The recent revelation by former President Goodluck Jonathan during the launch of his book, “The Transition Hours”, that former United States of America (USA) President, Barrack Obama meddled in Nigeria’s 2015 general elections which threw him out of office speaks volumes of foreign interference in the country’s elections. Can Nigeria be free from this monster of neo-colinalism as the country counts down to the 2019 general election?
In the excerpts of his new book, Jonathan said Obama’s decision to send then-US Secretary of State, John Kerry, to press on the government after the elections were postponed by a few weeks was the height of electoral and political interference in the affairs of a sovereign nation.
Jonathan’s government had postponed the 2015 presidential election from February 14 to March 28 due to security threats arising from the Boko Haram insurgency in the north-east region. The decision was unpopular and many speculated that it was an attempt by the former president to prolong his tenure.
“I can recall that President Obama sent his Secretary of State to Nigeria, a sovereign nation, to protest the rescheduling of the election. John Kerry arrived in Nigeria on Sunday January 25, 2015 and said ‘it’s imperative that these elections happen on time as scheduled’.
“How can the US Secretary of State know what is more important for Nigeria than Nigeria’s own government? How could they have expected us to conduct elections when Boko Haram controlled part of the North East and were killing and maiming Nigerians?
“Not even the assurance of the sanctity of the May 29, 2015 handover date could calm them down. In Nigeria, the constitution is very clear. No President can extend his tenure by one day,” he said.
The former President further noted that Obama’s ‘unusual’ video message of March 23, 2015, where he spoke directly to the Nigerian people by the use of a subliminal language to open ‘the next chapter’ was a subtle attempt to influence the votes in favour of the opposition at the time to oust him from office.
“The message was so condescending, it was as if Nigerians did not know what to do and needed an Obama to direct them.
“In his message, he said, ‘All Nigerians must be able to cast their votes without intimidation or fear,’ yet his government was vehemently and publicly against the postponement of the elections to enable our military defeat Boko Haram and prevent them from intimidating voters. This was the height of hypocrisy!”
Jonathan said Obama’s actions as well as that of other foreign powers like the United Kingdom’s then-Prime Minister, David Cameron, were fueled by “deeper political interests”.
He noted that all of Nigeria’s relevant stakeholders were present when the decision to postpone the elections was taken including all living former Heads of State. Therefore, the foreign interference was designed to humiliate him.
Former President Jonathan ended up losing the election in spite of alleged irregularities to Buhari by over than 2.5 million votes, the first time an incumbent lost a presidential election to an opposition candidate in Nigeria. He conceded defeat to Buhari in a phone call before the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officially announced Muhammadu Buhari the winner of the election.
With about three months to the 2019 general elections, is Nigeria free from foreign interference in the elections? Will the outcome of the elections be determined by the Nigerian electorate, rather than deeper political interests of these foreign powers?
In a chat with the Magazine, Samson Onyedika, a political pundit opines that the foreign nations have a lot of influence in every election conducted in this country. Making reference to recent visits of French President, Emmanuel Macron, Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby and Prince Charles and his wife, he believes that there is more to their visit than meets the eye.
“ Of course Macron did not just come to dance at Femi Anikulapo Kuti’s Shrine, neither was he just a cultural ambassador on a mission to promote Nigerian culture. Also, the visit by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby may not just have been to preach religious tolerance and free and fair elections in 2019. What about Prince Charles who many believe is preparing to takeover from the mother as head of the Commonwealth and the wife? Their recent visit speaks volumes to those who can read in-between the lines.
“ The West have shown severally that they are no ‘Father Christmases’. Nigeria is so strategic to the achievement of their deeper national interests, and they will do everything possible to ensure that they do not lose grip on her, which is possible by swaying electoral votes to their preferred candidate. After all, he who pays the piper, dictates the tune,” he said.
Speaking in similar vein, Mark Udom, stated that the unending Legislative/Executive face-off may not be far away from having foreign sponsors. He told the Magazine: “ See how the issue of change in the date of the elections raised much dust, which led to the delay in the approval of money for INEC to conduct the election, including the passing of budget. What about the use of hi-tech in terms of cyber attack by these foreign countries on 2019 election results? Are we on ground to checkmate them?
Former President Jonathan’s revelation may well be a pointer to Nigerians of the strong powers that may determine who their next leaders will be, and not necessarily the people’s votes. This is because power belongs to these foreign nations with deep interests in Nigeria. Power does not belong to the people.
The Nigerian Customs Service, NCS, appear ready to break the N1.3 billion revenue it generated last year for the federal government barely two months into the new year.
There were initial fears that the Hameed Ali led NCS may fail to hit the revenue target set for it by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration due to lull in importation.
Economic depression experienced during the first two years of the administration has affected all revenue generating agencies, including the customs.
Revenue from its two major formations, Apapa and Tin can has been grossly affected, though the government claims the economy is gradually picking up as a result of positive economic incentives applied by the federal government.
Perhaps. The figures released recently by the revenue generating paramilitary body seem to point in that direction.
The NCS has disclosed that it generated N998.4 billion as revenue between January and October 2018.
According to the document made available to the magazine by NCS, revenue from import duty, excise duty, and Value Added Tax (VAT), among other fee has increased in the last few months.
The breakdown of the revenue figure indicates that the NCS generated N96.6 billion in January, N79.26 billion in February, N87.58 billion in March and N94.3 billion in April In May it recorded N100.5 billion, N98.4 billion in June.
It also generated N94.9 billion in July and N139.9 billion in August, the highest which represented the highest monthly collection so far. N99.5 billion was generated in September while N106.8 was recorded in October.
Meanwhile, industry watchers insist that they were not surprised considering claim by the NCS that serious efforts have been made to plug all revenue leakages since Ali was appointed Comptroller General of Customs almost three years ago.
By Uche Mbah
Tuesday launch of former President Jonathan’s account of the dying hours of his regime and the controversial 2019 election results have opened up new controversies on the possibility of the current Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, acting as unbiased umpire during the 2019 presidential elections.
Jonathan has launched his own account of what happened at the 2015 presidential elections, of which he was a candidate. The launching coincided with his 61st birthday celebration in Abuja. It was graced by who is who in Nigerian politics, with the exception of President Buhari, Vice president It was graced by who is who in Nigerian politics, with the exception of President Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Bola Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress National leader. Buhari was, however, represented by the secretary to the Government, Boss Mustapha, who showered encomiums on Jonathan on behalf of his boss.
Jonathan in his book has said that the Independent National Electoral Commission was partly instrumental to the defeat he got from the polls, citing the fact that accreditation was 100% completed in the North but the card reader was designed to fail in the south.
“For some inexplicable reason, the INEC had been able to achieve near 100% distribution of Permanent Voter Cards in the North, including the North East, which was under siege with Boko Haram insurgency but failed to record a similar level of distribution in the South which was relatively more peaceful,” he said.
Buhari has in recent times reiterated his determination to organize free and fair elections come 2019. But recent bye elections in the country seem to suggest that the current INEC have graduated from card reader disenfranchisement to using security agencies and thugs to frighten and intimidate opposition voters out of the polling booths. Elections in Ekiti, Osun and Kwara are all rejected by opposition parties, with the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, going to court to challenge the results. The Security agencies have shown such blatant partisanship that the military high command were found to have attended the launch of the APC campaign logo and slogan, which made the PDP kick. Farida Waziri, the niece to President Buhari, as the INEC Director of operations, has been kicked against until she was transferred to Medicals.
As encomiums are being heaped on the former president, the Federal government seems to be in shock as their usual refrain of corruption has been rubbished by the caliber of dignitaries that were at the book launch.Many who spoke gave subtle warnings to the Federal Government on the possibility of rigging the elections. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo used the Opportunity to return fully to the PDP fold, though it was not clear whether he will be getting new membership card. Obasanjo directed someone to tear his PDP card in the wake of the 2015 presidential election.
The launch was not attended to without comic relief. Oshiomhole appeared at the venue of the book launch immediately after Olusegun Obasanjo, former President arrived. Later, Obasanjo was to corner Oshiomhole and, in his characteristic manner, asked him: “Is President Buhari Avoiding Other Nigerian Leaders Or He Has Developed Phobia For Public Appearance?”
Insiders in the unfolding liaison between the All Progressives Congress, APC and All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA in Abia state have boasted that Governor Victor Okezie Ikpeazu’s days in the Government House, Umuahia are numbered. They told this magazine that strategic partnership between the two parties that will see APGA’s gubernatorial candidate, Alex Otti collapse his ambition into that of APC’s Uche Ogah.
Though APGA in Abia and Otti’s camp have stridently denied any electoral alliance with APC, eggheads of the arrangement who pleaded anonymity because of the sensitivity of the alliance insist the two parties are indeed collaborating to unseat Governor Ikpeazu saying, the collaboration was in tandem with the pact both parties have at the national level. The pact, this magazine learnt was to form a common front in all the South east states where the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP is strong and thwart the party’s victory there in the 2019 elections.
According to sources, former governor of the state, Orji Uzor Kalu who himself is the APC Senatorial candidate for Abia North, has given his blessing to the alleged Abia APC/ APGA alliance. Otti and Ogah are both close to the former governor. While Ogah’s brother was Commissioner for Health during his administration, Otti who was at that time the Group Managing Director of Diamond Bank, reportefly got the Bank to manage Abia’s finances.
Alex Otti: Quicksand governorship ambition?
The Source has been told that under the alliance, in the event of Ogah’s victory, Otti will likely emerge Secretary to the Government of Abia state.In addition, juicy Ministries, including Ministries of Finance and Works will be ceded Otti’s loyalists in APGA.
Commenting on the 2019 Abia governorship election, a former Senator and a member of Abia Council of Elders admitted that the exercise will be tight but tipped Ikpeazu for victory. The former federal lawmaker told The source that one of the greatest drawbacks facing Otti in the election is the crisis of identity which he said the APGA candidate is entangled in.”Nobody is sure where he comes from. When its suitable for him, he claims he is an Ngwa son, and when it appears his political bread is better buttered elsewhere, he prides himself as an Arochukwu scion. Of course, Alex Otti built a mansion in Arochukwu, his ancestral root”, the former Senator told this Magazine.
Meanwhile,Governor Ikpeazu has told The Source that he was not perturbed by the alleged alliance between the two main opposition parties in the state to unseat him. Speaking through his Chief Press Secretary, Enyinnaya Appolos, the Abia number one citizen said: “The alliance, if it is indeed true, confirms our position that in the coming governorship election in Abia, we have no opponents. Both APC and APGA are utterly fictionalized and disorganised in Abia.Their alliance is no threat because they are incapable of achieving victory in Abia. We are not perturbed because Abians will decide. The level of economic and infrastructural development this government has brought to Abia sit well with Abians and they have resolved to vote us back to office”, he said.
By Uche Mbah
There are palpable fears from economic intelligence quarters that the Federal Government may be forced to devalue the Naira once Again if the current global trends in global oil output persist. Those that this Magazine talked to last week are unanimous that if the current trend of oil boom continues, its sustainability is questionable unless there is a drastic act on the part of any of the world powers. American President Trump has been a bull in the China shop both locally and internationally, and may trigger global crisis situations that will increases global oil consumptions.
“Unless this unpredictable man, Trump, does something drastic-like throwing a bomb somewhere-the upward swing of oil prices cannot be sustained”, an internal auditor of a global oil concern told this Magazine last week. “And you cannot rule that out”.
Brent price has hit a four year high early October but is already exhibiting traits of the expressed fears. It has tumbled 25% since then, with analysts expressing heightened fear of a direct tumble. Some optimists had expected a rise to about $100 a barrel
The Nigerian economy is benchmarked with oil revenue, even though non-oil revenue account for a greater percentage of national earnings. With the level of financial profligacy associated with the All Progressives Congress central government, devaluation appears inevitable.
According to Debt Management Office, Nigeria’s external debt profile has risen to $11 billion as at last week as against the $ 9.4 billion recorded last March. Similarly, domestic debt profile was said to have risen to N11 trillion. So called recovered loots from corrupt officers have not been publicly accounted for. The borrowings were said to be to fund the budgets but these are usually less than 405 implementation.
“With the country’s books in the red, and the 2019 election in the offing, any fall in the oil price will result in devaluation of the Naira”, the expert said.
The Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, Seme Command, Administrative machinery is gradually being moved to the multi-million dollar Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, building at Seme-Krake Joint Border post.
As a prelude to the movement of Mohammed Uba Garba, the Comptroller of the Command and other key Departments of the Command to the ECOWAS, building, the Magazine learnt that the Import , Export , Economic and Trade Liberalization Scheme, ETLS and the Baggage Seats have already relocated to the new office site to join their Beninois counterparts who had moved in. Visitors who have had the opportunity of getting to the building said the offices and a joint Conference room were furnished to international standard with the support of the European Union Commission, EUC, which also provided financial support for the Joint border project and the Administrative building.
Mohammed, the Seme Customs Comptroller and the other key Departments of the Command may not have been in a hurry to relocate their offices to the new office site because of the problem of interconnectivity of the offices and other vital facilities which have to be put in place , such as provision of scanner machines for joint examination of import and export cargoes between the two countries and source of electricity supply if there happen to be power failure in the border.
For a start, the EUC, was said to have made provision for two scanner machines to replace the weigh Bridge for use of truck laden cargoes at the land border. The scanners, according to a source, would be installed at the Seme-Krake, Joint Border between Nigeria and Republic of Benin and Noepe, another Joint Border post , in the West African region between Ghana and Togo.
The Magazine gathered that at the Seme-Krake , Border officials had already mapped out a parcel of land at a strategic location within the ECOWAS building site where the scanner would be installed between now and early next year for easy joint examination of cargoes between the Nigeria Customs personnel and their Beninois counterparts including other security agencies operatives from the two countries.
The Magazine learnt that the European Union Commission, EUC, which had provided the financial support for the building of the multi-million Euro project . was said to have made arrangement for the provision of two Scanner machines. One of the scanner machines, according to sources, would be installed at Seme-Krake joint Border post and the second scanner would be installed at Noepe , another joint Border post , which is between Ghana and Togo.
It would be recalled that Kayode Oguntunashe, Nigeria Ambassador to Republic of Benin had at the completion of the Seme-Krake Joint border post in readiness for its official handing over ceremony to the countries of Nigeria and Republic of Benin expressed the need for the installation of scanner machine at the Joint Border post to facilitate joint examination of cargoes by the two nations Customs and other security agencies officials.
A source who cited a recent physical examination of an ETLS, cargo , at the Joint Border site, disclosed that the cargoes were evacuated from the truck to ascertain that it was truly manufactured in the ECOWAS subregion and re-parked into the truck after the examination was completed. Ordinarily the physical examination of the truck laden cargo could have been avoided if the scanner machine had been installed instead of the weigh Bridge which could only give the weight and height of the truck laden cargo.
Many are optimistic that installation of the scanner machines would save the Customs and other security personnel at the Joint Border posts the hassles of physical examination of cargoes.
This is because the scanner at the joint Border post would serve the purpose of the two countries importers and exporters as Customs personnel of the two countries would be at the same office site to read the images of truck laden trucks to write the report of their results to facilitate the release of cargoes.
Until the scanner machines are installed at the Border site, the Nigeria Customs may likely continue to use its own scanners at the Seme land to examine truck laden cargoes which had successfully scaled through the weigh Bridge and allowed to enter the Nigeria side of the Border through the ECOWAS official route.
Muhammed, the Seme Customs boss may have made matters worse for importers, exporters with their agents including Cross – Border smugglers with the fencing of the short-cut route at the land border post mostly used by truck laden drivers from Republic of Benin are employed by agents to drive the hired truck into the Nigeria side of the Joint Seme -Krake Border post for examination at the scanner site to transact their business at the border post. The The Beninois government officials at the Border were said to have thrown their weight behind the Border short cut fencing project by the Nigeria Customs to forestall petrol and other Contraband smugglers who use tricycles , with inbuilt bunker tanks to carry out their nefarious activities. Before now, filling stations at the Nigeria side of the land border post always run out of business because of insufficient petrol to sell to the public. This is how the Beninois smugglers would drive in to the Nigeria side of the Border with their tricycles to clear the stock at the filling stations because of the alleged reports making the rounds that the dealers makes more profit by selling to the tricycles with their adjusted meters than selling to Nigeria motorists.
The rot appears to have stopped since Muhammed, the Seme Customs Comptroller embarked on the fencing project as motorists could now drive into a filling station at the land border and fill their tanks without complaint or told that there is no petrol or diesel in stock to sell to the public. The petrol smuggled from Nigeria into Republic of Benin in the tricycles inbuilt bunkers which are emptied into available jerry cans were sold in bottles on the road from Seme- Cotonou , the country’s Capital.
But Immigration officials who spoke to the Magazine said the project is good to control the movement of persons, goods and services at the border post but that it would affect their job. This is because immigrants who find their way into Nigeria through the short cut routes were said to have diverted to the old border post which is an open space to enter Nigeria without interruption.
There have been pressure on the Customs Authorities to fence the old border post to forestall the movement of immigrants from other countries into Nigeria. The Customs Authorities may not have the power to do so because it is a border post between two countries. A Diplomat told the Magazine that the land could only be fenced based on agreement between the government of the two countries or the ECOWAS, to make it official.
The Federal Government, last Saturday, November 17, 2018 flags off the reconstruction of Apapa-Oshodi expressway, the 32km road linking the Apapa ports to other part of Lagos is a major route for trucks and tankers evacuating cargo from the Tin Can and Apapa Port complexes to other states.
The reconstruction work which would be handled by AG Dangote, on a special tax waiver arrangement with the federal government.
The construction will be different from the one in the past because it now includes a rigid pavement rather than the usual asphalt.
Bridges and interchange ramp rehabilitation will also form part of the new scope of the construction by the Dangote group.
The construction work will extend from the creek road Apapa to the old Lagos toll gate.
According to the minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, SAN the original road was built between 1975 and 1978 had not be reconstructed or expanded for 40years,
The chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote disclosed that the project would cost N73 billion and expected to be completed within two years, adding that when completed, it will be the longest concrete road in African and would help to increase the revenue in the ports.
The chairman senate committee on Works, Senator Kabiru Gaya stated that the federal government will in the next few weeks commence the reconstruction and rehabilitation of five major roads in the country.
On his part, Lagos State governor, Akinwunmi Ambode stated that the project would bring permanent relief to motorists and residents as the perennial gridlock in the axis will come to an end, thus enhancing easy movement within the state.
The Lagos helmsman said it was gratifying that the project would be done using concrete, expressing optimism that the road would last for forty years.
Barely six weeks to the end of the year, Hameed Ali, a retired Colonel and Comptroller General, Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, appears to have beamed his searchlight at the seaports over the alleged shipment of tramadol drugs from the Asia country of India to Nigeria. Ali is worried that the drugs if allowed to find their way into the Nigeria market unchecked from the seaport would cause great harm to the society.
The Customs Comptroller General is not ready to take any excuse from the Customs Comptrollers at the seaports , particular the Lagos ports, the country’s Commercial nerve center, over the shipment of such drug and thus have taking up the matter with the officer in-charge of the Customs Ruling Centre at Abuja who have a profile of all imported goods into the country to furnish him with information about the suspected Containers. The officer in-charge of the Customs ruling center, according to a source, who was also armed with the details of the ship carrying the suspected Containers and the port where it was going to discharge in Lagos was said to have furnished the Comptroller General with it as requested.
Armed with the relevant information, the Customs Comptroller General haad the option of using Aliyu. A. Mohammed, Comptroller, Federal Operations Unit, FOU, Zone A, for the operations instead of the Apapa based Headquarters Strike Force Headed by Abdullahi Kirawa, a Deputy Comptroller. Indeed, the Customs ruling center had been behind most of the successful operations of the Strike Force with the supply of information over the last one year. The Customs boss may have decided to make a change this time around by using the Mohammed controlled FOU, Zone A, officers.
Comptroller Mohammed A.A. FOU Zone A,Command
The FOU, Zone A,Customs Comptroller,was said to have made proper arrangement for the Apapa operations before jetting out from Lagos to Abuja last week for a meeting with the Comptroller general and other Comptrollers from the land border areas. He was said to have contacted Riks Lura, a Chief Superintendent of Customs and Head of the Command Operations and Lagos Roving team with the profile of the ship carrying the suspected Containers and the likely date of going to berth at the Apapa port including the profile of the Containers.
Armed with the information , Riks was said to have mobilised his men to lay an ambush to know when the ship would discharge the Containers at the port. He was also said to have stationed his officers at strategic locations along the Oshodi Apapa Expressway. The Officers and men of the Headquarters Strike Force were also said to be waiting on the wings to see the FOU team make mistake to intercept the trucks laden Container on the road and transfer them to the Customs training College, the Lagos operational base for examination
. But the arrangement put in place by Mohammed before travelling to AAbuja was not one he could entertain any fear of going to flop because the officer in-charge of the operation was a no nonsense and experienced anti-smuggling officer who was used to such special anti-smuggling assignments from his days at FOU, Zone C, Owerri, where he was said to have made spectacular seizures of foreign parboiled rice at Bakassi, in Cross River state.
Aware of the port where the Containers would be discharged, the officers at the Apapa Command premises gate and the main port gate may have been given a standing order not to allow visitors into the premises or the port to see any officer except those working at the port , officers and importers with their agents who have businessto do.
Insiders told the Magazine that trouble started when the agent who had the contract to clear the suspected Containers was said to have brought out bundles of dollars which if converted going by the current exchange rate of about N360.00 to a dollar in the parallel foreign exchange market could amount to N15 million to bribe his way to facilitate the release of a 40 foot Container.
The agent may have known that he had ran into troubled waters as the officers who were used to helping him out in the past were not ready to attend to him as usual. He was said have reached out to his contacts at the Customs Headquarters and the Command to see what could be done to facilitate the release of the Containers but no luck. The agent who was said to have offered the alleged N15 million was said to have been whisked to Abuja, where he was said to have been detained.
Eye witness account disclosed that when the coast became clear for the FOU team to strike at the port, Riks gave the nod to his officers to take over the APM terminal where the Containers were said to have been discharged The source , account disclosed that officers and other security agencies personnel including the agents ran helter-skelter for cover to save their neck. The source further disclosed further that Customs personnel at the terminal and other the security agencies personnel did everything within their powers to scuttle the operations but got it wrong. Riks and his officers were determined to examine the suspected Containers discharged at the port without fear or favour.
An agent told the Magazine that between Monday November 12, 2018 and Friday, November 16, 2018, Riks and his team members physically examined 23 Containers at the Apapa port despite the opposition of the other security operatives. It could not be ascertained whether tramadol drugs were found in any of the suspected Containers examined at the port. But a a40 foot allegedly released from the port was said to have been intercepted on the road and transferred to the Command premises at Ikeja, for examination.
Fierce looking officers armed to the teeth were said to have been stationed at the Command gate on Friday, November 16, 2018, to forestall visitors from coming into the premises including officers on mufti. Between 8.00 am and 2pm, Mohammed, the Command, the Customs Comptroller was said to have supervised the evacuation of the cartons from the Container by the officers. He had opted to use the officers to do the work because the labourers who were used to doing the work had been ordered out of the premises by him . As a Comptroller who beliees in secrecy, he had to keep the information about the items found in the Container a closely guided secreet to himself and the officers alone but got it wrong as it still leaked out while the examination was still on.
As at 2pm, when the examination, was said to have been concluded, and the evacuated cartons returned back to the 40 foot Conatin, some cartons of tramadol were said to have been found. It was therefore a bad news for the importer as the items are likely going to be confisticated and handed over to National Agency for Food and Drug Administration, NAFDAC, for further investigation. This may be the largest seizure of tramadol drugs by any Customs Command in the recent time.
Mohammed Uba Garba, a former Comptroller of FOU, Zone A, may have raised the Consciousness of officers about the importation of tramadol drugs into the country with the seizure of cartons of the drugs Concealed in a Container as CComptroller of FOU, Zone C, Owerri. He had continued the seizure of tramadol as Comptroller of FOU, Zone A, Ikeja, forcing the Comptrollers at the seaports to sit up. Until his elevation as an Assistant Comptroller General, Finance, Administrations and Technical Service, FATS, Jibril Musa was said to have made tramadol seizures concealed in a 40 foot Container at Apapa port last December. The drugs were said to have been shipped into the country at exactly this period last year from India but the information leaked out forcing officers of the Command and the FOU, Zone A, to be on the alert to fish out the Containers before the importer takes delivery of it and push into the market to endanger the lives of youths.
Given the importance attached to the tramadol seizure by the FOU, Zone A, Command, there are indications that Ali, the Customs Comptroller General , may likely be in Lagos next week to address the press on it. he was said to have made it clear to those that care to listen that the Service would not rest on its oars to go after tradadol and other dangerous drug importers and agents w are out to sabotage the economy until they are ready to do the right thing.
Officers and men of the Service who had been linked to the release of the 40 foot Container intercepted on the road and transferred to FOU, Zone A, premises for examination where some cartons of tramadol drugs were discovered should be counting their days in Customs as Ali would not hesitate to apply the sledge hammer on them, a senior officer informed the Magazine. Mohammed, the Comptroller of FOU, Zone A, was said to have begun internal investigation into the matter and the officers indicted are likely to be invited to the Command for interrogation.
Not many people are happy over the discovery of the tramadol drugs in a Container allegedly, the largest in the country released at Apapa port barely three months after Abubakar Bashir, a former Comptroller , Onne Oil and Gas Free Zone Command, was redeployed to the Command . This is because of the truck laden military Comouflage Uniforms and 300 Combatant boots released from the Onne port which was intercepted along the Aba- Eleme major road in Port Harcourt and transferred to the FOU, Zone C, premises at Owerri for examination and subsequent seizure when he was at Onne Command as the then Customs Comptroller.
There are fears in both official and unofficial circles, that as long as Ali, continue to keep Barshir as the Comptroller of the Apapa Command which controls the Apapa port with many terminals under it, importers with their agents may take advantage of their inside knowledge of the working of the port and their closeness to the examination and releasing officers to play pranks that would continue to embarrass him.
According to sources, his problem at Apapa may be made worse as officials of the Customs ruling center at Apapa and the Customs Headquarters, Abuja, had continued to share information about suspected Contraband shipment to Nigeria , particular arms. tramadol and other dangerous drugs, with the Comptrollers of FOU, Zone A and FOU Zone C which had ports to oversee in their various areas of jurisdiction including the Deputy Comptroller Kirawa led Headquarters Strike Force.
Ali, the Comptrolleer General, has no option but to take Barshir, the Apapa Comptroller, to a smaller Command that could match his ability to deliver on his mandate as Apapa port may be too big for him as some officers occupying strategic positions in the Command who have godfathers at the Customs Headquarters to to protect their interest may not be willing to do his biddings.
First City Monument Bank FCMB, Nigeria’s top agro-business promoter has entered into partnership with World Savings and Retail Banking Institute (WSBI) to lift at least two million Nigerian farmers out of poverty.
The Adam Nuru-led bank said the partnership will outline framework to deepen agency banking, financial inclusion and savings culture in the informal and agribusiness sectors.
WSBI, according to the bank will provide technical oversight supervision on regular basis to ensure the success of the agreement.
FCMB on its part will roll out an integrated savings account known as ‘Kampe Account’ to 150,000 unbanked and under-banked farmers across five states through agricultural agents operating under the bank’s agency banking propositions in the first phase of the project.
.Two million farmers across the country will benefit from the project by year 2023. The states to benefit in the first phase are Kaduna, Kano, Nasarawa, Ogun and Oyo.
As part of the plan, FCMB will also deploy state-of-the art technology and mobile banking solutions to drive the project mainly in the rural and sub-urban farm settlements where most farmers are based.
The bank will also train farmers in innovative ideas to make the agro business sector attractive and hub for job creation.
Speaking on the partnership,FCMB’s Managing Director and Chief Executive, Adam Nuru said the development will revolutionize agribusiness in the country.
According to him” partnering with WSBI and harnessing the business model we have developed to drive it, under our Kampe Account, is built on a sustainable approach which ensures farmers can gain better access to finance and other resources needed to help them build successful businesses.”
Farmers who benefit from this effort can and should make the best use of the opportunity. FCMB will continue to partner with WSBI to create opportunities that would ensure the realization of the personal and business needs of customers.”
On his part WSBI Managing Director, Chris De Noose noted that “the Kampe Savings Project is yet another example of the innovative ways rural communities can flourish through mobile savings and beyond. Expanding banking access and agricultural services through the provision of mobile services to the farming community, which increasingly includes more women, can help knock out any doubt about the payoff that farming can bring.”
Stakeholders insist that the partnership between the two renowned financial institutions will address the financial challenges and frustrations faced by Nigerian farmers.
I don’t know what these three people – Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, a Jewish High Priest, Immanuel Shalom, and an Abuja-based Chattered Accountant, Tochukwu Uchendu – are thinking about now. But in their shoes, I will be full of regrets. I will be walking the wall in anger, and l will be screaming blue murder.
The three gentlemen are in trouble. And that is putting it mildly. They are about to lose a 100 million Naira, each. And if they take things for granted, it could be worse. They have only about eight weeks to find a way out of the crossroads. I don’t know the magic they plan to pull. But two things can save them from these seeming self-inflicted penalties.
One, produce the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, and haul him before a Federal High Court in Abuja. Or, manage to convince the court that Kanu’s disappearing act was due to the irresponsibility of the State.
If you ask me, the former seems impossible, unless somebody tries an Umaru Dikko on Kanu. You remember Dikko – the very powerful Minister during the President Shehu Shagari regime. He escaped to London when this same President Muhammadu Buhari & co toppled the civilian government of Shagari. Buhari, trust him on that, was convinced that Dikko was the most corrupt politician then. So, with the help of some mercenary – security agents, they put Dikko in a luggage/crate, tagged “Diplomatic bag,” and hauled him to the Heathrow Airport, London. Lucky old fellow, who is late now, they were about to cargo him back to Nigeria into the waiting hands of Buhari, when his ordeal leaked. He was rescued.
Nnamdi Kanu
The story was, and still is, that it was some Isreali people who got the contract to deliver that human cargo to Nigeria. Now, in Kanu’s case, I don’t see it happening. Kanu has since claimed he now practices the Jewish religion. He now lives in Isreal, he says, where he goes to the Wailing Wall to wail. As for the second option of convincing the court, the law, they say, is an axe. So, what are their options?
Hon Justice Binta Nyako, a Judge of the Federal High Court Abuja, before whom Kanu and his compatriots are facing treasonable charges, is very angry with Abaribe and Co.
Their trouble began when they decided to take Kanu on bail, and so, signed a bond as to the tune of N300 million. This case is a popular one. But a brief re-cap is necessary here.
Kanu, as you know, is the leader of IPOB. He says he is the one to emancipate the people of the old Eastern region. He says he would succeed where the Ikemba Nnewi, Dim Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu failed. Propelled by whatever forces are behind him, he promises the people paradise on earth when his Biafran dream materialises. And he has quite a large following of youths. They are in hundreds of thousands, most of them, unemployed and angry. I don’t want to use the word brain-wash, but he has so convinced these youths, males and females, that there is no tomorrow without Biafra. That “Biafra is near”. Freedom at last. So, when he asks them to jump, they ask how high. He developed a cult personality. And, is worshipped by his followers. He is a thin god, their own thin god. Nobody else matters. They could lie down and ask him to walk on them. I never witnessed this, but I understand that they wash his feet. The opposite of Jesus Christ washing the feet of His disciples. In Kanu’s case, his disciples wash his feet.
Suddenly, Kanu took over the South-east. His followers believe in him more than they believe in anybody – Governors, Senators, Religious Leaders, Traditional Rulers, Elder Statesmen – in the South-east. They obey his every word. If he tells them not to eat, they would never dare. His followers fear him. And he instilled fear in everybody, almost. Even some high profile politicians in Igbo land, out fear, more than anything else, are cautious not to incure his wrath. As an icing on the cake, Kanu has a caustic tongue.
The Army’s Operation Python Dance in Abia state.
He has no respect for anybody. He dismisses NASS members, Governor, Religious leaders, Traditional Rulers and Elders Statesmen in very derogatory unbecoming terms. Idiots, brainless and, slaves, he calls them. And he throws in the ‘B’ without any qualms. Kanu is ferocious in speech. He pulls no punches. Nobody is beyond his acidic tongue. Some of the things he said endangered the lives of his compatriots in other parts of the country.
On a number of times, Igbo leaders had tried to intervene, to ask him to mellow down. They ended up frustrated. Everyone of them who tried came out with the same impression: The young man does not want to hear anything from anybody, they chorus.
For the records, Kanu and IPOB may have their points. A number of things they say is the truth. But the opinion held behind Kanu, even by a number of his admirers, is that he crosses the red line often. That his method is wrong. That, he is not diplomatic. And that he is feeding a lot of Igbo youths with the wrong diet. And they use Gani Adams, the OPC leader, who began like him. The difference: Adams respected Yoruba Obas and elders, and some political leaders. He never called them idiots. When they think he is about to cross the border line, they pull him back. He obeys. He so re-packaged himself. He now dines and wines with kings. And has been crowned the Aare Ona Kakanfo of the Yoruba, a prestigious title earlier held by Akintola and MKO Abiola, both late.
But, not Kanu. He listens to nobody.
You cannot say you are not a Nigerian and still be using the Nigerian passport. You cannot say you are not a Nigerian and still be using the Naira. You cannot stay in Nigeria and say you have your own national flag, national anthem, currency, international passport as a sovereign nation. You cannot have a Sovereign within a Sovereign. When Ralph Uwazuruike’s MASSOB started, it was the same thing, almost. A huge difference: Uwazuruike was not as foul-mouthed as Kanu. But, he and MASSOB caused the Igbo quite a lot. They are the reason why, population-wise, the Igbo is now, falsely, regarded as the least ethnic group. They asked Ndi-Igbo not to take part in the Census. They are the reason why the voting-strength of the South-East is the least. They asked Ndigbo not to register for voting. And, at a point, they asked Ndigbo not to allow their children to be given vaccination in schools, claiming that it was a ploy by the military to get rid of Igbo children. They now and then destroy the economic development of Ndigbo by ordering people to sit at home.
In the instant case, Kanu played into the hands of the Nigerian government with his actions and choice of words. Yes, he always said IPOB members do not carry arms, but, at times, the words of the mouth can kill, and/or push some people to kill. In fact, every war is caused by the words of the mouth. The Radio Biafra he was managing was almost, always, a call for arms struggle. How ready are the Igbo? What is the opinion of Igbo leaders, who include tested Military Generals, Diplomats, Intellectuals and leaders in every aspect of the Nigerian economy?
Not many people were, therefore, surprised when he was picked up, and detained by the DSS. While a whole lot of people cried foul, others said he had it coming. Whatever, when his detention seemed to be lasting forever, he garnered some sympathy across board, even from those he insulted everyday. Not a few people blamed the Nigerian government for picking Kanu up when he, for whatever reasons, arrived Nigeria, from Britain, which citizen he also is. Several opinions were that they should have ignored him, and just monitored him and his activities. But with government and its advisers, one can never tell. So Kanu and Co were arrested, and for months on end, according to unconfirmed sources, kept in an underground cell by the DSS.
But finally, the court process began. The courts, perhaps, based on security reports wouldn’t give Kanu bail. Until, a number of those he insulted intervened. His bail was negotiated, and terms reached. Promises were made. He knew. He was briefed. Everything was thrown in, including his health which was said to be bad. So, Abaribe and Co took him on bail. Whether they were drafted by the Igbo leadership, or did that out of their own compassion, you know, sympathy for a kinsman, I cannot confirm. But they did. A handsome young man, when he came out, he was still hip. Like they say, “fine boy, no pimples.”
For a couple of weeks, Kanu kept to his very stringent bail terms. At the time, one wondered why those terms were that stringent. It was perhaps to cage him and his caustic tongue a little. But soon, Kanu proved that a leopard does not change its spots. He began, gradually, by visiting all those he felt helped him while he was in detention. A whole lot of them, really, including Prof. Ben Nwabueze. Then he began to visit other Igbo leaders. Then, he had a meeting with South-East governors in Enugu. And they took a group photograph. But he was to mock them and some others later. He said they disowned him while he was detained. But now, they were struggling to take photographs with him. He really felt they needed him more than he needed them. Then, he began to address rallies, crowds and crowds of people. His foul mouthedness in full display.
The state protested that he was breaching his bail terms. The Judge warned. Those who took him on bail were on edge. And some said: haul him back into jail until his case is decided. But as the date for his next court appearance approached, they felt Kanu was becoming uncontrollable. His Afara, Abia home, was like a pilgrimage centre. Hundreds of youths milled around. Then enters, the Army’s Operation Python Dance.
That code-name does not rhyme. A python does not dance. Slimy, big fellow, it is as dangerous as they come. It kills, without mercy, by breaking the bones of its unsuspecting victims. It swallows anything on its way. The army said it was to rid the South east of criminals – armed robbers, kidnappers, assassins, ritualists, cultists, the lot. They said it was a kind of show of strength, of force, a road show. But when they got to Kanu’s Afara, it turned awry.
Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe
Nobody has actually told us the story of what happened. How the soldiers left the road and branched into the Palace of Kanu’s father. Did anybody instruct them to do that? If so, it was not well thought out. It was an advice meant to destroy. It was suicidal. With the number of youths stacked around, the soldiers had no business going there. They should have continued with their show of force, unless they were attacked. They have not told us anybody attacked them. The allegation is that it was unprovoked. So, they entered there. And according to reports, engaged in indiscriminate shooting. Like they were in a war front. And, according to Kanu, by the time they left, 28 people lay dead. The fact that not one soldier was wounded shows it was an unequal combat. It was like killing a fly with a sledge hammer. Kanu’s father’s Palace was vandalised. And, it was another black day in the history of our country. This alleged massacre, no matter the provocation, was as ill-advised as the advice to proscribe IPOB. And it is the reason Abaribe & Co are in this mess.
Two mysteries therein. Kanu’s parents – their Royal Highnesses – disappeared from the Palace. Till date, nobody can quite say where they are. Are they alive? I believe so. But it is such a shame that the Eze and his Ugoeze would disappear without a whimp from the traditional institution in the South east, or even the governors. But perhaps, they know what we don’t know. The most mysterious is Kanu’s magical disappearance. Until, recently, when he appeared in Israel, all sorts of theories abounded. Orji Uzor Kalu, former Abia state governor, told us Kanu was alive either in Britain or was it Malaysia or Brazil? Another strong theory was that he was in the creeks of the Niger Delta. Another said he was taken away by the military, and so, in their custody. Yet, another said he has been killed.
But, this other day, to everybody’s relief, Kanu showed up in Israel. But like him, not quietly. He is threatening fire and brimstone again. He is advising the Igbo not to vote in 2019. This advice is a chalice filled with poison. I hope no true Igbo son or daughter drinks from it. The Igbo should go out and vote en mass. The Igbo have a huge stake in the 2019 election and, in Nigeria. They should never alienate themselves from other tribes. Their investments cut across Nigeria. Yet, the questions remain:
How did Kanu escape with all that military might around him? Some people believe it was planned. Was it? They also ask why he started speaking up at this time? With the general elections in 2019 just around the corner? Something does not seem right.
Now, he has angered Justice Nyako. And, she has descended on Abaribe and Co. Their kindness and compassion for a kinsman in trouble have put them in a difficult situation. What is happening to them should not happen to anybody. Kanu should have kept quiet where he was. He should have allowed the guess work – as to whether he is alive or dead to continue. He should have left a big question mark on his whereabouts. See what his notice-me-or-I-die attitude has caused people who stuck out their necks for him. He says no court in Nigeria can try him. Meaning he does not care about those who took him on bail, or what is happening to them. But they have a good case to make. The following is why.
Kanu was around, and did not jump bail until the unfortunate military invasion of his country home. I know the law can be an ass, yet opinion is, perhaps, but for that invasion, Kanu would have still be Afara, enjoying his status as ”the new king of the Igbo race.” He was enjoying the fawning from the youths. So, why scare him away? It was that invasion that scared him, unless his escape was planned.
The government should take responsibility for the military mis-adventure which gave Kanu the leeway to escape. It should take responsibility, unless there is something we don’t know, for giving Kanu the impression that the military invasion was part of plans to kill him. It should take responsibility for the incompetence of the security agencies which allowed him to leave the country, unless it was so planned. And, for whatever it is worth, Abaribe & Co should not be punished for a situation they did not create.
If Kanu wants to stay off Nigeria’s shores, let him be. There are enough problems within for Nigeria to worry about him. Boko Haram. Herdsmen, Kidnappers. Armed Robbers. Bandits. Cattle rustlers. Hunger. Anger. Unemployment. Incessant strikes. Collapsing education and health sectors. A fragile economy. Unless his actions outside the country is capable of causing a security breach here in Nigeria, he should be left alone to talk. No person who intervened to broker peace should be made to suffer. Perhaps, Kanu likes to hear his own voice. Many of them do. It gives them some relevance, or so they think. It’s freedom of speech, in a free world.
