“The iconic acacia tree in front of Mount Kilimanjaro”
The plains surrounding Kilimanjaro (the “lowlands”), are located between 600 and 800 meters above sea level. The climate is very hot and dry.
The vegetation is mainly composed of savannahs made up of numerous plant species, including the famous umbrella thorn acacia, a thorny tree that can reach up to 21 m high.
I understand the need to fund cybersecurity efforts to thwart criminals. However, this latest levy conveniently exempts the affluent by focusing on select transactions.
Following the enactment of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) (amendment) Act 2024 and pursuant to the provision of Section 44 (2)(a) of the Act, “a levy of 0.5% (0.005) equivalent to a half percent of all electronic transactions value by the business specified in the Second Schedule of the Act”, is to be remitted to the National Cybersecurity Fund (NCF), which shall be administered by the Office of the National Security Advisor (ONSA). […]
The levy shall be applied at the point of electronic transfer origination, then deducted and remitted by the financial institution.
The deducted amount shall be reflected in the customer’s account with the narration: “Cybersecurity Levy”. (Central Bank of Nigeria 🇳🇬, PDF here)
The Premium Times provides reactions from Nigerians 🇳🇬, which is unfavorable as no one wants an increase in expenses during this age of inflation we are living in.
Although I do not desire to pay extra fees when conducting transactions, I understand the levy’s necessity, even if I do not appreciate the expense.
While it is understandable that there would be exemptions to the new Levy (for charities, payroll, school, transactions within the bank, government, etcetera), one exemption did capture my attention.
SCHEDULE OF EXEMPTIONS FROM CYBERSECURITY LEVY […]
Savings and deposits including transactions involving long-term investments such as Treasury Bills, Bonds and Commercial Papers. (Central Bank of Nigeria 🇳🇬)
Usually, the affluent invest long-term in bonds & treasury bills, so its appearance here as an exception is suspicious. Like any other nation, Nigeria 🇳🇬 needs investors, but they should not cater to their interests while asking the public to increase their burden.
Nigerians 🇳🇬 are threatening lawsuits against the Cybersecurity Levy. However, I doubt the government will suspend a new source of revenue when nations seek extra cash to maintain the upkeep of their respective countries.
People living in Nairobi’s Mathare slum fear that if catastrophic flooding does not bring down their homes, the government will. Jane Kalekye trudges through the narrow muddy alley to her tin-roof house in Mathare, one of Kenya’s largest slums. Ever since the devastating floods that forced her out of her home last month, she...
Amboseli National Park is a national park in Kenya that spreads across the Kenya-Tanzania border. It is one of the best place in the world to get close to free-ranging elephants.
The park also has views of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest free-standing mountain in the world.
It's amazing how seeing a herd of goats and a few houses is enough to bring you back to earth after a few days spent admiring the wild animals of Amboseli National Park, in a largely untouched wilderness.
Residents of Mende Estate Villa in the Maryland area of Lagos State have decried the recent demolition of their multimillion naira houses in the area by the Lagos State Government while seeking compensation for a new shelter....
The secretary bird is a very large, mostly terrestrial bird of prey, endemic to Africa.
The secretary bird is instantly recognizable as a very large bird with an eagle-like body on crane-like legs which increases the bird’s height to as much as 1.3 m tall.
"The United States strongly condemns the attack (Friday) from Rwanda Defense Forces and M23 positions on the Mugunga camp for internally displaced persons in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement"
Good old Rwanda, that very safe country ( because the UK says so). Of course, the UK won't condemn this, as it's part of the Rwanda deportation deal not to.
Time is running out to prevent starvation in Darfur, in western Sudan, a UN agency has warned, as escalating violence devastates the African nation. People have been forced to consume “grass and peanut shells,” the regional director for Eastern Africa of the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday. “If assistance...
‘I’ve only the clothes on my back’: lives swept away by floods in Kenya (www.theguardian.com)
People living in Nairobi’s Mathare slum fear that if catastrophic flooding does not bring down their homes, the government will. Jane Kalekye trudges through the narrow muddy alley to her tin-roof house in Mathare, one of Kenya’s largest slums. Ever since the devastating floods that forced her out of her home last month, she...
Lagos homeowners decry demolition, seek compensation (punchng.com)
Residents of Mende Estate Villa in the Maryland area of Lagos State have decried the recent demolition of their multimillion naira houses in the area by the Lagos State Government while seeking compensation for a new shelter....
People eating ‘grass and peanut shells’ in Darfur, UN says, as hunger crisis engulfs war-ravaged Sudan (edition.cnn.com)
Time is running out to prevent starvation in Darfur, in western Sudan, a UN agency has warned, as escalating violence devastates the African nation. People have been forced to consume “grass and peanut shells,” the regional director for Eastern Africa of the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday. “If assistance...