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  • Abuja warehouse looting criminal, says minister

    Abuja warehouse looting criminal, says minister

    • Police interrogate two warehouse guards

    The Minister of State, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, yesterday declared that Sunday’s looting of a warehouse at Gwagwa-Tasha by hoodlums was a criminal act.

    She made this declaration at the end of her assessment visit to site to ascertain the level of damage of the warehouse.

    Mahmoud who spoke to reporters at the scene, said the action was beyond hunger.

    She described what she saw as an unfortunate incident where hoodlums carted away all the grains and other food stuff including the roofs and fence.

    The Minister, who expressed disappointment over the attitude of the youths within the area, assured that the administration would establish a police post in all government warehouses across the territory going forward.

    Read Also: Dangote names Lagos refinery road after Wigwe

    The minister said: “We are here due to the unfortunate incident that happened early hours of yesterday (Sunday) where hoodlums attacked this very warehouse and packed everything that is here, including the fence.

    “Not only the food items that are here, including the roofings, windows, and even the gates of this place and offices were all attacked.

    “You can see the level of damage. There is nothing that is left here, including machineries that are used for the processing of these things.

    “As you have heard, people around, the youth of the environment or the community are suspected to have instigated this incident. So, this is a very sad event and we are not happy about it.”

    According to her, the looting took place when the FCTA was  restocking its warehouse with a view to meeting up with the directive of President Bola Tinubu to distribute palliatives to all the six area councils in the country’s capital city.

  • SON seals warehouse for unwholesome products in Lagos

    SON seals warehouse for unwholesome products in Lagos

    The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has sealed a warehouse and shops stocked with unfortified pasta, flour and sugar in different areas in Lagos.

    It also raided major markets in the state as part of its ongoing efforts to stem the tide of substandard products in the country.

    SON’s Director-General, Osita Aboloma, said the warehouse and shops contained products that were unwholesome and therefore, risky for human consumption.

    He said the products were brought into the country with no import documentation and registration numbers, adding that they could lead to dangerous health hazards for unsuspecting consumers, who buy them.

    Aboloma said the raid followed intelligence reports from sister security agencies and the cooperation of patriotic Nigerians, adding that the enforcement would continue as a way of ensuring that only goods that meet the minimum requirements of the Nigeria Industrial Standards (NIS) or other approved standards are sold in the country.

    “The seized products do not meet our standard specifications, a critical part of which is the regulation on fortification with Vitamin A. There were no documentations to show how they got into the country and evidence of being registered under our electronic product registration scheme. They are not supposed to be on our shelves,” Aboloma said.

    He said the sale of unfortified pasta, flour and sugar in the country is particularly worrisome, considering that there is a government policy on their fortification with Vitamin A as a way of preserving the sight of Nigerians. “Flour, pasta, vegetable oil and sugar are foods that Nigerians consume regularly and if they are not fortified with the necessary vitamins as provided in the relevant standards, the Nigerian consumers would be prone to such illnesses as blindness and other sight problems,”he said.

    Aboloma, who was represented by the Deputy Director, Market Surveillance, Suleiman Issa, added that the campaign to eradicate substandard imported sugar, flour and flour products in the country would continue, assuring Nigerians that wherever these products are found, they would be removed.

    “These products have not been registered with SON for traceability and quality verification. I will advise Nigerians to look out for the registration numbers of SON and National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on imported food products before purchase.

    “Any uncertified, unregistered and smuggled product is very risky and most likely unwholesome for consumption. Any pack of these imported non-conforming flour-based products found in our markets would be removed and the owners held accountable until they take us to the source,” he said.

    Mr. Aboloma said SON’s effort to stamp out substandard products in the country required the collective efforts of Nigerians, urging market women not to patronise uncertified and unregistered brands. He advised importers and vendors to desist from selling flour-based products that can endanger people’s health.

    “This is just the beginning. We will continue the exercise, and that is why we are urging Nigerians to be wary of unfit imported products. We are aware that some of these products are smuggled in the dead of the night, using unofficial routes. We will continue to checkmate those behind their importation,”he said.

    According to him, SON would intensify its efforts at sensitising the Nigerian populace on the implication of patronage and consumption of uncertified and unregistered imported products, which have negative implications for local industries in addition to constituting health and economic risks.

    He said most of such products dumped in Nigeria cannot be sold in their countries of origin, but are shipped to Africa and smuggled in through unauthorised routes.

    The state co-ordinator, Lagos Office III, SON, Mrs. Ngozi Ekwueme, warned that the consumption of the products that lack Vitamin A fortification puts the average Nigerian, who patronises them the most, at a risk of blindness.

    Globus Supermarket Manager,  whose warehouse was sealed, said he did not know the implications of consuming the products.

    He urged the Federal Government to do more enlightenment programmes to educate vendors and consumers.

  • Gunmen attack warehouse in Abia

    •Owner, customers lose over N1m 

    Six gunmen have robbed a clothing warehouse on Ehi Road, Aba, Abia State.

    Sources said yesterday the hoodlums made away with over N1million belonging to the owner and customers.

    A source, who identified himself as Kelechi, told our reporter that the gunmen, who came in two commercial tricycles, struck about 2pm on Monday when customers were paying for goods.

    He said: “The owner of the warehouse received his goods at the weekend. Around 2pm on Monday while people were buying goods, six hoodlums alighted from two tricycles.

    “Nobody suspected them because people were busy. When the young men approached the entrance of the building, people thought they were members of a security agency.

    “It, however, dawned on them that the men were unfriendly when they asked people to lie down, pointing guns at them. They collected women’s handbags and asked others to hand over their money.

    “The victims, including the owner of the warehouse, complied. The hoodlums shot into the air before escaping. It was then passersby and neighbours became aware of what happened.

    “I guess the gunmen were those who robbed a warehouse on St. Michael’s Road. They didn’t shoot anybody. The style of operation was the same. They used tricycles to beat security agents.”

    Police spokesman Geoffrey Ogbonna said the matter was yet to be reported.

    He urged the public to report such matters to the nearest police station for action, stressing that the police were ready to fight crime in collaboration with other security agents.

     

  • Gunmen attack warehouse, rob customers of million of naira

    Gunmen attack warehouse, rob customers of million of naira

    Gunmen numbering six have reportedly attacked and robbed a clothing warehouse located at Ehi road in Aba, the commercial nerve of Abia State.

    Sources within the area who spoke to our reporter on Tuesday said that the gunmen made away with over N1million from the owner of the facility and customers who had come to purchase goods from the dealer.

    A source that simply identified himself as Kelechi told our reporter on Tuesday that the gunmen who came in two commercial tricycles struck at about 2pm on Monday while many customers were making payment for the goods that they have selected.

    Narrating the incident Kelechi said “The owner of the warehouse offloaded his goods at the weekend and normally, people will come to buy from him. About 2pm on Monday while people were making payment for the goods that they have selected, some guys numbering 6 in two commercial tricycles alighted from the tricycle.

    “Nobody suspected them because everywhere was busy as many people were paying for goods while others were making arrangements on how they will convey the goods that they have paid to their shops. As the young men in their late twenties and may be early thirties approached the entrance of the building some people who saw them thought that they were members of one of the security agencies who come to collect royalties like it has been the system.

    “It however dawned on them that the guys were the unfriendly ones when they asked the people to lie down and face the floor pointing guns at them. They collected the women’s handbags and asked others to hand over to them all the monies that they have.

    “The victims including the owner of the warehouse complied and handed over to them, the monies that they have and released gun shots into the air before they drove off. It was at that point that passersby and neighbours became aware of what happened.

    “I guess that these guys were the same syndicate that robbed a warehouse at St. Michael’s roads in a similar way just that unlike the St. Michael’s warehouse robbery, they didn’t shoot at any person. But the style of their operation is the same as they use commercial tricycle in apparent move to beat police, army and other security operatives.”

    When our remoter contacted the Abia State Command Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Geoffrey Ogbonna, he said that the matter was not yet reported at the police station.

    Ogbonna however, urged members of the public to report such matter to the nearest police station for prompt action, stressing that the police was ready to fight and nip crime in the bud in the state with the collaboration of personnel of sister agencies.

  • Financing farmers through warehouse receipts

    Financing farmers through warehouse receipts

     Experts are pushing for use of  Warehouse Receipt Financing(WRS) to improve farmers’ access to finance and lower trade costs, reports DANIEL ESSIET.

    For Innocent Mokidi,  Chief Executive of  BROTE Urban Vegetable Farm and Processing Limited in Abuja, agribusiness can be profitable for youths with the right capital and skills.

    However, like other young farmers, Mokidi faces some hurdles in trying to earn a living from agriculture. One of his challenges is crop failure.

    Crop failure is caused by heavy or unseasonal rain, deterioration of stored food grains due to poor warehousing, and crash in prices.  He finds it difficult to address these problems because of funding.

    Pelumi Aribisala, a farmer in Osun State, sometimes faces the challenge of lack of facilities to store his produce. He is forced, just like his colleagues to sell his surplus produce during the harvest season when farm gate prices are low. These farmers cannot tackle this problem because of the difficulty in obtaining funds to address inadequate storage facilities.

    Regrettably, produce buyers take advantage of them by offering very low prices for the  produce  and sell them during the most profitable market conditions.

    However, farmers, such as Mokidi, are unattractive customers to banks, especially in getting credits from them. This because of the unpredictable nature of their farming business. Banks require collateral that they cannot provide and  farm produce cannot be used as safe collateral to obtain loans. This situation has demoralised many a farmers, who are constantly thinking of abandoning  farming  altogether.

    To Kebbi State Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) Chairman, Alhaji Sahabi Muhammad, such a challenge could be addressed by the warehouse receipt system.

    He said farmers would deliver their goods to a warehouse, which in turn issues them a receipt.  They can use the receipt as collateral to access loans from banks.

    Under Warehouse Receipt System (WRS), according to Muhammad, small-scale farmers are able to store their produce in warehouses during harvest when prices are relatively low and later release them to the market at better prices during the periods of low supply.

     

     Warehouse Receipt financing

    Warehouse receipt financing is a form of secured lending, where the bank advances funds against inventory  that are being stored in a warehouse and that have been assigned to the lender. A warehouse receipt is a document provided by the warehouse operator, acknowledging the receipt of produce or goods in the stated quality, quantity and other parameters. It also states the name of the depositor of the produce and the location of the warehouse.

     

    How warehouse receipt works

    After harvesting, a farmer like Mokodi  would deliver his produce to a warehouse that has been approved by a bank. The warehouse then issues a receipt vouching the quantity and quality of produce being stored. The bank then takes the receipt and provides financing to the farmer, typically up to 70 per cent of the produces’ market value – against it. The receipt acts as collateral for the bank, giving it the right to take ownership of the stored produce if the loan is not repaid.

    For Mokidi, the warehouse receipts system is essential.  With the credit he would get, thanks to warehouse receipts, he could buy certified seeds and fertiliser in time for planting season.

    The warehouse receipts system allows him to better organise his work and earn more money to take care of his  family.  In addition, it reduces the pressure on him to sell immediately after harvest when prices are low.

    While the commodity is in the warehouse, he can monitor the prices and sell when it is favorable, often resulting in a 35-40 per cent increase in price. It also allows sales to continue over time from one harvest to another, thus stabilising prices.

     

    Banks and Warehouse Receipts

    The bank that  accept  the warehouse receipt can discounted for up to 70 per cent of the value of the commodity. The bank then recovers the advance plus the interest when the commodity is sold. The farmer can then use the money to finance the next planting or other projects.

     

    Stakeholders’ reactions

    For the receipts to work effectively, Muhammad maintained  that  it  is essential to ensure infrastructure, grading and collateral management systems, which guarantee the quality and quantity of stored commodities are in place. This will provide comfort to farmers  to store their produce, as well as to banks to accept warehouse receipts as secure collateral to finance farmers.

    Muhammad stressed the need for the government to establish a mechanism to oversee and promote  the operations of the system, the development of standardised and certified storage facilities of commodities and promotion of structured financing for commodities.

    According to him, the absence of  certified  warehouses in critical  farm locations have seen middlemen fill the vacuum at the expense of grain farmers’ fortune.

    He  called  for a system  that  will  promote physical storage infrastructure development, license warehouses, warehouse keepers and inspectors and issue negotiable and non-negotiable receipts to promote the system across various commodities.

    Adebayo noted that rural road infrastructure was very poor, and contributed to high transport costs in many rural communities.

    He observed that the sector was suffering for  inadequate  storage capacity to make the system work. Within the sector, there are a few   silos and warehouses  across  the farm  areas  in the rural areas with total capacity of over 900,000 tonnes. In rural areas also,  most grain storage facilities are in a state of disrepair and substantial investment would be required for remedial works.

    According  to him, grain storage activities are concentrated in urban locations, where millers and processors want to assure regular supply of raw materials. He  added that warehouses needed to be located in rural areas where  farmers  could be  as close as possible to major buyers.

    Pushing for warehouse receipt, Project Director, Cassava Adding to Africa (CAVA), Prof Kola Adebayo said Nigeria needed  to  establish a workable warehouse receipt system because  it has helped to change  the fortunes of farmers in Ghana.

    According to him, warehouse receipt finance involves storing the grain in a warehouse that issues a receipt as proof of ownership. The receipt, he explained, becomes a transferable instrument that would be used by farmers to sell the grain or use it as collateral in a bank for short-term loans.

    Using a warehouse receipt, he noted, enables farmers to store their products in a warehouse and defer the sale of their goods until the lean season when prices traditionally rise, allowing them to earn more.

    An effective warehouse receipts system, he added, would expand farmers marketing options.

    To Programme Co-ordinator, Farmers’ Development Union (FADU), Mr Victor Olowe, agriculture is a game changer for the country if the sector receives the desired level of commitment by both the private and public sectors.

    He called on the government to institute structures that will help farmers  access market channels.

  • SON seals N5b sub-standard tyres warehouse in Lagos

    SON seals N5b sub-standard tyres warehouse in Lagos

    •Two Chinese arrested

    Two Chinese are to be prosecuted for their involvement in the importation of fake and substandard tyres worth N5 billion into the country

    MessrsTaolung Shen and Xu Jing Yao were arrested and their company Sino Nigeria Import and Export Limited’s warehouse in Lagos sealed by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON).

    Director-General of SON Osita Aboloma, who showed reporters round the warehouse at Alakija area on Badagry Road in Lagos at the weekend, lamented that the importation of such tyres endangered the lives of millions of Nigerians.

    He said many of the over three million tyres brought into the country in over 60 containers, had post-dated manufacturing dates –some of them with March 2017 date on them.

    They also cloned different sizes of tyres under such brand names as Powertrac, Aptany, Harmony, Duraturn, Bearway, City Tour, Winda, Glory, Chachland, City Grand, Grandsonte (Tyre Type) and Sunny (for tricycle) among others.

    Many of the tyres arrived in Nigeria stuffed into one another. In some instances as many as five stuffed into one. Many are bent and ruptured and looking weak and slack.

    Aboloma described the tyres as “dead on arrival”, adding that allowing such consignments into the country could lead to motor accidents and loss of lives.

    He said stuffing tyres through the long sea journey from China to Lagos had already compromised the quality let alone the crude way the tyres were separated on arrival in Nigeria and the poor storage facility, without sufficient aeration in the warehouse.

    ”The SON Directorate of Compliance intercepted one of their trucks on the highway, tracked it and then this. You can see the amount of danger that these people are posing to our people and our economy just because they want to make huge profit at the expense of the lives of Nigerians”, Aboloma said.

    He lamented that the raid on the company revealed a lot of illicit activities, including re-labelling, high level of stuffing of tyres into one, tampering with expiry dates and staking the tyres in very adverse conditions.

    “it is a clear case of investing millions in illicit business in order to take away the lives of millions of Nigerians. to destroy the lives of millions of Nigerians. If we should allow something like this, it will amount to killing Nigerians”, Aboloma said.

    ”I want to reiterate that there is no hiding place for those who deal in substandard products as they will be caught and their products confiscated. Today’s is an example”, he said.

    ”Nothing can be recouped from such stuffed in tyres, no need to test anything because the tyres have already been destroyed on arrival,” he said.

    Aboloma promised to bring the Chinese and others in illicit trade to book.

    He said SON was exploring all avenues towards nipping acts like that in the bud.

    “For us, it is a continuous fight. Currently, we are prosecuting about five cases in different high courts in line with the mandate of the SON. We burn substandard products when there is need to, following laid down procedures.” he said.

    Aboloma cautioned users of automobile tyres on the need to be extra cautious when buying products.

    He said: “The nation’s laws must be made to work by ensuring that it is implemented to the letter.  l must reiterate here that the  full force of the SON Act that empowers  her to prosecute offenders will  be invoked on the perpetrators of this  economic crime  in no short time. It is left to imagine the number of lives that would have been lost to this wicked act by a few people”.

  • Fire razes warehouse, destroys goods worth millions

    Fire razes warehouse, destroys goods worth millions

    A warehouse of cables and other electrical parts in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, was gutted by early morning fire yesterday.

    The fire was said to have started on the storey building store belonging to Jico-Tech Limited, a major dealer on electrical parts, before resumption of workers.

    It was gathered that neighbours around the business premises battled in vain to quench the inferno before contacting the fire fighters.

    At about 7:20am, firefighting trucks from the state’s fire service were seen racing to the distressed building.

    The firefighters, however, complained of their inability to effectively combat the inferior because of lack of funding and required chemicals.

    They were assisted by Igbo youths who rallied round and ensured that the fire was put out.

    A son of the store’s owner, John-Paul Igweka, said they resumed work to behold the fire but tried in vain to stop it.

    He said:  “We came to the shops this morning and discovered that the store was on fire.

    “We made efforts to put it but couldn’t do anything and we called the fire service.

    “Though they came in time and with three trucks but there was nothing they could do as they complained of no chemical in the water they came with. But I must commend them for coming in time.

    “You can see for yourself. It is not what I can quantify but as you can see for yourself, it’s worth millions that just got lost.

    “It’s like going back to zero, going back to the village to start all over again.”

    He suspected that the fire must have been the handiwork of saboteurs and begged the government for assistance.

    President of the Ohaneze Youth Council (OYC), Chinedu Authur-Ugwa, who was at the scene of the disaster, described the fire incident as shocking and heartbreaking.

    He said: “It is very, very sad. We were informed this morning of the fire incident and on reaching here I was shocked at the level of damage.

    “Goods worth N300 million are gone. It is very sad, especially at this hard time.

    “We can only console him at a time like this and see how we can help him.

    “We will try to see how the state government and other well meaning individuals can help him. You know this kind of a thing can lead to heart failure, it’s sad.”

    But the Director ICT of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Azure Ayiyi, said the incident started at about 6am after the public power supply was withdrawn.

    “The fire service came down and was able to put things under control. The security men secured the place and traders came out massively to help us fight the fire”.

  • Five feared dead as NPA warehouse collapses

    Five persons were feared dead in a building collapse at the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) at Area 1, Sea port in Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital, on Saturday evening.

    A source said the building was within an old warehouse where items were stored.

    It was not clear last night what led to the sudden collapse of the building, though another source linked it with corrosion.

    The five casualties were reportedly working at the warehouse when the building suddenly caved in.

    Ports Police Unit could not be reached to confirm the incident and police spokesman Ahmad Muhammad, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said the area is outside his jurisdiction.

     

  • Ambode lauds WAMCO’s N2b warehouse

    The Governor of Lagos State, Akinwumi Ambode has commended Friesland Campina WAMCO Nigeria’s N2 billion mega warehouse in Lagos, and urged other companies to invest in the state.

    Speaking the commissioning ceremony in Ikeja, Governor Ambode who was represented by Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Adeniji Kazeem said the project would not only create more jobs Lagosians but would enable the reach of WAMCO’s products to more Nigerians, adding that the huge investment is a testimony that Lagos is investment haven and destination for investors.

    He said: “This event is remarkable for Lagos State, because it is another endorsement to our continuous efforts, to tell the world that Lagos is the place to invest. Over the years, WAMCO has proven itself to be a proactive company of integrity, professionalism with internationally acclaimed best practices. This I believe is the reason why the Peak brand has endured for so long and is still the leading and preferred milk brand today.”

    He urged the company to be diligent in tax payment, and always employ best practices in the discharge and management of its industrial waste and effluents. “In Lagos State, we emphasise the importance of paying your tax regularly. Companies and individuals, who evade tax, definitely work against the good of the society. Indeed the benefits of tax are enormous to the growth and sustenance of every progressive society with people oriented initiatives. It goes a long way to facilitate government policies, economic system as well as social infrastructures.

    “I want to assure you that our government is unrelenting and we will not rest in order to ensure that a safe and business friendly environment is guaranteed,” he added.

    The Managing Director of FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria Plc, Mr. Rahul Colaco assured of quality dairy production for Nigerians. He said the company invests an average of N4 billion yearly in Nigeria.

    Colaco said the new warehouse sits on a 3.5 acre of land and a capacity of over 14,000 pallet positions and is executed with LED lights which avail brighter surroundings in alignment with environmental Green Goals.

  • From garage to warehouse

    From garage to warehouse

    Virtually everybody will desire to meet David Oluseye Okeowo, a British-trained lawyer and electronic entrepreneur. Reason: he has a very interesting story. The story of David is like the fable tale of the biblical David who had to battle Goliath. Now 40 years plus, his story is that of survival. A native of Osun state and the third of six children, David’s parents were petty traders popularly called tokotaya (husband and wife).

    Back in Nigeria, David attended University of Ilorin and later moved to United Kingdom for greener pastures. While there, he was able to further his education by taking a degree in law. After graduation from the University of Staffordshire, he decided to run a real estate business for four years. In 1995, he spoke with his younger brother at Fadeyi that he was sending an item to Lagos and he should look for a buyer. According to him, he said the item was $100 and when the brother sold it, it was sold with 100% profits. At that point, he knew this was business for him and he took the opportunity to invest his time and money. He came back to Nigeria to carry out a market survey. Subsequently, he got an apartment with a garage and travelled back to United Kingdom to buy used items and transport it to Nigeria for sales. Currently, the business is worth over N220million in Nigeria. People say, a good heart is the one that gives and touch lives, David does not only make money now, but also gives back to the society by paying tuition fees for high school students per term and also donates toys for nursery and primary school pupils quarterly. What else can we say for young starters, thinking you need millions of naira to start something? Think more and bring that idea to life.

    Chilkoot Electronic Warehouse

    0807 746 3959