Some residents of Lagos on Friday expressed bitterness over the incessant use of fireworks, which they alleged, were causing them sleepless nights during the New Year celebration.
The residents in separate interviews told NAN that it was a violation of their fundamental human rights for some people, under the guise of celebrating the New Year, marred their own peaceful family time.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), however, reports that the Inspector General of Police, Mr Solomon Arase, had ordered the ban on the use of fireworks and any form of carnival during the Yuletide.
Mrs Opeyemi Awosika, a banker and resident at Abule-Egba, a suburb of Lagos, said that the fireworks prevented her from gaining access to her street when she got home at 9 p.m.
“I got to my street at about 9.00 p.m. and the noise from the fireworks, especially the knockout, was so much and deafening that I had to park my car and called my gate man before I could gain access,’’ she said.
Another banker and a resident of the same area, Mr Oladapo Adeniji, said that he had to call the boys, using the fireworks, to order before they allowed him drive peacefully to his gate.
“But no sooner than I had passed than they started throwing the fireworks again.
“I am not saying they should not celebrate but it is wrong when they use their celebration to disturb the peace of others,’’ Adeniji said.
A lady, who simply gave her name as Madam Agnes and resides at Oke-Odo, another suburb of Lagos, also said that she the threatening noise from the fireworks prevented her from attending a planned crossover vigil.
“I had planned to attend a church for the crossover service but I had to change my mind when I started hearing the sounds of the fireworks.
“At first, I thought it was gunshots because it was very loud but I later discovered that it was firework.
“This made me to change my mind and I told my children that we should do our prayers indoor as it is dangerous to go in the midst of fireworks,’’ she said.
Mr Michael Abiri, a lawyer who resides at Agege area of Lagos, told NAN that the use of knockouts had reduced when compared to 2014 Yuletide.
He, however, advised the police to ensure that it enforced the law banning the sales of fireworks in the state.
“It is an infringement on a person’s fundamental human rights when a person’s celebration is disturbing the other. That is unlawful,’’ he said.
According to Abiri, it is when the sale of fireworks is curbed that there will be no more demand for it.
“The defiant users of fireworks should be arrested and prosecuted,’’ he said.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Joseph Offor, however, told NAN that the state police command made some arrests.
He promised to make the numbers of arrests it made public in due course.
Stakeholders in the agric and manufacturing industry have called on the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, to intervene by encouraging the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to reverse its foreign exchange (forex) policy that included one of their most important raw materials, Crude Palm Oil (CPO) on the ‘not valid for forex’ list.
Speaking in a forum with industrialists in Lagos, MAN President, Dr. Frank Udemba Jacobs, said forex should be made available for genuine manufacturers that use CPO as a major raw material for production of end products such as noodles, biscuits, cosmetics, etc.
According to him, this singular decision by the apex bank threatened the existence of several manufacturing companies who rely heavily on crude palm oil as a major raw material for production. “These companies have invested heavily in plants and machinery worth several billions of dollars in the country and what the CBN is indirectly telling them is that it could not be bothered with the challenges this policy is posing to our members,” he said.
The MAN boss noted that affected companies have leaned towards the agricultural sector as part of their backward integration programme, creating more jobs and strengthening the nation’s ability to be self-sufficient in food, beverage and cosmetic production.
He hailed the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari on its move to revive local industries through this policy, but insisted that there are certain indices that must be taken into consideration before full implementation of the policy.
Jacobs explained that while the policy is a welcome development, there should be no sudden obstruction to importation of the raw material that is needed for local production, especially when demand for such material cannot be met locally.
According to IndexMundi, a data portal, the domestic palm oil produced in Nigeria totalled 930,000 metric tonnes (MT) in 2014. The consumption of palm oil in Nigeria amounts to 2.0 million MT per year. Official figures estimate the shortage in oil palm industry at 900,000 MT yearly. This poses a very precarious situation for the manufacturing sector that depends largely on CPO as a major source of raw material.
Experts say if the gap is not filled with the massive importation of high quality food grade palm oil, the economy will lose further investment in the manufacturing sector as companies would be forced to shut down and relocate their business outside the country, like it happened in the past.
Some analysts are already predicting the mass movement of manufacturing companies to friendly West African countries with robust manufacturing policies if the government insists on going ahead with policies that are inimical to manufacturing.
The ethics committee of world football governing body FIFA has recommended that UEFA president Michel Platini be banned for life.
A report said on Tuesday in Zurich said Vanessa Allard, Chief Investigator of the ethics committee, while presenting the report pushed for a life ban on Platini.
Meanwhile, FIFA has announced that Platini’s fate would be decided at a hearing to be chaired by Germany’s Hans-Joachim Eckert in December.
Outgoing FIFA president Joseph Blatter and Platini were provisionally suspended by FIFA on Oct. 7 and had an appeal turned down last week.
The suspensions came in connection with a Swiss criminal investigation against Blatter over a “disloyal payment” of 2 million Swiss francs (dollars) to Platini in 2011, for work done between 1998 and 2002.
Platini and Blatter have said they did nothing wrong in connection with the payment but admitted there was no written contract.
Former French international Platini was considered a favourite to replace Blatter at an extraordinary congress set for Feb. 26, before being caught up in one of the scandals which have blighted FIFA this year.
Platini has submitted his candidacy to succeed him but he has not yet been approved to stand.
That depends on what, if any sanctions, are imposed on him by the ethics committee and passing an integrity check.
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Solomon Arase has said that the ban placed on fireworks (Knock out) is still in place.
The IGP noted that the ban is imperative following the present security situation, occasioned by recent bombings in parts of the country.
This is contained in a statement issued on Monday in Abuja by the Force Spokesperson, Olabisi Kolawole.
According to the statement:”This warning becomes crucial as there are reports that hoodlums are now using fireworks to confuse Nigerians in order to carry out their nefarious activities.”
The police boss who advised members of the public to desist from using fireworks, otherwise called “knock out” noted that violators of the warning will be made to face the wrath of the law.
President Muhammadu Buhari has been praised for approving the recommendation of the Comptroller-General, Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Col. Hameed Ali (rtd), to lift the ban on rice importation through land borders.
According to stakeholders in the maritime sector, the Federal Government loses over N20 billion yearly for putting rice on the import restriction list.
This is because no fewer than 10,000 bags of rice were smuggled into the country daily from Benin Republic and other neighbouring countries before the ban was lifted.
Customs Public Relations Officer Mr Wale Adeniyi, last week, in a statement, announced the lfiting of the ban.
The action of the government was lauded by officials of the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Customs officers, importers, traders and others.
A senior official of the Federal Ministry of Finance, who craved anonymity, said the N20 billion yearly loss was not part of the duty owed the government by rice importers who exceded the import quotas given to them. Some importers also enjoyed ‘questionable waivers’ too.
The administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, had through the Ministry of Agriculture, approved import waivers for rice importers.
In spite this largesse, all entreaties, notifications and notices given to the importers by the Customs, many of them still defaulted paying Customs duty and other charges on the excess imported rice.
A few months ago, offcials of the NCS sealed warehouses of major rice importers for failing to pay debts valued at N23,603,479,402.44
The affected importers are: Olam, Stallion/Popular Foods/Masco Agro, Ebony Agro and Conti-Agro (Milan).
Allowing the issue to degenerate to the level of closing down their warehouses was one of the reasons the government reviewed the ban.
“These people were given special allocation by the government and the terms of agreement were spelt out to them. But, at a stage, they brought in rice in excess of the allocations that were given to them. It became difficult for them to pay the duty imposed by the government. I don’t know when Nigeria became Father Christmas where anybody can ship in commodities without paying the necessary duty to the government.
“Those who put rice under import restriction list failed to understand that some people that are close to the government may abuse the process and that is why we recorded huge losses from the border stations where the government is supposed to collect huge revenue from duty and other charges.
“Immediately, the item was banned, rice became the most smuggling commodity.
“Those using local production to sustain the ban could not achieve anything before they left power. “How many tonnes of rice are we producing in the country? What is the method and level of our production? How many genuine rice farmers do we have in the country? How much was allocated for rice production by the last administration and where is the rice in our markets or the money in our purse?
“Without the necessary policy frame work and massive production of the commodity across the country, the ban on the commodity cannot be sustained.
“Rice business is a big business. Rice is an international commodity and it will always find its way into our country like fish in the Atlantic Ocean; wherever the water goes, you find fish. Every grain of rice is money,” an official of the NCS said.
ANLCA President, Prince Olayiwola Shittu, commended President Buhari and the Col. Ali for reversing the obnoxious policy of the last administration.
He argued that the ban on rice importation through land borders had led to upsurge in the smuggling of the essential commodity and threw up some emergency millionaires.
He said over 10,000 bags of rice are smuggled in daily.
In 2011, Shittu said, 2.9 million tonnes of rice were imported, not 342,000 tonnes, as claimed by some top officials of the last administration.
He called on the National Assembly to support the Federal Government with a legislation that would promote agric production.
Shittu urged the Federal Government and the NCS to put in place an effective sanction for rice smuggler.
He identified low tariff on rice in neighbouring countries as one of the major factors contributing to smuggling of rice, urging the government to look into the 60 per cent levy imposed by the last administration.
An importer at Alaba Rago Market,Mallam Audu Bello, howver, said the decision to ban rice importation was not well thought-out.
“Rice is important in Nigeria. This is because it is a staple food of most homes,” he said.
According to government statistics, yearly consumption of rice is about 5.5million tonnes. It is also a fact that local production accounts for about 1.8million tonnes. Analysts say the question is how to bridge the gap.
“The fact is that over two million metric tonnes are smuggled into the country and the country loses huge revenue through it,” he added.
Also, the President, Shippers’ Association Lagos State, Rev. Jonathan Nicol, lauded the lifting of the ban. He described the action as the ‘most sensible’.
According to him, rice is the staple food of many Nigerians. “When Nigeria is ripe to produce enough rice, Nigerians will be glad to adjust and consume local produce,” he said.
The temporary ban placed on admission into the School of Engineering of the Federal Polytechnic, Idah, Kogi State, by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) has been lifted.
The Executive Secretary of the Board, Dr Masa’udu Adamu Kazaure, in a letter with a reference number C/TEB/.235/VOL.1A/247, dated September 1, conveyed the lifting of the ban to the Rector of the Polytechnic, Mr Matthew Itopa Akpata.
The ban in June followed an allegation of lack of practical coverage and over enrolment of students. The Board immediately set up a fact finding committee to investigate the allegations and implemented its recommendations to lift the ban.
In the letter confirming the lifting, Dr Kazaure said that the NBTE had appropriately notified the management of JAMB to allow the polytechnic admit qualified candidates into the engineering programmes for the 2015/2016 academic session.
Rector of the Polytechnic, Mr. Matthew Itopa Akpata, thanked the NBTE for lifting the ban on time. He assured the board of his management’s commitment to meeting basic standards in all programmes of the polytechnic and creating a conducive environment for teaching and learning.
Meanwhile, the Polytechnic has already commenced the process of admission of qualified candidates into the engineering programmes and other programmes in the Polytechnic at both National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) levels for 2015/2016 Academic Session.
Hours after it was announced that the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) has placed a ban on some songs, including 17 by Nigerian artistes, the management of Made Men Music, the record label under which Nigerian affected singer, Iyanya, is signed, has said that they were not officially informed about any form of restriction.
Speaking to The Nation on behalf of the group, Iyanya’s manager, Ubi Franklin said that as far as the label is concerned, no such ban is in effect.
“I only saw it on social media. We were not contacted officially that there was a ban on any of our songs. I have actually not been written officially, so I don’t know anything about it,” he said.
As to whether the label is not bothered about the effect such a ban would have on the song, he said; “My song don blow already so whether them ban am, I no mind. I don’t feel bad in any way. Nobody can fault the NBC. It is a body that decides whether a song has vulgar lyrics or whether it should fit for airplay so it is their decision to make. I don’t know the criteria they used for banning the song but by my own assessment, it wasn’t vulgar. I don’t see any reason why the song should be banned.”
On Wednesday, the internet was agog with the news of the ban of some local and foreign songs by the NBC, citing several reasons, including obscenity, vulgar lyrics, violence, and indecent exposure among others.
The affected songs include three foreign songs: Nicki Minaj‘s Anaconda, Post to be by Omarion featuring Chris Brown and Jhene Aiko and Ace Hood’s collaboration with Rick Ross titled Bugatti, and 17 Nigerian songs such as Wizkid‘s In My Bed, Fans Mi by Davido (featuring American rapper Meek Mill), Olamide‘s Shakiti Bobo and Iyanya‘s collaboration with Don Jazzy, Gift.
Others are Tony Montana by Naeto C featuring D’banj, Oyari (Dr Sid and Tiwa Savage), Gbese (Lil Kesh), Ibadi (May D), Tesojue (Reminisce), Yayo (Phyno), Lomo (Jhybo) and Pre‘s The Girl.
Most of the banned songs are already big hits, and will continue to get played in night clubs, and on websites across the world. They will also remain on cable platforms like Hip TV, MTV Base and Soundcity.
NBC memos to the station heads say the labeling reflects how the commission’s officers categorise the music. Free-to-air channels are not allowed to broadcast music containing vulgar lyrics, obscene scenes and. violence One particular instance, according to insiders, is Davido’s Fans Mi which the NBC believes is promoting ostentatious lifestyle, drug trafficking and indecent exposure. The Nigerian Drug law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) had also expressed concerns about the video.
It has been lamentations and cries of woe from sellers and consumers of imported frozen poultry in the country following government’s clampdown on the smugglers of the outlawed products. Findings conducted by our correspondents revealed that poultry products, which used to be in abundant supply in Lagos and adjoining states, have become unusually scarce and expensive on account of the war that Customs officials are waging against their smugglers, raising fears in many quarters that the products could soon get beyond the reach of the poor.
The imported products, which are mostly smuggled into the country, are placed on the import prohibition list of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS). Their consumption had been severely criticised by concerned health experts who claimed that formalin, a substance used in preserving dead bodies, was being used to keep them fresh.
If that indeed is the case, many innocent lives might have been saved from possible outbreak of lethal illnesses that could have resulted from the consumption of such products, following the recall of close to 2 million pounds worth of toxic frozen chicken and allied products by Aspen Foods, one of America’s leading producers of the products. The recalled products were suspected to have been contaminated with salmonella.
Salmonella is a food-borne infection usually caused by consumption of contaminated foods. It is a bacterium that lives in the intestines of humans and animals. The infection causes gastrointestinal symptoms, including diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. The symptoms develop between 12 and 72 hours and lasts between four and seven days.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Services announced that the recall came after the USDA received reports of three people in Minnesota who became sick from mid-April to l ate June after eating Aspen products.
Yahoo Health reported that the recall by Aspen Foods came few days after a near-identical recall by Barber Foods, another leading American company, of more than 1.7 million pounds of similar products. The recall by Barber Foods reportedly occurred after the USDA received reports that people in Minnesota and Wisconsin became sick during the same period after eating Barber products.
Many consumers of poultry products in the country are however not perturbed by the aforementioned dangers. Rather than celebrate the ban, they are lamenting that it would deny them the chance of relishing the products.
Adurayemi Ositelu, a youth corps member is unhappy with the fact that the scarcity of turkey, a delicacy she cherishes a lot, has led to a rise in its price.
Ositelu said: “I could not even get Turkey to buy when I went to the market last week. The price has risen outrageously. This has left those of us who like it to make do with alternatives from which we can’t derive the same amount of satisfaction.
“The development is also not good for the masses because some of the marketers are already out of business. They said it is harmful, but if you cook it well, the bacteria would be killed in the process. It is a punishment when what you enjoy eating is taken away from you.”
“As a consumer, I believe that choice is paramount. So I believe that government should allow us make our choices and not treat us like babies who do not know what is right or wrong.
Heaps of smuggled poultry products seized by officers of Western Marine Command
“The ban on the importation of frozen turkey and chicken will limit the choice of consumers. What I expected the authorities to do is to create awareness about the harmful effects but leave us to make our decision. Taking it out of our reach without options is like a cruel sanction. I don’t like it at all.”
Another consumer, who gave her name as Ngozi, described the ban as anti-masses. She believes it is a ploy by the rich to prevent the poor from enjoying certain meals they see as exclusively theirs.
Ngozi said: “Before now, the consumption of chicken and turkey was strictly enjoyed by the rich. But all that changed since we had some kind hearted people importing these products and selling them to the poor at affordable prices.
“Without being told, I know it is the handiwork of the rich. They want to use the opportunity to engage in poultry business and sell at cut-throat prices to the masses. They did the same thing in the area of education and made it difficult for the masses to get qualitative education.
“Meat is very expensive. If chicken and turkey are taken away from the reach of the masses, what would we depend on as meat?”
Retailers of poultry products are not left out of the outrage. They say the move is tantamount to depriving them of their means of livelihood.
One of them, Ceaser Ituah, said: “The development is affecting our sales. The companies supplying frozen chicken and turkey in Nigeria cannot meet up with the population. In fact, they can’t even cover Mushin alone not to talk of the whole of Lagos.
“They can ban other imported frozen foods but allow us to sell chicken and turkey. It is not everybody that eats red meat.
“Right now, meat sellers in parts of the state are fighting. If this persists, what do you want the people to fall back on? The likes of Zartech and Obasanjo farms are incapable of producing enough meat for the people.
“We have been eating these frozen products for more than 10 years and we did not die. If indeed, the chicken and turkey are contaminated, the effects would have shown within a year or two. It is what is inside that kills; not what you eat.
“My advice to the government is that they should open the boarders because our customers—the masses—are complaining. A carton of chicken, which used to sell for N6,500 is now N10, 000. Turkey has moved from N8, 000 to N11, 000. Things have changed and the consumers are complaining bitterly.”
Another retailer, who identified himself as Michael Bassey, opined that banning the importation of chicken and turkey is a negative development.
“It has affected our sales and our customers are complaining bitterly,” he said.
“A kilogramme of turkey which used to sell for N850 is now N1,200. Nigeria is not a country that can produce everything it needs, so we still have to rely on importation.
“They said the chemicals used in preserving them are bad, but we have been eating these products for years and nothing has happened.
“The high price of the dollar is already affecting the economy and now they are closing the borders. Are they telling us to steal?”
It is however a different tune from local poultry farmers who see the ban as a welcome development. Andrew Adedeji, a poultry farmer based in Ibadan, the Oyo State, said: “I am happy with the new policy because it will help to promote our own agriculture and enhance the economy of the nation by opening doors for indigenous farmers. It will provide us the opportunity to sell our products and this will boost our income and generate more revenue for the government.
“I am sure it will also help to create unemployment as some graduates who are without jobs will now be forced to look into birds farming as a viable source of income. It will also help to reduce health problems and improve the health conditions of the people because the poultry products that are smuggled in usually spend many weeks on the sea and are preserved with harmful chemicals.”
The Administration Secretary of the Ogun State Chapter of Poultry Farmers Association of Nigeria, Temitope Oguntola, allayed the fears that prices of poultry products would become high as a result of the ban.
He said: “It is not true that poultry products would go beyond the reach of the masses as a result of the ban. I went to the market and found that a kilo of imported frozen poultry costs between N800 and N900. Our farmers can produce and sell below that if all the necessary support is put in place.”
Officers of FOU Zone A off loading frozen food concealed in a tanker recently.
The ban is also being celebrated by men and officers of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS). Investigation conducted at their various offices revealed that a lot of the products were being seized and destroyed. For example, more than 2,000 cartons of the products were seized and destroyed by the Zone A of the Federal Operations Unit during the week.
The Public Relations Officer of the zone, Uche Ejesieme, attributed the seizures to the Operation Hawk Descend recently launched by the zone to intensify its fight against the smuggling of the products into the country.
Ejesieme said: “The operation was meant to be the first shot in our war against smuggling of frozen chicken, turkey and allied products. It is intended to cover the southwestern axis, covering our commands and patrols in Lagos, Ogun and Oyo axis.
“It underscores the importance and seriousness of the NCS to ensuring zero tolerance for importation of such products. The driving objective is to achieve natural food security and protection of the country’s economy from the destructive activities of saboteurs.
“It is not as if the operation had not been going on. The only difference is the emphasis we are putting on it. We have the responsibility to protect the local industries and the farmers.
“We also have the responsibility to make sure that these products don’t come into the country, as directed by the Federal Government’s fiscal policy. So, we don’t only checkmate, we also enforce compliance with the fiscal policy of the government.
“Like I said earlier on, we have been doing this for a very long time, but we are only consolidating on what we have been doing. Practical zero tolerance is the key word now.”
Ejesieme noted that smuggling is a global phenomenon, saying that Nigeria is not an exception. But what were are doing is to reduce to the barest minimum the illicit activities of smugglers,” he said.
“We are therefore making a clarion call to all patriotic Nigerians to support the service in this crusade. We are calling on people who have genuine information about these people (smugglers) to oblige the NCS with useful information that would assist us in tackling the menace.
“For the ones you are seeing in the market, I can assure you that their days are numbered. I can assure you that with the kind of renewed spirit that the Service is coming out with, sooner than later, it would become history and you won’t see them in any of our markets again.
“Right now, they are crying of scarcity out there in the markets. They are in real crisis because they can’t access these products from anywhere any longer.”
Justifying the call for information from members of the public, Ejesieme said: “Security operatives cannot operate anywhere in the world without the assistance of informants. They are key to the success of our operations because, granted that we have our security operatives, granted that we have our undercover officers and men nosing about for information, we also need informants to excel.”
Recalling Customs’ running battle with smugglers, Ejesieme said that many officers of the NCS had sustained gunshot injuries while trying to suppress the hoodlums.
“You should bear in mind that the task of suppressing smugglers is a herculean one. But the good news is that the NIS under the leadership of the Controller General, Alhaji Abdulahi Dikko Inde, and with the competence of the area controller, Turaki Usman Adamu, are resilient in this assignment.
Reacting to the allegation that Customs officers are overstepping their bounds by invading individuals’ shops to seize frozen foods, Ejesieme said: “We will stop at nothing in ensuring that these people are crushed. Importation of poultry products is totally prohibited. It is not about paying Customs due or not. Remember that we are not the ones that made these laws. They are part of the Federal Government’s fiscal policy and ours is to implement it. If tomorrow the government says that poultry products are removed from the prohibition lists, we would have no problem with doing the needful.”
He dismissed allegations of bribery being levelled against the Service in some quarters as mere ploy to give a dog a bad name in order to hang it.
“Customs’ operations in the past few years have changed. The present CGC has affected the lives of the officers and men positively. So, if anybody, for any reasons, decides to descend to that level of mediocrity, woe betides that officer that connives with smugglers to perpetrate crime. We have our internal mechanism for dealing with recalcitrant officers,” he said.
The Public Relations Officer of Western Marine Command in Lagos State also said: “The waterways are no-go areas for smugglers of all prohibited products. We have been seizing the products from time to timer and would not hesitate to do so in the interest of the people, our economy and the country.
“We have spread our dragnets all over the waterways and would not be deterred by anything in carrying out the task.”
An agric-economist, Mr. Michael Nnaji, says it is necessary to apply integrated approach in implementing the ban on importation of frozen foods.
He said: “I must first of all say that as a patriotic Nigerian who should always believe for the best in his government, I have no doubt that the intentions for which the ban was placed are perfect. Nevertheless, the policy should be backed with some necessary programmes that should have been implemented before the ban’s hammer deals its vicious blow on the economy, the people and the country at large.
“Already, the prices of these commodities are high and almost beyond the reach of the masses. It is really taking a toll not only on the pockets of the poor Nigerian but also on the health of the nation’s majority. This is because protein is a very important and necessary part of any correct human diet.
“Though one could talk about other protein sources like fish and plant protein, it is good to know that meat protein is to an extent irreplaceable by other protein sources. This is especially when we are considering the long-term health benefits. And that variety is not only a spice of life but our food too.
“In any way, the negative effects do not accrue only to the consumers but also to the producers to whom initially the ban may seem to favour, because we need to consider that they would be put under pressure by the economic incentive this opportunity would bring to them.
“Another negative effect on the producer is that since the average Nigerian could ill-afford the products because of high price, he would have no choice but to turn to other protein sources. So, even the producers’ sales are reduced as the perceived increase in demand is non-existent.
“The ripple effect is that in all, the agricultural economy of the nation is affected, thus making it impossible to achieve the regime’s aim of agricultural self-sufficiency. The domino effect on the general economy is that it will eventually not be diversified as being hoped, and thus we would remain a fuel-run economy, deceiving ourselves.”
“My point is that we should design relevant programmes that should already be in place before the commencement of the ban, which could be announced beforehand in order to get every stakeholder and aspiring stakeholders to sit up and prepare for the change.”
Explaining the health benefits of fresh poultry products over the imported ones, Mrs. Temitope Sikiru, a senior nutritionist at Massey Street Children Hospital, Lagos Island, said: “It is a known fact that fresh products are better, healthier and, to a reasonable extent, safer for human consumption. On the other hand, consumption of frozen products, especially chicken and turkey could be dangerous to health, because they can easily get contaminated through the use of preservatives, process of packaging and transportation from one country to another.
“Therefore, the consumption of these contaminated frozen chicken and turkey can easily damage one’s health by predisposing our vital organs to dangers such as development of lung and liver disease (inflammation of the liver and lungs), kidney disease and certain types of cancer.
“The preservative believed to be used for this chicken and turkey is a commercial solution of Formaldehyde, popularly called formalin, which is used in embalming human bodies and also as a disinfectant.
“The method of cooking is another important factor, because if the frozen chicken or turkey is not allowed to defrost thoroughly before cooking, it will encourage bacterial growth. If it is also not cooked for the right length of time, it could pose a danger to health.
“Inasmuch as the nutrient expected from chicken and turkey is protein, consumers should note that once the products are contaminated, the benefit is as good as lost.”
Jigawa State Governor Muhammadu Badaru Abubakar has cautioned against the ban on importation of rice and other essential commodities.
He spoke yesterday in Dutse when receiving the state chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
Abubakar warned the Federal Government on the effect of the ban on Nigerians, especially workers.
He said the ban on rice required diligence and in-depth analysis of the possible repercussions, to avoid weakening the purchasing power of the people.
According to him, the economy and the danger of relying on oil as a source of revenue necessitated the need for a review of the policies that hindered the take-off of the diversification of the economy.
The governor, who identified agriculture as a solution to the economic woes facing the country, said: “Unless we prioritise agriculture, the future is bleak.”
Abubakar noted that over- reliance on oil revenue was risky, “especially now that developed countries, such as the US, are investing in the discovery of renewable energy.”
He went on: “The current reality is that the oil prices are shrinking and they will shrink further when looking at Iran’s possibility of pumping over one million barrels next month. So, the earlier we start looking for a solution, the better.”
The NUJ Chairman, Comrade Usman Yau, said they visited the governor to thank him for the increase of five per cent in the annual leave and transportation grants of civil servants.
He noted that the gesture showed that Abubakar was a man of integrity.
Yau said besides the five per cent increment, the governor was the first to pay workers’ salary in June, even before the release of the Federal Government grant.
Textile workers have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to reverse the recent lifting of ban on textile materials.
Acting under the aegis of National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN), they said the decision to lift the ban on textile materials would lead to massive job loss.
The General Secretary of the union and Deputy President of the Joe Ajaero-led faction of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr. Issa Aremu, who spoke with reporters in Lagos, said the decision to remove the ban on textile materials remained illegal because it did not follow due process.
Aremu regretted that the decision to lift the ban remained counterproductive to government’s efforts in promoting the growth of local industry, saying the latest decision would sound a death knell for the textile sector.
Aremu stated that the decision to relax the ban on the importation of textiles into the country was not in the interest of the masses, adding that the first test of Buhari’s ‘Change Initiative’, would be to reverse the decision.
“Lifting the ban is illegal as it did not follow due process. Before the ban came into force, there were lots of discussions with all the stakeholders. Recall that the ban was put in place so that African prints can have comparative advantage because we have the capacity to produce locally as well as huge market,” he said.
He lamented that the textile sector, which had been the leading employer of labour is now operating in the shadow of its old self with over 20 companies shut down.
The Labour leader said former President Olusegun Obasanjo, after deliberations with the stakeholders, decided to put the ban in place, adding that the policy was equally retained by late President Musa Yar’adua and to some level, Goodluck Jonathan.
“The same process it took to put the ban in place is the same process we expect the government to take into consideration to lift the ban. It cannot be done casually. All the stakeholders must be called for deliberation”, he stated.
Aremu said the Federal Government should give the sector the kind of support given to local cement manufacturers, which has made them to thrive through the total ban on importation of cement.
“We are not afraid of competition, if it’s done in good faith. If importers of textile materials pay the right duties and come in with quality products, our local industry can compete favourably with them. But a situation where they come in with inferior products through the back doors and saturate the market, thereby making it impossible for the local industry to break even is not good for our economy,” he argued.
While calling for better funding of the Customs in order to combat smugglers, whom he said now have more sophisticated weapons, the textile union scribe said seized goods should be burnt as they often find their way back to the local markets.
He also charged the state governments to look inward to grow their economies through agriculture and industrialisation as it was the case in the 60s and 70s, rather than going cap in hands begging for bail-out from the Federal Government.
