Foreign
U.S. Govt: American Firms Face “Wheelbarrow Tax,” Opaque Nigerian Rules
The United States has hailed the tax reform bills passed by the national assembly but bemoaned multiple taxations in Nigeria, claiming that U.S. companies remit 67 federal taxes, including a wheelbarrow levy.
U.S. ambassador to Nigeria, Richard Mills, disclosed this on Thursday in Lagos during a policy speech and fireside chat on the recently launched U.S. Commercial Diplomacy Strategy for Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as opportunities for expanding trade and investment ties and deepening long-term mutual prosperity between the two countries.
Mr Mills said, “One U.S. business told me that, for their operations in Nigeria, they pay 67 different federal taxes, including a tax on wheelbarrows. It is some leftover from a different age.
“So, the tax reform bill is important. Those kinds of macro-economic reforms are what we’ve wanted to see, what U.S. businesses have wanted to see.”
Relatedly, President Donald Trump has proposed a bill that will tax remittances by Nigerians and other foreigners living in the U.S..
Although Mr Mills commended the implementation of President Bola Tinubu’s bold economic reforms, he acknowledged, “I know they’ve been painful for a lot of Nigerians. I do believe our assessment is they will begin, hopefully, to have this grow to even more opportunities.”
The U.S. diplomat, while urging the Nigerian government not to relent in its efforts to curb corruption, noted that the rules set by regulatory bodies were opaque, making it difficult for companies to comply with them.
“The country also need to continue working to rid out corruption, money laundering, port congestion, lack of regulatory fairness and a level playing field. The regulatory rules here still seem very opaque hard to follow. These are the kinds of things we’re bringing to the government’s attention,” Mr Mills stated
Gazettengr.com
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran’s former president, was killed in a joint US-Israeli strike on his residence in Tehran, Iranian state media reported on Sunday.
The reports said the attack targeted the Narmak neighborhood in eastern Tehran and that Ahmadinejad was killed along with several of his bodyguards.
Ahmadinejad, 69, served as Iran’s sixth president from 2005 to 2013, leading the country’s ninth and tenth administrations. His presidency was marked by confrontational rhetoric toward the West and escalating tensions over Iran’s nuclear program.
Born in 1956 in the village of Aradan in Semnan Province, he moved to Tehran with his family as a child. Before becoming president, he served as governor of Ardabil Province and later as mayor of Tehran.
In 2013, after leaving office, he was appointed by Iran’s supreme leader to the Expediency Council, an advisory body that mediates disputes between parliament and the Guardian Council. He had continued to serve as a member in recent years.
His reported death comes a day after Iran’s supreme leader was killed in US-Israel airstrikes.
On February 28, an X account named ReversingTrend posted: “Initial reports indicate that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was killed by an Iranian drone strike inside his residence in Tel Aviv.”
The post quickly gained traction, recording 954,000 views, 1,100 retweets, and 7,700 likes.
Factcheck Africa tool confirmed that the claim was false. Multiple reliable sources confirmed that Benjamin Netanyahu was alive and continued to serve as the Prime Minister of Israel.
See the X post below:
🚨🇮🇱 Breaking News
Initial reports indicate that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was killed by an Iranian drone strike inside his residence in Tel Aviv… pic.twitter.com/T3AQtSdBDu
— Media Trend Reverser (@ReversingTrends) February 28, 2026
Further checks by Legit Nigeria showed that his profile entry on Israel’s official website listed his birthdate and current position with no mention of his death.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) page also confirmed his status, noting that an arrest warrant was issued against him on November 21, 2024.
The existence of this warrant implied that he was alive and subject to ongoing legal proceedings.
The evidence showed that Benjamin Netanyahu had not been killed in a drone strike. He remained in office as Prime Minister of Israel, and no credible reports supported the claim of his death.
The viral post was therefore misleading, spreading false information about a sitting world leader.
Verdict: False – Benjamin Netanyahu was not killed in a drone strike. He was alive and serving as Prime Minister of Israel at the time of the claim.
South Sudan President Salva Kiir fired Finance Minister Bak Barnaba Chol in a reshuffle that was unveiled on state television on Monday evening.
Chol was appointed to the post in November, following the president’s firing of Athian Diing Athian just two months after his appointment.
Kiir appointed Salvatore Garang, an economist trained at the University of Khartoum in Sudan, as the new Minister of Finance.
Garang previously served as finance minister from 2018 to 2020, a period marked by economic reforms and fiscal strains.
During his first stint in the role, local media reported that Garang faced corruption allegations, including that he allocated 100,000 dollars to cover the cost of his son’s funeral.
He has not commented on the allegations.
The decree also removed several other senior officials, including the commissioner general of the National Revenue Authority, as part of the broader administrative changes.
Analysts say Kiir regularly makes changes to ranks in the military and government to maintain control as he contends with armed conflict and speculation about his eventual succession.
No reason was given for the ninth change in the finance minister since 2020.
-Source: (Reuters/News Agency of Nigeria NAN)
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