Director-General, NCAA, Captain Fola Akinkuotu, was titled, ‘Order charging certain fees on operations in general aviation.’ The memo, with reference number: NCAA/DG/OR/GA/VOL.11/2013/06, reads, “In compliance with the provisions of Section 30 (2) (q) & (s) of the Civil Aviation Act of 2006, the Authority hereby orders: All foreign registered aircraft engaging in non-scheduled operati

THE Federal Government reduced public spending on oil subsidy payments from N2.2 trillion in 2011 to N971 billion in 2012, a statement from the Federal of Finance has indicated. This represents a reduction of over N1.2 trillion or 56%, according to the release from the ministry. Speaking on the issue, the Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala recalled the background to the high profile issue which generated immense public concern. “In 2011, there was a huge public outcry. As a result, this administration has worked hard to clean up the process of subsidy payments. In response the ministry set up the Aig-Imoukhuede committee which investigated the subsidy payments. The committee was later elevated to a Presidential Committee by Mr President,” Dr Iweala explained. She explained that the ministry hired new auditors and put in place different checks and balances, adding that “ last year, we brought subsidy payment down to about N950 billion, and we expe

As part of efforts to achieve the goals of Vision 20:2020 and the Transformation Agenda, the Federal Government of Nigeria plans to develop a critical mass of professionals who would serve as catalysts of change and agents of scientific and technological advancement, as well as sustainable economic development. This would be achieved through the sponsorship of outstanding students for postgraduate studies in the top 25 universities in the world. To this end, the Federal Government has instituted the Presidential Special Scholarship Scheme for Innovation and Development. Eligibility Criteria for the Scheme Interested candidates should: be graduates from the 2010/2011 and 2011/2012 academic sessions, who would have completed their National Youth Service by October 2013; have obtained First Class Honours degree from any recognized and approved University in the following disciplines and aim at postgraduate degrees in the specified and allied disciplines: S ciences: Nuclea

Barcelona   star   and four-time and reigning World Footballer of the Year Lionel Messi   and his father have arrived in court to answer charges of alleged tax fraud.   Messi is appearing before a Spanish court after a complaint was lodged by a state prosecutor in June stating that he and his father Jorge tried to conceal earnings from the player's image rights. The two were originally ordered to appear at the court near Messi's home outside of Barcelona on September 17 but the date was postponed. Both the Argentina forward and his father have denied any wrongdoing but the charges state that they hid more than €4 million by filing incomplete returns for the years 2006 to 2009. "I never take care of that [tax] stuff myself and neither does my father.  We have our lawyers and our wealth managers to take care of that and we trust them and they will sort this out. The truth is I don’t have a clue about all this and that is why we have people taking care

Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe on Thursday threw caution to the wind in berating the U.S. and former colonial power Britain and its allies for trying to control his country's and its resources. “Shame, shame, shame to the U.S. Shame, shame, shame to Britain and its allies,” Mugabe, 89, said in a speech to the UN General Assembly. “Zimbabwe is for Zimbabweans, so are its resources. Please remove your illegal and filthy sanctions from my peaceful country.” Mugabe said that the sanctions imposed by the EU and the U.S. violated the UN Charter on state sovereignty and condemned them as a “foreign-policy tool to effect regime change”. The U.S. and the EU imposed sanctions on Zimbabwean state firms and travel restrictions on Mugabe and dozens of his associates after a violent 2000 election, and at the start of sometimes violent seizures of white-owned commercial farms for black resettlement. Mugabe did not refer to the lifting of EU sanctions on Sept. 17 against Zimbabwe Mi

Borussia Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski has told the German media that he expects to confirm a switch to Bayern Munich in January. The 25-year-old has long been one of the most coveted strikers in world football, and has been on the radar of many Europian top clubs including Real Madrid, Manchester United and Arsenal, but Bayern have always been in pole position to sign him. Reports that a four-year deal with Bayern - to begin next summer - was already in place emerged on Tuesday and pressmen accosted him after Dortmund's 2-0 extra-time win over TSV 1860 Munich in the DFB-Pokal that evening. "At this moment, it is still too early and we'll have to wait a bit. But I think, I can leave in January." Robert Lewandowski When asked if he would confirm a move to Bayern in January, Lewandowski told   Sport 1 : "Yes, because I can officially sign the new contract in January." He then explained to   Sky Deutschland   that he believes he could e

President Goodluck Jonathan, Tuesday, in New York made a strong case for Nigeria’s election to the United Nations Security Council, just as South African President, Jacob Zuma backed the Nigerian president’s call for democratization of the UN Security Council. Addressing the world leaders and other delegates at the opening of the 68th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, President Jonathan declared that Nigeria’s commendable performance on previous occasions when it held a non-permanent seat on the security council, should assure the global community that the country deserved to be elected to the council again for the 2014-2015 session. Here is the full transcript of the President's speech at the assembly. The President of the 68th Session of the General Assembly; Heads of State and Government; The Secretary-General; Distinguished Delegates; Ladies and Gentlemen Mr President, 1.    On behalf of the Government and People of the Feder

Unconfirmed reports reaching treasureworldng.blogspot.com say the leader of Boko Haram, Sheik Imam Abubakar Shekau who had been declared dead by Nigerian military on August 19th 2013 has just appeared in a new video, saying he is alive and shame to Nigerian government and the military.   Shekau in the video claimed responsibility of recent attacks that killed several civilians on September 17 th  2013 in Benisheik in Borno State. Shekau appeared in camouflage military uniform, seated and surrounded by hooded insurgents said “Here   I am, alive, hale and hearty. Sagir Musa should bury himself in shame, President Jonathan should bury himself in shame, President Obama should bury himself in shame, President Francios Hollande should bury himself in shame, Queen Elizabeth should bury herself in shame”. They said I am dead, but here I am. The world should know that I am alive and will only die at the appointed time. Everybody should be judged according to the dictates of hi

BlackBerry plans to become a private company in a deal that is worth just $4.7 billion. BlackBerry's largest shareholder, Canadian insurance company Fairfax Financial, hopes to buy the smartphone maker for $9 per share. The proposed deal comes just three days after BlackBerry   announced   a preliminary quarterly financial report, which included a $1 billion loss for last quarter and plans to lay off about 4,500 staff. This gives Fairfax, which already owns about a 10% stake in BlackBerry, an opportunity to buy out the rests of the shares. Fairfax CEO Prem Watsa said the deal "will open an exciting new private chapter for BlackBerry," and that it will "deliver immediate value to shareholders." However the Fairfax offer is not a done deal as BlackBerry chairperson, Barbara Stymiest said the company would consider "superior" deals, and that it has until Nov. 4 to find a better offer before proposing Fairfax's plan to shareholders. If B

Brazilian ace Neymar who signed with Barcelona in May, may have conjured a fine partnership with Lionel Messi, silencing observers who wondered if he could develop a potent partnership with the four-time player of the year. Neymar scored his first league goal and set up Messi as Barcelona defeated Champions League side Real Sociedad 4-1 to maintain its perfect record in Spain's La Liga through six matches. Neymar has now logged at least one assist in four straight league games -- and three times Messi has been the grateful beneficiary. Messi particularly has a terrifying record against Sociedad, too, netting every time he has faced them at the Camp Nou since Sociedad earned promotion in 2010.  And a few days after Barcelona had less possession than the opposition for the first time in more than five years, order was restored -- Gerardo Martino's men enjoyed 71 percent of the ball. Real Sociedad, now winless in the league since the opening weekend, struck the

After years of being locked out of China, Facebook and several media companies have been given the green light in the country -- sort of. According to the   South China Morning Post , the Chinese government has decided to lift a ban on foreign websites deemed politically sensitive, albeit only within the newly developed Shanghai Free Trade Zone. That means those within the 17-square-mile area will be able to access   Facebook   , Twitter,   The New York Times   and more. Currently, Facebook and Twitter are among websites that remain blocked by the government's censorship system, casually referred to as the   Great Firewall of China . Attempts to access Facebook result in an error message: "Network Timeout." This latest development lets Facebook and Twitter get their feet in the door of the most populous and fastest-growing Internet community in the world. Both companies have acknowledged a desire to tap into the world's largest social media market, w

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Tuesday delivered his first English-language TV message to the American people in an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour. "I would like to say to American people: I bring peace and friendship from Iranians to Americans," he said. Rouhani is in many ways the "it" man of this U.N. General Assembly, where Western leaders are trying to gauge whether his diplomatic overtures will translate into concrete policy changes. He has recently exchanged letters with U.S. President Barack Obama, and there had been suspicion brewing in diplomatic circles that the two leaders would meet face-to-face, informally, at the United Nations in New York. "There were some talks about it," Rouhani told Amanpour through a translator. "And preparation for the work was done a bit as well." "The United States declared its interest in having such a meeting, and in principle Iran could have under certain circumstan

Captured in pictures, the glamours and the groves at Sunday's 65th annual Primetime Emmy Awards, presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Stars arrive on the red carpet for the 2013 Emmy Awards held at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles The 65th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards held at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles Television drama Breaking Bad won the top Primetime Emmy award for the first time, just as the gritty tale of a chemistry teacher turned meth cook and drug kingpin winds down to widespread acclaim. Above (L-R), Actors Dean Norris, Betsy Brandt, Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul celebrate with their Outstanding Drama Series Emmy Anna Gunn won best supporting actress in a drama for her role as the wife Skyler on Breaking Bad Bryan Cranston (above), who was looking for this fourth best actor Emmy in his role as unlikely drug kingpin Walt White in Breaking Bad, lost out to the Newsroom's Jeff Daniels HBO wo