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  • Customs collects N9.2b in one day from border closure

    The Comptroller-General, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Col. Hameed Ali (rtd), on Wednesday said the agency collected  N9.2billion in one day as a result of ongoing partial border closure exercise by the Federal Government.

    Answering questions from members of the joint National Assembly Committee on Finance, in Abuja, he said the agency now maintains an average revenue collection of between N5billion and N6billion daily.

    Ali was at the National Assembly on the invitation of the National Assembly joint committee on Finance presently considering the 2020 – 2022 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTEF/FSP) submitted to both chambers by President Muhammadu Buhari, last week.

    He said most cargoes that used to berth in Benin Republic and later smuggle their goods into the country are now using Nigerian ports.

    He said the agency’s revenue which had dropped has now increased as the a result of the closure.

    Ali said: “When we closed the border my fear was that our revenue is going to drop. To be honest our revenue kept increasing.

    “There was a day in September that we collected N9.2billion in one day. It has never happened before. This is after the closure of the border and since then, we have maintained an average of about N4.7billion and N5.8 billion on a daily basis which is far more than we used to collect.

    “What we have discovered is that most of those cargoes that used to go to Benin (Republic), shipped to Benin, continue and then discharged and smuggled into Nigeria, now that we have closed the border, they are forced to bring their goods to either Apapa or Tin Can Island and we have to collect duty on them.

    “If that would continue to us it is a welcome situation. As a matter of fact, to answer your question, our revenue has not reduced; it is increasing as a result of closing the border.”

    Ali also said there has been a significant reduction in the amount of fuel supposedly consumed daily in Nigeria since the exercise began.

    “About 10.2million litres of fuel has now been cut down from what we have been assuming to have been consuming. This 10.2million litres of fuel is always going across the border.

    “The issue here is that there is incentive because there is price differential. And that is why our people keep pushing this fuel. If you go to Ilaro today, the filling stations that are there…in Idiroko, there are over 50 to 60 filling stations in one place and they are close to the border.

    “And what we have discovered is that they bring in fuel in the afternoon and in the night they siphon it. They do that everyday and this is why we keep saying we are consuming so many litres of fuel everyday,” Ali said.

    Meanwhile, the National Assembly on Wednesday summoned the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele and the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Muhammed Babandede, to appear before its joint committee tomorrow by 9am tomorrow (today).

    This was sequel to the fact that despite having been invited by the Committee, the CBN governor neither sent a representative nor a letter to explain his absence.

    Babandede also did not heed the Committee’s invitation on Wednesday.

  • Ohanaeze youths to Customs: stop extorting traders

    The Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC) has raised the alarm over the worsening cases of extortion of Igbo traders by officials of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on highways in the country.

    Addressing journalists in Owerri, the Imo State capital, Wednesday, the president of the OYC, Comrade Igboayaka O. Igboayaka said the series of extortion of Igbo traders and businessmen in the country, especially in Lagos State, by officials of the Nigeria Customs Service had reached an alarming stage.

    According to him, the officials no longer hide “their inclination and pleasure in extorting money from Igbo traders doing legitimate business in Nigeria”.

    He said, “Verified complaints reaching the OYC has confirmed that customs officials have continued to request undue and illegal ‘customs duties and levies’ from Igbo importers as a condition to clear their goods. They also stop Igbo traders on the roads to extort from them. They employ the use of coercion, threats, closure of shops and seizure of goods worth billions of naira to unlawfully obtain money from their victims.

    Read Also: Ohanaeze youths warn Ihedioha over ‘arrest Okorocha order’

    “Recently, some of the officials from the custom office in Ikeja, without court order, stormed Igbo shops at Maryland, Coscharis, Ikorodu and other areas in Lagos and carted away their goods and locked their shops over products that have already been cleared by the same custom officials when it entered Nigerian borders.”

    Reacting to the allegations, the NCS spokesman, Joseph Attah, a deputy controller of Customs, admitted that there was an ongoing  clampdown on smuggled goods especially vehicles, but  denied that the action was targeted on any ethnic group in the country.

    “My brother, why are you bringing in ethnic sentiment to an official action? There is nothing tribal about it because whatever is going on in Lagos is going on in Kaduna, Kano, even Port Harcourt and other parts of the country. As I’m talking to you, I’m in Kaduna to sensitise the people on the ongoing partial border closure and some of the people there  were asking this same question. They are not Igbos. So, there is nothing tribal about it. Those people telling you this have to know that Igbos are not the only ones selling cars,” Attah told The Nation on the  telephone.

    Reminded of the allegation that appropriate duties have been paid on some of the seized vehicles, Attah said, appropriate actions would be taken after investigations.

  • NPA, BUA concession row threatens over 1000 jobs

    The festering dispute between the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and BUA Ports  and Terminals Limited, a subsidiary of BUA Group over the status of its Concession in the Port Harcourt Ports area, may scuttle the coming to fruition of the $400million investment by the conglomerate that could provide over 1000 direct jobs and thousands of indirect jobs in haulage, loading, stacking, sales, among others, in the Group’s manufacturing value chain.

    The General Manager, BUA Ports and Terminals Limited, Mohammed Lile Ibrahim, who spoke with the media on Wednesday in Port Harcourt, said when BUA got the concession in 2006, it engaged Julius Berger at a contract of 22.6 Euros for the Engineering, Procurement and Commissioning (EPC) of the area in accordance with the concession agreement.

    He said Julius Berger worked on the concession area quay for about 12 months from March 2014 to July 2015 and had to leave when its request for cost variation arising from expanded scope of work was delayed by NPA.

    Ibrahim said the concession which is for 20 years in the first instance and subject to renewal has subsisted for only 13 years, saying that the step contemplated by the Managing Director of NPA, Ms. Hadiza  Bala-Usman announcing the decommissioning of the whole concession arrangement, was capable of undermining the NPA concessioning agreements and against internationally acceptable judicial/dispute resolution procedures.

    He said NPA’s argument that the reason for the decommissioning of BUA Jetty was a result of the unsafe operational environment of the jetty which needed urgent repairs and reconstruction is not tenable since BUA Group had on different occasions written the NPA seeking approval to perform remedial works on the terminal, wondering why NPA refused to grant approval but rather  hurriedly decommissioned the terminal despite the repair works required for the part of the Jetty in question not requiring a decommissioning or closure of the entire Terminal.

    Ibrahim said NPA failed to meet with its obligations regarding the lease agreement and of disregarding a ruling of the Federal High Court, Lagos Division injunction restraining NPA from terminating or giving effect to the Notice of Termination pending the referral of the issues in dispute to arbitration as provided under the lease Agreement, pointing out that NPA will jettisoned the pending arbitral processes of the Court of Arbitration of International  Chamber of Commerce in Paris and took laws into its hands by taking physical possession of the Terminal.

    He said BUA Group was unshaken by the actions of NPA, vowing that the company will defend its rights as provided under the Agreement both in court and the arbitration proceedings whilst remaining committed to the terms of the agreement.

    He said the closure is costing BUA Group a monthly revenue loss of between $500,000 and $600,000, and by extension, the Federal Government, which the NPA ought to collect on throughput charges which range from $85,000 to $105,000 monthly, depending on the volume of cargoes discharged.

    Ibrahim said: “This is affecting the economy because when you keep a vessel out for  one month without berth, money is going, somebody is losing. The tank farm that is close to us is losing. Crown Flour Mills take their product from BUA Terminal, we have so many customers that bring in fish through our terminal, all of them now are in big problem because the four berths available can only take four ships at a time and when one berthes cargo vessel, the one you saw has being at the port terminal for more than 10 days, which means that that berth  cannot take any other ship until this one leaves.”

    He said under the agreement between the parties, NPA has an obligation, among others, to dredge the port and repair the quay apron of the Terminal which responsibility it has failed to perform till date.

    The Lease Agreement provides for mutual rights and obligations and makes provision for dispute resolution mechanism which explicitly states that dispute shall be resolved by arbitration.

    “To our surprise and utter bewilderment and in clear breach of the contractual provisions , NPA by a letter dated 11th November, 2016 terminated the Lease Agreement. BUA Ports and Terminals as a law abiding corporate citizen approached the Federal High Court, Lagos Division in Suit No. FHC/L/CS/633/17 between BUA Ports and Terminal Ltd v. NPA contesting the purported termination of the Lease and obtained an order of injunction restraining NPA from terminating or giving effect to the Notice of Termination pending the referral of the issues in dispute to arbitration as provided under the Agreement. The Order granting injunction is dated 18th January, 2018.

    “By the terms of the Agreement, the parties are enjoined to continue with the observance of the terms and performance of their respective obligations under the Agreement even while disputes are being resolved by either court or arbitration.

    “As a result of the injunction and the terms of the contract, BUA Ports and Terminals continues to carry out its obligations under the contract pending the resolution of the dispute. It is important to state that subsequent to the order of injunction, BUA Ports and Terminals wrote several letters and made overtures to the management of NPA for an amicable resolution of the dispute. NPA did not respond to the request for amicable settlement or the overtures made as the management of NPA appears bent and determined to give effect to the Notice of Termination by several measures including but not limited to decommissioning the Terminal.

    He said in accordance with the terms of the agreement, “BUA wrote a letter dated  16th May, 2019 to notify the NPA of the state of the jetty and the need for immediate remedial works. BUA Ports and Terminals specifically in that letter requested the approval of NPA for it to carry out the necessary repairs and reconstruction to avert imminent collapse and danger to human lives.  However, NPA instead of giving the requisite approval as requested in our letter and consistent with the terms of the Agreement, in its determination to give effect to the purported Notice of Termination took laws into its hand by directing the decommissioning of the jetty and immediate closure of the Terminal.

    “It should be stated that the repairs required was as a result of the nefarious activities of hoodlums and vandals who had over a period of time cut the pipes and steel beam of the berths thereby affecting their stability, among others. The activities of these hoodlums and vandals were at various times reported to the NPA who had the responsibility and obligation under the Agreement to provide security for the Ports. The NPA did nothing. Indeed BUA in its determined effort to tackle these issues caused some arrests to be made and some of the suspects prosecuted, but NPA as owners of the Ports showed little or no interest in the prosecution and the case was lost. Obviously if the NPA had been alive to its responsibilities and provided the required security, the activities of the vandals would have been prevented,” he said.

    “It is important to stress that the repair and reconstruction required for the part of the Jetty in question does not require a decommissioning or closure of the entire Terminal. The carrying out of the remedial works if approved by the management of NPA would have remedied the defects stated in our letter to NPA and averted any risk of loss of property and lives.  It is apparent that NPA is using the said letter by BUA Ports and Terminals as a subterfuge for an effective termination and closure of the Terminal in violation of the order of the court restraining NPA from carrying into effect the purported Notice of Termination.

    Ibrahim said contrary to the impression being created by NPA that BUA Ports and Terminals refused or neglected to reconstruct the berths it is imperative to point out that BUA Ports and Terminals Limited awarded the contract for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the berths to Julius Berger Nigeria Limited  (arguably the best civil construction company in Nigeria) and made a payment of Four Million Seven Hundred Thousand Euros as part-payment for the contract which was frustrated by the deliberate refusal of NPA to fulfil part of their obligations stated above. The contract is however still subsisting,” adding that a copy of the letter from JBN acknowledging advance payment also exists.

  • Buhari, others mourn NSCIA Deputy President General Babalola

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday mourned the passing away of the Deputy President General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Sakariyahu Babalola, is dead.

    He was 87.

    The late Babalola, who was also the President General of the Muslim Ummah of Southwest Nigeria (MUSWEN), was a philanthropist.

    He died yesterday in his Lagos home.

    He was the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Telemobile Nigeria Limited.

    Popularly known as S.O.B, the late Babalola was buried yesterday at the Ikoyi Cemetery in accordance with the Islamic injunction.

    Read Also: Buhari mourns former SGF, Ufot Ekaette

    The janazah (prayer for the deceased) took place at the Lagos Central Mosque in Idumota, Lafrgos Island.

    In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, the President prayed Almighty Allah to grant the soul of the departed eternal rest and comfort all who mourn.

    He extended condolences to the family and firends of the departed.

    Chief Imam of Lagos State, Sheikh Sulaimon Oluwatoyin Abou-Nolla, led the janazah.

    Former Lagos State Deputy Governor Dr Idiat Oluranti Adebule prayed to Allah to forgive the soul of the departed and admit him into Al-Jannah Firdaus.

    Dr Adebule said the Muslim Ummah had lost a passionate and committed leader in the cause of Islam.

    Sheikh Abou-Nolla described the late Babalola as a committed Muslim and a great philanthropist.

    According to the Chief Imam of Lagos, the late Babalola contributed immensely to the growth of Islam in the state, the Southwest and other parts of Nigeria.

    “May Allah forgive his shortcomings and admit him into paradise,” he said.

    Mufti of the Conference of Islamic Organisations (CIO) Sheikh Dhikrullah Shafi’I said the late Babalola would be remembered for his numerous good deeds.

    Sheikh Shafi’I said Muslims in Nigeria have lost a great man.

    He prayed to Allah to bless his soul and grant his family and the Ummah the fortitude to bear the loss.

  • Fed Govt to build 10-lane, cash-less toll plazas on highways

    The Federal Government on Wednesday said it plans to reintroduce toll plazas on its roads across the country.

    To reduce travel delays, cash transactions will be minimised at the toll plazas, which will be built on at least 10 lanes, Works and Housing Minister Babatunde Fashola (SAN), said on Wednesday.

    He said more land will be acquired for the larger tolls gates.

    Fashola said no law prohibits tolling in Nigeria, adding that the new toll plazas will be built on Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangements.

    The Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday approved additional N15.765 billion for Suleja-Minna-Lambata road and Ibadan-Lagere-Ilesa bypass.

    Read Also: P&ID: UK judgment saved Nigeria’s assets, says Fed Govt

    Fashola, accompanied by Information, Culture and Tourism Minister Lai Mohammed, briefed State House correspondents at the end of the FEC meeting, chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    The former Lagos State Governor said the Council approved the upward review of the road contracts from the initial rates.

    On the 101-kilometre Suleja-Minna-Lambata road, the minister said FEC approved additional N12.6 billion; it granted additional N3.165 billion for the Ibadan-Lagere-Ilesa bypass.

    He said: “The first one is the Ibadan-Ilesa bypass 22-kilometre road. The contract was awarded in 2010, but there was no budgetary provision. The rates have become obsolete and the contractor wants a new rate.

    “So, that has necessitated a revision of the rates by N3.165 billion. That means the old contract price of N6.7 billion has now moved to N9.8 billion.

    “The same is true of the Suleja/Minna/Lambata Road. The entire road is 101 kilometres and it was awarded in two phases.

    “The first phase was awarded in 2010 for 40 kilometres. The second phase, covering Kilometre 40 to 101, was awarded in March 2015, but they used the 2010 rates.

    “The contractor is at a point where he says those rates are not sustainable. He can’t continue and we have recommended that the revised rates are considered and the Council approved them. It’s a revision by addition of N12.6 billion. So, the contract price moves from N23.6 billion N36.2 billion.

    “It is important to emphasise that all of these are in keeping first with the desire and determination to focus on projects that can be completed rather than just starting new projects.

    “Also, it is consistent with the realities of economic rates, market price indices for road inputs like cement, iron rods, diesel, petrol, lubricant and the changes that have taken place in the national economic stage between 2010 and now.”

    Stressing that no law opposes toll plazas in the country, Fashola said the Federal Government was working on modalities for reintroducing of cashless toll plazas.

    He said: “Let me just clarify this impression about toll gates. There is no reason why we cannot toll motorists; there is no reason. There was a policy of the government to abolish tolls, or as it were, dismantle toll plazas. But no law prohibits tolling in Nigeria today.

    “We expect to return toll plazas. We have concluded the designs of what they will look like, what materials they will be rebuilt with and what new considerations must go into them.

    “What we are looking out for now and trying to conclude is how the backend runs. And that is important because we want to limit significantly, if not eliminate, cash at the plazas while ensuring that electronic devices that are being used do not impede rapid movement.”

    Speaking on other logistics, Fashola said: “We are also now faced with the need to acquire more land to establish the width of the toll plazas because I believe we are looking at 10-lane plazas so that there can be more outlets.

    “So, we need to acquire more land. That is the work that is currently being done.

    “But let me also say that the expectation that the collection of tolls will then produce the replacement cost of the road is perhaps not accurate. This is because the traffic toll count that we have done on major highways does not suggest that there is enough vehicular traffic across all roads.

    “The two or three heavy routes are Lagos-Ibadan, Abuja-Kano and Abuja-Lokoja. Now, on the Lagos–Ibadan route, the heaviest traffic you will find is between Lagos and Sagamu in Ogun State. It is about 40,000 vehicles. After Sagamu, heading to Ibadan drops to about 20,000.

    “So, most of it has gone eastwards, going towards Ondo and Ore. By the time you get to Benin, the number significantly drops.

    “It goes up again at the confluence where they are heading towards the Niger. So, you can see that it is not a static 50,000 all the way; the same thing with Abuja, Kano and Zaria. After Kaduna, the traffic significantly drops.

    “It is about 40,000 there too but after Kaduna, it begins to drop by the time you get to Zaria.

    “If you have driven to that road before, by the time you are driving between Zaria and Kaduna, you see how thin the recurring number of vehicles you meet is and as you begin to head closer between Kaduna and Abuja, the number of vehicles begins to increase.

    “So, I think it is important to have that at the back of your mind, not all roads have those traffic counts,” he stated

    He noted that what the government was doing was not accidental but a deliberate and methodical action.

    On Public-Private Partnership (PPP), Fashola said: “Let me refer you to the Executive Order 7 that the President signed on a tax credit for infrastructure.

    “Essentially, that is another PPP initiative where companies are supposed to invest their money in infrastructure and then recover it from their tax payments.

    “What people may not understand is, first of all, the company has to make a profit before it can be taxed.

    “So, when you have to build N50 billion highway, how many Nigerian companies are even doing a turnover of N50 billion in the private sector? How many are declaring profits of N50 billion? The tax that you apply on N50 billion profit is 30 per cent. So if you do that, it will be about N15 billion.

    “Look at it that way. So, how many companies are in that? A few banks maybe and perhaps Aliko (Dangote, Chairman of Dangote Group) and it is no surprise therefore that the Dangote Group is the one building the Apapa/Oworonsoki Expressway using the tax credit.”

    It was also disclosed that there would be an extra-ordinary FEC meeting at the State House on Saturday by 11 am to delibrate on the 2020 Budget.

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) opposed plans to return toll gates.

    The party lamented that the “insensitive idea”, coming in amid economic hardship and high cost of living “occasioned by the… policies of the Buhari administration”.

    The party’s spokesman Kola Ologbondiyan said at best, the idea amounted to “executive bullying”.

    The statement said: “Only recently, President Buhari approved the increase of Value Added Tax (VAT) from five per cent to 7.2 per cent.

    The PDP said instead of putting more pressure on already impoverished Nigerians by introducing toll gates at this point in time, President Buhari should exert himself, seek ways of creating wealth out of the abundant resources at the disposal of his administration or make haste to surrender the reign of governance to more competent hands.

  • Many feared killed as passenger bus plunges into Ogun River

    A passenger bus reportedly plunged into River Ososa near Ijebu-Ode in Ogun State on Wednesday.

    Many people were feared killed in the accident, which was said to have occurred around 4.30 p.m.

    It was gathered that the bus, with yet-to-be-specified number of passengers, was travelling on the Sagamu-Ijebu-Ode-Benin Expressway.

    The Nation reports the accident occurred barely a week after a non-academic staff bus of Tai Solarin College of Education (TASCE), Ijebu-Ode, plunged into the same river.

    At the time of the report, divers and rescuers were still battling to save occupants of the vehicle, which was said to have lost control before flipping into the river.

    It was also gathered that the bus driver had attempted to overtake another vehicle on the road but suddenly had a bad tyre, causing it to fall into the river.

    Read Also: Six disasters to watch out for in the ‘ember months’

    Confirming the incident, the Ogun Sector Command of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) said it was the result of speeding.

    Sector Commander Clement Oladele told The Nation that high water levels occasioned by Tuesday’s downpour made the rescue operation difficult.

    He said: “The FRSC rescue team moved in immediately to the scene for rescue operations. The team include FRSC professional divers who have dived into the river to conduct rescue operations underneath

    “The divers are still working hard to recover (bodies of the) passengers in the ill-fated vehicle, which is made more difficult by the risen level of the river caused by yesterday’s heavy rains, around Ijebu-Ode area.

    “The bus was travelling from the Sagamu end of the expressway towards Ijebu-Ode section.”

    Expressing worry over the incident, Oladele urged motorists to drive cautiously, especially around bridges, considering that the expressway was undergoing rehabilitation.

    “Motorists are, therefore, strongly advised to reduce speed when approaching bridges to prevent unpleasant situation such as this.

    “The rescue operations would not be called off till the vehicle and the occupants are brought out of the river.

    “I also appeal to RCC (the construction fiem working in the area) to ensure that the safety railings around the bridge and other bridges in that axis are quickly replaced. Illuminated warning signs should be provided around the bridge and the depression at the foot of the bridge quickly repaired to prevent reoccurrence,” he said.

  • Danish ‘double murder’ suspect opens defence Oct 25

    An Igbosere High Court in Lagos has adjourned till October 25 for a Danish

    man, Peter Nielsen, to open his defence to a double murder charge.

    Nielsen, 54, is standing trial for the April 5, 2018 death of his Nigerian singer wife, Zainab and their three-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Petra.

    The Lagos State Government accused the Dane of smothering Zainab and Petra to death at about 3:45am at No. 4, Flat 17, Bella Vista Tower, Banana Island Ikoyi.

    Nielsen was arraigned on June 13, 2018 on two counts of murder contrary to Section 223 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

    He denied the charge.

    Lagos State Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice Ms. Titilayo Shitta-Bey closed the government’s case on Friday, September 20.

    Justice Okikiolu Ighile fixed October 25 for trial to continue.

    Last Friday, defence counsel, Mr Olasupo Shasore SAN cross examined the

    prosecution’s ninth witness Dr. Idem Richard Somiari.

    Dr. Somiari stated that the defendant’s DNA was found in the apartment and on Zainab’s night gown, but neither on the body of his deceased daughter, nor in the kitchen where the bodies were discovered.

    The expert also stated that he found DNA of an unknown female in the kitchen.

    Read Also: 19-year-old remanded over ‘N550,000 theft’

    When confronted that the crime scene investigation and forensic DNA analysis was deliberately aimed at gathering evidence and arriving at results showing that the Defendant was guilty of the murder, Dr Somiari denied it.

    Somiari stated that the forensic DNA team took steps to prevent contamination of the crime scene by putting on gloves, shoe covers, and disposable laboratory coats.

    But when he was later shown photographs from his visit to the crime scene, he admitted that some members of the DNA team did not put on the protective gear.

    Dr Somiari was also unable to account for the number of people that had access to the crime scene in the period between the discovery of the bodies and the examination of the crime scene by forensic experts.

    The prosecution witness also informed the court that samples for DNA analysis were only taken from three occupants of the apartment; the defendant and the two deceased persons even though six people lived in the apartment at the time of the murder.

  • Why our service chiefs deserve national honour

    When recently, I heard a member of the Nigerian Senate asking what the Service Chiefs have done these years on ending Boko Haram,  I knew immediately that there is another set of people that have been ignored in our hall of fame. It became clear to me, our politicians will stop at nothing to glorify themselves over nothing,  but excitedly spite others.
    The Senator who asked the rhetorical question amazed me infinitely. If today, and under President Muhammadu Buhari, any Nigerian can claim even in satiric excitement or in mocking ambience not to understand or feel the impact of the Service Chiefs on insurgencies, it only exposes our hypocritical selves.
    And when I hear such obscenities from politicians, it baffles me on why these same persons have found themselves in leadership positions. A friend of mine, once told me   that when our politicains tell you to stand, make sure you sit down immediately. They are hostile to truth, but worship falsehood with reverence.  This is the extent Nigerians perceive the dishonesty in our politicians.
    Therefore, spreading mischief and malicious interpretations of our problems by these politicians would not obliterate the reality. We all know, truth is constant and sacrosanct. Only lies mutate in character severally within a day.
    The same Senator, I have no reason to doubt his dementia has forgotten that in the Three Arms Zone in Abuja where he attends parliamentary sessions, insurgents bombs exploded at Eagle Square when former President Goodluck Jonathan was the chief landlord of Aso Rock.
    And even the Louis Edet House, which houses the  Nigerian Police Headquarters also felt the heat of Boko Haram bombs. The bomb explosions at Nyanya bus station; Barnex Shopping Mall, the UN Building and hordes of other places within the Federal Capital Territory ( FCT) undeniably expressed our national tragedy.
    That a serving Senator today does not know that no bomb has exploded anywhere in Abuja under the Buhari Presidency and deridingly questions what the Service Chiefs have done would not plunge me into a nightmare. He is merely voicing out his foolery, in a demeaning fashion.
    If we are held back by sentiment not to commend the Service Chiefs for taming insurgencies and insurrections in Nigeria,  we should rather be mute. But polluting the air with such malicious condemnations of the sacrifices they are making to give us peace and security is the height of idiocy.
    I feel the current Service Chiefs, especially the Chief of Army Staff ( COAS) and helmsman of the anti-insurgency operations in Nigeria, Lt. Gen. TY Buratai deserve national recognition with national honours. The Brazilian Government was not foolish to have conferred the highest military honour on Gen. Buratai for his contributions in decimating / defeating Boko Haram terrorism and therefore, scaling up world peace!
     I know some Nigerians as people who are never proud of hard working, selfless and patriotic leaders like Gen. Buratai and the others are just victims of a disfigured national pysche.
    So, for the records, and to those who are likely to be misled by the dishonest views of my Senator- friend, I wish to reply briefly by replaying the impact of Service Chiefs appointed in 2015 which he deliberately feigns ignorance.
    I want to be specific and would x-ray just the war against terrorism. Before the Buhari Presidency,  18 local governments in the Northeast were under the full control of Boko Haram. The  terror gang also had partial control of seven others. Terrorists deposed traditional and religious leaders, foisted their Jihadi flags and governed conquered territories on the dictates of Boko Haram’s weird doctrines, with headquarters in Gwoza.
    But Gen. Buratai ingeniously and courageously led Nigerian troops to reclaim all seized territories of the Nigerian state within one year! Nigerians only knew of Boko Haram’s abduction of the 276 Chibok schoolgirls. However, over 20, 000 Nigerians were held hostage in Boko Haram’s secret camps in the Northeast. The Army Chief led the assault which has freed over 17, 000 Boko Haram hostages in the last four years.
    Today, we are not under the phobia of a dreaded Sambisa forest. We are pleasantly talking about a demystified and dismantled Sambisa forest, an enclave now sprawling with games and hunting . I am still thinking of who some debased politicians in the country think has accomplished these feats, if not the Service Chiefs, with Gen. Buratai as the Chief Armour Bearer.
    Nigerians are no longer under the nightmare of the spell of Boko Haram, constantly visiting atrocities and horrendous attacks,  so recklessly on any part of the country as obtainable in the past. Of course, I won’t say, Boko Haram insurgency has completely ended, but it has been severely degraded and decapitated, to the extent that now insurgents only strike at obscure locations.  But our gallant soldiers are still on their trail in Clearance Operations. We cannot be this blind to reality!
    We can only appreciate Gen. Buratai if we know that he has been able to stop the massive recruitment of our sons and daughters into Boko Haram as footsoldiers.  It’s a difficult task, but he has done it. It means Gen. Buratai has confronted insurgency on all fronts- battlefield, cyberspace,  pyschological and ideological warfares.
    I am not wise, but I know when someone attempts to fool me. If at this point, some Nigerians still doubt what the incumbent Service Chiefs have done in combating terrorism, they could even query the day of their birth. Had other Service Chiefs did half of what current batch are doing now in finally routing out Boko Haram terrorism, Nigeria would have been a free nation by today.
    I feel these Service Chiefs deserve national honors. It’s the only way we can convince an inquisitive world about appreciating their service and sacrifices to our  fatherland in quelling terrorism.
    Onmeje wrote this piece from Bromley, London..

  • Nigerians not getting enough from security agencies, says Lawan

    Senate President Ahmad Lawan has said Nigerians are not getting the best from the security agencies due to the way their structures were designed.

    Lawan made the observation while contributing to a motion on renewed activities of armed robbers and kidnappers on the Lokoja-Abuja road, moved by Senator Dino Melaye (Kogi West).

    The Senate President said the time had come to ban the Army, the police and other paramilitary personnel from using railway services.

    He said they should instead ply the roads and clear them for other Nigerians to travel safely.

    According to him, there is urgent need to review the nation’s security architecture and allocate more funds for security in the national budgets.

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    Lawan said: “The issue of kidnapping, banditry and other security challenges is affecting all of us. I also agree completely that we need to do something differently.

    “You recall that before we went on recess, we mentioned that we needed to go back to that report on the ad hoc committee set up to review the architecture of the security in Nigeria, which the Eighth Senate set up.

    “In addition to doing something, maybe by way of a public hearing to ensure that we review the security architecture and the structure of our agencies today, because of the way they are designed, I think we are not getting the best out of them and we cannot go on like this.

    “Maybe we would be a little more radical. We need to give the security agencies some more funds, but we should insist on accountability.

    “It is not enough to give them money; we must see how they utilise the money. We must insist on that, and if we do that, we must insist that uniform people must not join the train because they are the ones that are supposed to protect us.

    “The military, the police and para-military agencies should allow the ordinary people to use the train.

    “Let them ply the roads because that would clear the roads for other road users to go on the roads.

    “We have to take these measures and take some responsibilities and obligations.”

    Also, senators decried the renewed kidnappings on the Abuja-Lokoja road and other highways in the country.

    They urged security agencies to immediately tighten security on the roads.

    The senators also urged the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to further protect the lives of Nigerians on the Abuja-Lokoja expressway and other highways across the country.

    In his lead debate, Senator Melaye drew the Senate’s attention to repeated kidnappings on the Lokoja-Abuja highway in September.

    The Kogi senator urged his colleagues to note that the highway is the gateway to about nine states and the only road that joins the South and the North.

    He said: “Specifically, between Aseni and Omoko village on that expressway, on September 11, there was a very serious issue of kidnap where about eight people were abducted on that road.

    “As if that was not enough, on September 18 again, they came more vociferous and kidnaped 11 people and destroying property of motorists.

    “As if that was not enough, on September 24, the gang of armed robbers came there and killed eight Nigerians, including one Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), who was commuting on that road.

    “They killed eight people and kidnapped 18 people. My worry is that it happened on September 11 and there was no special security attention to it.

    “It happened again on September 18 and it was fully demonstrated again on September 24, where the lives of eight Nigerians were unceremoniously taken.

    “In a country where there is law and order; in a country where the poor and rich pay their taxes, Chapter 2 of the Constitution and Section 14(2b) is very clear. And what does that part of the constitution say? It says the primary responsibility of the government shall be the security and welfare of the people…”

    Senate Minority Leader Enyinnaya Abaribe and Danjuma Goje supported the motion.

  • Border closure: Customs rakes in N9.2billion in one day – Ali

    The Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Colonel Hameed Ali (rtd) has declared the agency collected N9.2billion in one day as a result of the ongoing partial border closure exercise by the Federal Government.

    Ali, who was answering questions from members of the joint National Assembly Committee on Finance in Abuja, said the agency maintains an average revenue collection of N5billion to N6billion on a daily basis.

    The customs boss was at the National Assembly on the invitation of the National Assembly joint committee on Finance presently considering the 2020 – 2022 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTEF/FSP) submitted to both chambers by President Muhammadu Buhari, last week.

    He said that most cargoes that used to berth in Benin Republic and later smuggle their goods into the country are now using Nigerian ports.

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    He said the agency’s revenue has not dropped but rather increased as the a result of the closure.

    Ali said: “When we closed the border my fear was that our revenue is going to drop. To be honest our revenue kept increasing.

    “There was a day in September that we collected N9.2billion in one day. It has never happened before.

    “This is after the closure of the border and since then, we have maintained an average of about N4.7billion to N5.8 billion on a daily basis which is far more than we used to collect.

    “What we have discovered is that most of those cargoes that used to go to Benin (Republic), shipped to Benin, continue and then discharged and smuggled into Nigeria, now that we have closed the border they are forced to bring their goods to either Apapa or Tin Can Island and we have to collect duty on them.

    “If that would continue to us it is a welcome situation. As a matter of fact to answer your question, our revenue has not reduced. As a matter of fact, it is increasing as a result of closing the border.”

    Ali also said that there has been a significant reduction in the amount of fuel supposedly consumed daily in Nigeria since the exercise began.

    “About 10.2million litres of fuel has now been cut down from what we have been assuming to have been consuming. This 10.2million litres of fuel is always going to across the border.

    “The issue here is that there is incentive because there is price differential. And that is why our people keep pushing this fuel. If you go to Ilaro today, the filling stations that are there…in Idiroko, there are over 50 tp 60 filling stations in one place and they are close to the border.

    “And what we have discovered is that they bring in fuel in the afternoon and in the night they siphon it. They do that everyday and this is why we keep saying we are consuming so many litres of fuel everyday.”

    The National Assembly has summoned the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele and the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Muhammed Babandede, to appear before its joint committee tomorrow by 9am tomorrow (today).

    This was sequel to the fact that despite having been invited by the Committee, the CBN Governor neither sent a representative nor a letter to explain his absence.

    Babandede also did not heed the Committee’s invitation on Wednesday.