Nigeria returns to space with NIGCOMSAT-1R launch

    Nigeria once again went up into space, yesterday, at exactly 5.40pm as NigComSat -1R, Nigeria’s replacement communications satellite, was successfully launched into orbit.

NIGCOMSAT-1R is the replacement for NigComSat-1, which was de-orbited due to malfunction of Solar Array Deployment Assembly, SADA, on November 10, 2008.

Meanwhile, an excited President Goodluck Jonathan has described the launch as another great step forward for the country towards the development of a modern, knowledge-driven society.

    In his congratulatory message to the nation for a successful communications satellite launch, Jonathan said Nigeria had kept up with the time-frame of activities contained in the country’s 25-year National Space Development Road-map.

   The satellite was built and hoisted by China Great Walls Industry Corporation, which in collaboration with their insurance companies, committed to build a replacement satellite for Nigeria at no additional cost.

   The launch of the new satellite was on a Long March 3B, LM-3B, launch vehicle from Xichang Satellite Launch Centre located in South West China, as the spacecraft entered the predefined orbit of perigee being 200 km, apogee 41991 km and inclination 24.8.

NigComSat-1R spacecraft is built on Dong Fang Hong 4, DFH-4, satellite bus developed by China Academy of Space Technology, CAST, and launched by LM-3B launch vehicle developed by China Academy of Launch Vehicle, CALT.

While China Satellite Launch Tracking and Control General, CLTC, will be providing tracking, control and ground segment support for the programme, there are about two ground stations located in Abuja Nigeria, and Kashi, China.

 NigComSat-1R is the 8th satellite built on the DFH-4 bus for in-orbit delivery and the NigComSat-1R launch is the 18th flight of LM-3B launch vehicle and the 154th flight in the series of the Long March launchers.

  The project was carried out in conjunction with over 50 Nigcomsat engineers who have spent the last 31 months in China. The satellite has a over 15 years life-span and was designed to meet the needs of telecommunications, maritime, defense, broadcast media in Africa and parts of Europe and Asia. It has 28 active transponders, and quad band of Ku, ka, C-Band and L-band.

Elated Managing Director of Nigcomsat Limited, Engr. Timasaniyu Ahmed-Rufai, said: “This is mission fulfilled.”

Mrs. Omobola Johnson, Minister of Communications and Technology; her Science and Technology counterpart, Prof. Okon Bassey; Senator Gilbert Nnaji, Chairman, Senate Committee on Communication; House members, Nigcomsat-1R project Director and Executive Director, Marketing, Abimbola Alale and Chief Executive of LASACO Insurance Plc, Mr. Sola Ladipo-Ajayi, all witnessed the launch.

President reacts

   President Jonathan agreed that the new satellite, paid for by the insurance policy on the de-orbited NigComSat-1, will have a positive impact on national development in various sectors such as communications, internet services, health, agriculture, environmental protection and national security.

He said: “The new satellite will enhance our communications system as well as facilitate cheaper access to the internet with a view to bridging the existing digital divide between our urban and predominantly rural communities and thereby bringing government nearer to the grass roots.

  “I send my sincere congratulations to you all for another great stride in our transformation efforts.”

NigComSat-1R, the President added, will also help in the development of indigenous competence in the management of satellites and related technologies in Nigeria.

   He said the new satellite will substantially reduce the annual expenditure of over $1 billion arising from the use of foreign bandwidth for GSM communications, cable television, e-commerce and e-government by both public and private users in the country.

Jonathan urged investment in the new venture, saying “dear country men and women, investment in these high technology resources are part of our overall national strategy of developing an integrated, critical national infrastructure capable of fast-tracking the transformation of our national economy, generating gainful employment for our youths and creating wealth for our dear country.

“Our primary goal remains the accelerated improvement in the overall welfare or our country and people.”

Culled: Vanguard

Planned Xmas sect attack: CAN urges Christians to be vigilant

Following last weekend’s threat by an unnamed Islamic group to bomb churches before December 26, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Enugu State, has called on all Christians to be vigilant as the threat may not be an empty one.

Enugu State CAN Chairman and General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God, Nigeria, Prof Paul Emeka, who put the Christians on red alert yesterday in Enugu, called on the Federal Government to mobilise the security agencies to forestall the planned attack.

Where the Federal Government thinks it is not capable of arresting the ugly situation, he advised that it called for foreign assistance, especially the countries that had earlier indicated their interest to help the country.
The General Superintendent, who asked Christians not to panic as a result of the threat, however, advised them not to depend on empty optimism.
He said that there was no doubt the Boko Haram Islamist sect had infiltrated the southern part of the country and were ready to wreak havoc.

He advised Christians to also take their own precautionary measures to prevent the planned attack by searching strange faces that came to every worship centre, as well as hire anti-bomb squad.
Prof Emeka said the churches designated for attack by the fundamentalists had not committed any offence more than the ones that were not mentioned, pointing out that the sect was only targeting churches with large congregation.
He urged all churches to go into prayers to avert the attack, saying the power of God would definitely deliver the country from the hands of the evil ones.

“The Boko Haram sect has no reason of doing what they are doing, they are just interested in killing,” he said, arguing that they were not driven by poverty.
He was angry that the sect was threatening everybody in the country, saying they were just “killing innocent Nigerians and harassing them” and people were now living at their mercy.
“No matter what they are planning, Nigerians will celebrate Christmas in peace,” Prof emeka said, wishing all Nigerians a merry and peaceful Christmas.
•This story is being re-run because a wrong version of it was published in our yesterday’s edition. The mix-up is regretted. –Editor

STARTING UP BUSINESS IN NIGERIA

    Listed below is a detailed summary of the bureaucratic and legal hurdles an entrepreneur must overcome in order to incorporate and register a new firm, along with their associated time and set-up costs.  It examines the procedures, time and cost involved in launching a commercial or industrial firm with up to 50 employees and start-up capital of 10 times the economy's per-capita gross national income (GNI).

The information appearing on this page was collected as part of the Doing Business project, which measures and compares regulations relevant to the life cycle of a small- to medium-sized domestic business in 183 economies. The most recent round of data collection for the project was completed in June 2011.

1. Check the availability of company name with the Corporate Affairs Commission

The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) Online System was commissioned in June 2005. The system envisaged an online search of unique company names immediately upon the purchase of an e-payment card from an accredited bank. Although this services is widely adevertised by CAC, until now the system is not fully operational either because of power fluctuation or because of lack of availability of the pre-paid cards- necessary to conduct the on-line transaction. In most cases, the applicants have to go to the CAC office to complete this procedure. 

2. Prepare the requisite incorporation documents and pay the stamp duty

To prepare the requisite incorporation documents, the incorporators must complete the requisite statutory forms, prepare and print the memorandum and articles of association, and have them stamped by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS)

3.Notarize the declaration of compliance (CAC 4)
The declaration by the barrister or solicitor engaged in the formation of the company may be sworn to at either the State High Court for a fee of NGN 250 or at the Federal High court for a fee of NGN 100.00. 

4.  Register the company with the Corporate Affairs Commission & pay fees at the bank desk at CAC

To register the company with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), the following incorporation documents are submitted:
- Name reservation and availability form.
- Memorandum and articles of association, stamped by the commissioner for stamp duties (two copies).
- Form CAC 3, Notice of registered address.
- Form CAC 7, Particulars of directors.
- Form CAC 2, Statement of share capital and return of allotment of shares.
Incorporation fees are
-NGN 10,000 for company whose nominal share capital does not exceed NGN 1,000,000, and NGN 10,000 for every NGN 1,000,000 thereafter. - N500 incorporation forms. Incorporation fees for a company whose share capital exceeds N1,000,000.00 is N10,000.00 for the first N1,000,000.00 and N10,000.00 for every additional N1,000,000.00 or any part thereof.
• Stamp duties is payable on the share capital of a company at the rate of 0.75%
• N500 for each additional copy of Memorandum and Articles of Association stamped
• N3,000 for certified true copy of memorandum and articles of association
• N2,000 for certified true copy of particulars of directors
• N2,000 for certified true copy of particulars of shareholders. Moreover, NGN 60,000 is the approximate cost of company incorporation conducted by professionals ( lawyers, charted accountants of charted secretaries) accredited by CAC.
The payment can be done at the bank desk at CAC.

The Corporate Affairs Commission introduced a same-day incorporation option at an increased statutory fee (five times that of standard incorporation). In June 2005, the Corporate Affairs Commission commissioned a system for online company registration, in which registration documents and payments may be processed electronically by Commission-accredited lawyers. However, the system is not yet fully implemented.

5.Register with the Federal Board of Inland Revenue Department of the Ministry of Finance for income tax and VAT

The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) requires the applicant to complete tax registration forms for corporate income tax registration as well as VAT.
The company submits an application letter to the tax authority for a tax clearance certificate and, for income tax purposes, registers at the integrated tax office.
The registration process requires submitting a completed tax office–issued application (taxpayer registration input form, TRIF/2006/001 COYS) and the following documents:
- Completed FIRS questionnaire.
- Memorandum and articles of association (copy).
- Certificate of incorporation (copy).
- Directors’ names and addresses.
- Tax advisor’s name and address.
- Letter of appointment of a tax adviser and corresponding letter of acceptance.
- The date the company commenced business;
- Names, addresses and mobile numbers of major promoters and the chairman of the company, including their email addresses;
- Other sources of income of the chairman and the promoters of the company;
- Name and addresses of the principal officers of the company including the chairman, managing director, legal adviser and accountant;

To register, the company must submit the taxpayer registration input form in triplicate, and the original certificate of incorporation must be presented for review by the controller. Upon the completed taxpayer registration input form and all other documents being received, a tax reference number is allocated. An application must be filed for the tax clearance certificate; its issuance is not automatic.

Fee schedule for tax clearance certificate:
- Registration within 6 months of incorporation: no cost.
- Registration after 6 months of incorporation (if the company has yet to start business operations):
-A pre-operation levy of NGN 20,000 for first-year requests and NGN 25,000 for each subsequent-year request, until the company files a notice of commencement of business as per amendment to section 29 of the Companies’ Income Tax Act No. 11 of 2007.
-Companies that register after the start of operations must file a set of audited accounts. TCC is issued based on tax paid for 3 years. If the position is at a loss, the TCC will be issued to reflect the position.

Companies required to register for VAT complete the VAT registration form (VAT Form 001, obtainable free of charge from all FIRS offices) and return it to the integrated tax office, which will issue a taxpayer identification number (TIN). Companies required to register for VAT must do so within 6 months from the date of starting business operations.

Since the registration for corporate income tax and VAT are done in the same place; 1 Tax Identification Number (TIN) is issued to companies for all federal taxes.

6. Register for personal income tax PAYE at the State Tax Office

All employers shall register with the relevant state tax authority for income tax withholding. Once the application is filed, with a copy of the certificate of incorporation attached, a reference file is opened for the company.

7.Receive inspection from local government
The Lagos State Government has developed a new State Law which entitles it to impose signage fees. Lagos State Signage and Advertising Agency (LASAA) regulates outdoor display in business premises in Lagos State. Any company that is doing business in Lagos State that has an outdoor display in form of advertisement in the premises or any vehicle of the company must register the display with the agency. LASAA issue the questionnaire regarding the application to erect a signboard outside business premises, etc. That questionnaire is completed by newly established businesses within the State and submitted to LASAA, who will scrutinise the completed questionnaire and arrange for an inspection of the signboard at its location.
The amount payable is N 9,000 comprising the formal application fee (N 2,500.00) and the fee for a Geographical Information Survey (N 6,500). Additional optional fees totalling N 6,000 may also be paid at the application stage for the LASAA Guidelines (N 5,000.00) and the LASAA Gazzette (N 1,000.00).

 8.Pay fees at a designated bank

The fee payable is about N 9,000 comprising the formal application fee (N 2,500.00) and the fee for a Geographical Information Survey (N 6,500). Additional optional fees totalling N 6,000 may also be paid at the application stage for the LASAA Guidelines (N 5,000.00) and the LASAA Gazzette (N 1,000.00).

   Listed below is a detailed summary of the bureaucratic and legal hurdles an entrepreneur must overcome in order to incorporate and register a new firm, along with their associated time and set-up costs.  It examines the procedures, time and cost involved in launching a commercial or industrial firm with up to 50 employees and start-up capital of 10 times the economy's per-capita gross national income (GNI).

The information appearing on this page was collected as part of the Doing Business project, which measures and compares regulations relevant to the life cycle of a small- to medium-sized domestic business in 183 economies. The most recent round of data collection for the project was completed in June 2011.

1. Check the availability of company name with the Corporate Affairs Commission

The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) Online System was commissioned in June 2005. The system envisaged an online search of unique company names immediately upon the purchase of an e-payment card from an accredited bank. Although this services is widely adevertised by CAC, until now the system is not fully operational either because of power fluctuation or because of lack of availability of the pre-paid cards- necessary to conduct the on-line transaction. In most cases, the applicants have to go to the CAC office to complete this procedure. 

2. Prepare the requisite incorporation documents and pay the stamp duty

To prepare the requisite incorporation documents, the incorporators must complete the requisite statutory forms, prepare and print the memorandum and articles of association, and have them stamped by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS)

3.Notarize the declaration of compliance (CAC 4)
The declaration by the barrister or solicitor engaged in the formation of the company may be sworn to at either the State High Court for a fee of NGN 250 or at the Federal High court for a fee of NGN 100.00. 

4.  Register the company with the Corporate Affairs Commission & pay fees at the bank desk at CAC

To register the company with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), the following incorporation documents are submitted:
- Name reservation and availability form.
- Memorandum and articles of association, stamped by the commissioner for stamp duties (two copies).
- Form CAC 3, Notice of registered address.
- Form CAC 7, Particulars of directors.
- Form CAC 2, Statement of share capital and return of allotment of shares.
Incorporation fees are
-NGN 10,000 for company whose nominal share capital does not exceed NGN 1,000,000, and NGN 10,000 for every NGN 1,000,000 thereafter. - N500 incorporation forms. Incorporation fees for a company whose share capital exceeds N1,000,000.00 is N10,000.00 for the first N1,000,000.00 and N10,000.00 for every additional N1,000,000.00 or any part thereof.
• Stamp duties is payable on the share capital of a company at the rate of 0.75%
• N500 for each additional copy of Memorandum and Articles of Association stamped
• N3,000 for certified true copy of memorandum and articles of association
• N2,000 for certified true copy of particulars of directors
• N2,000 for certified true copy of particulars of shareholders. Moreover, NGN 60,000 is the approximate cost of company incorporation conducted by professionals ( lawyers, charted accountants of charted secretaries) accredited by CAC.
The payment can be done at the bank desk at CAC.

The Corporate Affairs Commission introduced a same-day incorporation option at an increased statutory fee (five times that of standard incorporation). In June 2005, the Corporate Affairs Commission commissioned a system for online company registration, in which registration documents and payments may be processed electronically by Commission-accredited lawyers. However, the system is not yet fully implemented.

5.Register with the Federal Board of Inland Revenue Department of the Ministry of Finance for income tax and VAT

The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) requires the applicant to complete tax registration forms for corporate income tax registration as well as VAT.
The company submits an application letter to the tax authority for a tax clearance certificate and, for income tax purposes, registers at the integrated tax office.
The registration process requires submitting a completed tax office–issued application (taxpayer registration input form, TRIF/2006/001 COYS) and the following documents:
- Completed FIRS questionnaire.
- Memorandum and articles of association (copy).
- Certificate of incorporation (copy).
- Directors’ names and addresses.
- Tax advisor’s name and address.
- Letter of appointment of a tax adviser and corresponding letter of acceptance.
- The date the company commenced business;
- Names, addresses and mobile numbers of major promoters and the chairman of the company, including their email addresses;
- Other sources of income of the chairman and the promoters of the company;
- Name and addresses of the principal officers of the company including the chairman, managing director, legal adviser and accountant;

To register, the company must submit the taxpayer registration input form in triplicate, and the original certificate of incorporation must be presented for review by the controller. Upon the completed taxpayer registration input form and all other documents being received, a tax reference number is allocated. An application must be filed for the tax clearance certificate; its issuance is not automatic.

Fee schedule for tax clearance certificate:
- Registration within 6 months of incorporation: no cost.
- Registration after 6 months of incorporation (if the company has yet to start business operations):
-A pre-operation levy of NGN 20,000 for first-year requests and NGN 25,000 for each subsequent-year request, until the company files a notice of commencement of business as per amendment to section 29 of the Companies’ Income Tax Act No. 11 of 2007.
-Companies that register after the start of operations must file a set of audited accounts. TCC is issued based on tax paid for 3 years. If the position is at a loss, the TCC will be issued to reflect the position.

Companies required to register for VAT complete the VAT registration form (VAT Form 001, obtainable free of charge from all FIRS offices) and return it to the integrated tax office, which will issue a taxpayer identification number (TIN). Companies required to register for VAT must do so within 6 months from the date of starting business operations.

Since the registration for corporate income tax and VAT are done in the same place; 1 Tax Identification Number (TIN) is issued to companies for all federal taxes.

6. Register for personal income tax PAYE at the State Tax Office

All employers shall register with the relevant state tax authority for income tax withholding. Once the application is filed, with a copy of the certificate of incorporation attached, a reference file is opened for the company.

7.Receive inspection from local government
The Lagos State Government has developed a new State Law which entitles it to impose signage fees. Lagos State Signage and Advertising Agency (LASAA) regulates outdoor display in business premises in Lagos State. Any company that is doing business in Lagos State that has an outdoor display in form of advertisement in the premises or any vehicle of the company must register the display with the agency. LASAA issue the questionnaire regarding the application to erect a signboard outside business premises, etc. That questionnaire is completed by newly established businesses within the State and submitted to LASAA, who will scrutinise the completed questionnaire and arrange for an inspection of the signboard at its location.
The amount payable is N 9,000 comprising the formal application fee (N 2,500.00) and the fee for a Geographical Information Survey (N 6,500). Additional optional fees totalling N 6,000 may also be paid at the application stage for the LASAA Guidelines (N 5,000.00) and the LASAA Gazzette (N 1,000.00).

 8.Pay fees at a designated bank

The fee payable is about N 9,000 comprising the formal application fee (N 2,500.00) and the fee for a Geographical Information Survey (N 6,500). Additional optional fees totalling N 6,000 may also be paid at the application stage for the LASAA Guidelines (N 5,000.00) and the LASAA Gazzette (N 1,000.00).