HNosegbe: I decided to read the editorial in question for myself, and I came across an interesting part.



Paul Nwabuikwu did not address this part of the Punch editorial.

lagosph:
It was basically because of the bolded that the new policy was introduced. Waivers are giving to sectors not indidviduals and all the bolded happened b4 2011

Adeboye, Redeem Church Leader In N20 Billion Import Waiver Scandal

The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye has been linked to a scandalous import duty waiver said to have cost Nigeria a whooping N20 Billion in revenue loss between 2006 and 2007.

A Fiscal Commission source in Abuja preferring anonymity told Pointblanknews.com during the week that pastor Adeboye, tapping into his well-known ties with former President Olusegun Obasanjo benefited from the shady import duty waiver in which Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Chief Mike Adenuga, Alhaji Saminu Turaki, Mr. Donald Duke and others were prime beneficiaries.

According to the impeccable source, the duty waiver granted Adeboye was said to have been used “dishonestly” by the church to import luxury Sport Utility Van, SUV (usually called Jeep in Nigeria), building materials and Digital Recording equipment some of which were said to belong to top members of the church both within Nigeria and abroad. In other words, the source surmised that Adeboye used his high level connections to “aid and abate” his church members to defraud the nation by not paying the requisite importation fees.

The source said that many of the RCCG’s faithful in Nigeria and abroad had celebrated the “unlawful act” as a “testimony to the goodness of the lord.” It was said that a Pastor Ghandi of the Jesus House, RCCG in Washington DC where the late first lady Mrs. Stella Obasanjo used to worship whenever she was in the United State, was a facilitator of the deal.

Many of the luxury cars that were said to have been imported through the deal were not meant for private use. They were said to have been sold at several car dealerships across the country. The source explained to pointblanknews.com that even if the items were not traded, it was unheard of that “people would import duty-free luxury items into any country.”

The official did not rule out the possibility of a thorough investigation of the deal which he said could make Adeboye to pay and possibly face charges.

A document made available to pointblanknews.com indicated that in 2006, RCCG got an import waiver of N9,831,109,309.00 through certificate no.,BO/REV/12235/S.2/T.133 to import construction materials; generators and vehicles. The value of the imports was N49,155,546,846.00.

In 2007, another import waiver was granted. This time through a certificate number BO/R10260/V111/161, RCCG was granted rights to import building/construction materials with value put at N48,988,454,876.00 with a total waiver of N9,757,690.975.20. The two waivers total N19,588,800,284,20, while the bulk transactions amount to N98,144,347,130.20.

Also 300 luxury cars with value put at $6,923,000, 100 Jeeps (SUV) valued at $8,000,000, Video Equipment valued at $12,000,000.00, were all part of the shady import deals.

It would be recalled that the comptroller General of Nigerian Customs Services, Mr. Jacob Gyang Buba had been investigated by the independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC in connection with an annual loss of N50 Billion in respect of the importation tariff waiver introduced by the Government of President Olusegun Obasanjo.

The spiritual depth of some practices of the RCCG has been subject of concern amongst growing conservative Christian worshippers. Adeboye is often criticized for being interested in quantity and not quality. He is said to have broken his church to model parishes were prosperity theology is often preached. The other class of followership is usually called Redeemed Classical. They are more mortified and often completely scriptural. Apart from Adeboye’s too cozy with the high and mighty elite, he was said to have given tacit blessing to ex-president Obasanjo’s third-term Presidential dream that was truncated with sudden humiliation.

Pointblank News

Okija_juju:

Well said Manny, I absolutely understand you

However, the point here is that Coscharis does not manufacture any of the cars they sell and cant necessarily be categorised as an industry in and by itself.
My post was hammering waivers granted under Nigerias industrialization policy. A Car importer is not supposed to be covered under this policy because it isnt into manufacturing, but yet the government granted Coscharis a blanket waiver for 300 cars for Eko Games. And yet Coscharis was able to add the NCAA vehicles and import them under the Eko Games waiver, meaning the waiver was not specific and the cars that Eko games needed were not up to 300.

Okija_juju:

So the number of cars you can import makes Coscharis a car manufacturer?!


Pfft.. I'm done with you.

Okija_juju:

Well said Manny, I absolutely understand you

However, the point here is that Coscharis does not manufacture any of the cars they sell and cant necessarily be categorised as an industry in and by itself.
My post was hammering waivers granted under Nigerias industrialization policy. A Car importer is not supposed to be covered under this policy because it isnt into manufacturing, but yet the government granted Coscharis a blanket waiver for 300 cars for Eko Games. And yet Coscharis was able to add the NCAA vehicles and import them under the Eko Games waiver, meaning the waiver was not specific and the cars that Eko games needed were not up to 300.

texazzpete:

Where did I say she was called by OBJ and GEJ 'because of money'?



I don't hate her. I just don't worship her like you do.
And I agree she is way more knowledgable than I am when it comes to financial matters. She doesn't know more than I do in several other areas. But I digress.



academically, financially, locally, internationally...perhaps. But I'm in stitches here over your insertion of the 'maritally' part of that diatribe. LMAO! Pray, tell me, is there any international benchmark for 'marital success'?
Perhaps you'd trade your family for hers, but I'm happily married with two beautiful children that give me such joy. Inserting the 'maritally' part is just plain brainless.




As I said, I reserve the right to be angry with anyone whose policies are hurting my country. I wonder why you're so emotionally invested in this argument. From your choice of words, you clearly are not educated enough or intelligent enough to be one of her kids or direct relations. Are you the househelp? Driver?




Anger, yes. Hatred? No.
I haven't heard that hatred kills fast. Any verified source for that nugget of wisdom?



I used Mother Theresa as an example to show 'achievements' aren't always tied to how much money you've made or what lofty positions you've occupied in the Government. Sure that should have been clear to you.

I never compared Okonjo-Iweala to anyone's mother. I said @4chi would not swap his mother for NOI. I will never make that swap myself. Perhaps you would, but that's your own cup of tea.


At the end of the day, you certainly do not live up to your 'jusRadical' username. Nothing radical about your inane posts, just the same generic hero-worship words one can expect to hear from star-struck boys. The matter of the day is Okonjo-Iweala's stewardship as the Finance Minister, and I am currently unhappy with some of her words and actions.

Donmams: It beats my imagination why some fools will claim that the North and South West are against mr. President and his ministers whenever they criticize the gov't. Well let them hear that the north and the southwest have over 75% voting strength. It will be the end of the igbo loving president in 2015. The South East will regret their stupidity for siding with jonathan for the next 200 years.

Sheeple: [s][/s]

Well, the whole world know who Idi Amin was - so your point is? What's there to be jealous of anyway? I'm in my mid-20s and I'm definitely ahead of her in life, while she was at my age. So why would I be jealous of a failure who had the opportunity to do a job for more than 12 years and is still a failure? What would she be remembered for?

You're a low-life and a bum. I guess that's why the paper-qualifications of non-performing fat midget with pig lips means a lot to you. We don't rate that out here. You have got a job, do it. And if you can't, buzz off. Get a life!

debosky: NOI and her attack dogs are (as usual) being economical with the truth.

The fact is the waivers - be they 'sector-based' or 'individual-based' are being abused. Instead of addressing that issue, they are chest beating about what they've 'changed' about the system?

What positive change have you made when, instead of a few individuals denying the government of revenue, entire sectors are allowed to do so with impunity and abuse? Or is an entire sector robbing government better than just a few individuals?

The same NOI that presided over the subsidy mess in the Ministry of Finance now wants to paint herself as something else? What is 'strategic' and 'job-creating' about giving petroleum importers 264bn in subsidy? Are they manufacturing job generators too?

What is 'spurious' about an editorial which quotes a government official (head of Customs no less) who reported the figures in front of the Senate? Is NOI calling the NCS liars?

The fact is that the Punch is correct - NOI's attempt to defend the waivers as a way to generate jobs are feeble and should be backed up by evidence. We know from Customs how much revenue has been lost - let her and her team show how many jobs their policy has created and what sectors it has helped.

We don't need any high sounding nonsense about 'operational policies' or condescending comments about what an undergraduate should know. Disprove the figures quoted by Punch with your own figures or shut up.

The Comptroller-General of Customs is not a Punch employee and he provided the figures - if NOI and co have issues with that, let them address him and not Punch.

taharqa: By d way, Punch has since been bought over by d Master Thief himself, Tinubu,

Tadon200: So they should not criticize the minister anymore ,the question raised was the misappropriation of funds through waiver ,something she was against during obansanjo era and now she is fully in support of this. i don't get it. and FYI mrs Okonjo that's what the press do ,they
look into this matters and report it,what you could have done was kindly explain to nigerians how punch was wrong rather than raise a feud with them. you are a minister not a market woman. If you can't take the criticism then resign. FINISE

sunnyolads1: That's the Truth...I support

take dat: and you expect me to take you seriously above the editorial team of Punch when I know your duty is always to defend all that is good and bad in Government? Isn't this how you folks always try to demonize anyone who critic the Government of GEJ? I am sure you do not have basic comprehension problems, go back to re-read the said editorial. Punch editorial is about dubious waivers and the amount Nigeria is losing to that. Are you telling me that the scheme is 100% corruption-proof? The questions NOI should answer instead of this manufactured hogwash are;

Did Nigeria lose N264billion to waivers on petroleum product imports or not?

Did Nigeria lose N603billion to import duty waivers, concessions and import substitution schemes?

Are you telling us that most of the waivers granted were not patronage driven? Are these allegations not of fiscal profligacy? Nigeria is losing money to some economic terrorists in and outside of government, and she is here picking up a fight with Punch without tackling the main issue. Economic Terrorism!