Customs Men Disrupt Tinapa Trade Expo
June 06, 2008 15:34, 111 views

By Emma Una/Calabar

The much touted Tinapa Trade and Tourism Expo came to a frustrating end after men of Nigerian Customs Service confiscated goods brought in for the event.

Moments after the Cross River State governor, Senator Liyel Imoke, declared the 2008 Tinapa Expo Trade Exhibition open, at the Tinapa Business Resort and Leisure premises in Calabar, Nigerian Customs Service officials blocked the main entrance to the resort and seized items bought by customers at the expo. The heavily armed Customs officials left nothing to chance as they frisked persons and vehicles leaving the venue. They also impounded the vehicles of people who had purchased goods from the expo.

The Customs officials went wild when they saw some fabric in a vehicle, with registration number EF 153 AAA, hired by three ladies who had come to shop at the expo. They immediately seized the fabric and impounded the vehicle. But for the timely intervention of some management staff of Tinapa and members of the public, the ladies would have lost their goods to the overzealous Customs officials.

This apparent show of force confirms insinuations in many quarters that the Nigerian Customs Service have been a cog in the wheel of the successful take-off and operation of the Tinapa as a free trade zone. Since the commissioning of the business and leisure resort by former President Olusegun Obasanjo on 2 April last year, business activities at the resort have not commenced due to the insistence of the Nigerian Customs Service that it must collect import duty on items sold at the Tinapa.

Tinapa is presently awaiting the Federal Government legislation that would confer on it, the status of a free trade zone and enable it to operate as such. To this effect, the Customs officials mounted a security team at the Tinapa gate to prevent customers in the expo from taking away any item.

After the dust had settled, the Customs officials told newsmen that the management of Tinapa did not inform them that the business fiesta was a trade expo and not a trade fair.

The Customs officials said Tinapa management had held series of meetings with them but did not say that the event was going to translate into a trade fair, hence they were right to have confiscated the items.

Reacting, the Managing Director of Tinapa, Arch. Bassey Ndem, said the Customs officials were high-handed in their approach to issues that concerned the resort and that their action suggested that they were out to sabotage Tinapa.

Because it is in the Niger delta

@sunny bobo.Sorry that place no be niger delta.i've said it time without number that lagos owes its development to the deliberate neglect of other eastern coastal cities.there is no road linking aba-calabar,ph-calabar.the seaport is restricted to certain goods etc.

It is simply baffling to read that customs are actually going to the place to seize goods that customers have bought. The potential of Tinapa is 'Huge' something that any govt should want to have instead of strangling the life out of the place with red tape.

Abagworo - I agree that Lagos has thrived because Ports in Koko, Sapele, PH and Warri were sabotaged.

The federal government has not helped in stating the laws when it comes to free trade zone and customs, even though a Punch article yesterday said the law has been passed (i don't know if that is true)

You cannot blame the federal govt alone, you have to blame the state governor at the time, Duke.

he jumped from stage 0 to stage 5. He did not make sure the road linking to other part of the state was ready, he did not make sure the calabar port infrastructure was able to receive large ships to dock at the port.

there are people there complaining there is no electricity, the truth is they knew electricity is dead in this country before the project started, the cross rivers govt. should have done an IPP.

Tinapa was trying to do the Dubai thing "Build it and they will come", but forgot roads and port are important.

Niger-Delta, Eastern region or whatever we like to call it. Its just another evidence of the Fed's deliberate attempt to stop any real economic development in the Eastern region and it doesn't matter whether its in Ijaw, Igbo, Efik, land. People open ur eyes.

Onitsha should have a seaport. PH and Calabar seaports should be in full capacity. Calabar should have a real international airport to attract tourism for the town and even neighboring towns like Arochukwu, Umuahia.

Asaba, Anambra, Imo, Enugu, PH should have international airports to attract better investment and for the fact that these places have potentials but em that will never happen under naija govt West and North.

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The federal government has not helped in stating the laws when it comes to free trade zone and customs, even though a Punch article yesterday said the law has been passed (i don't know if that is true)

You cannot blame the federal govt alone, you have to blame the state governor at the time, Duke.

he jumped from stage 0 to stage 5. He did not make sure the road linking to other part of the state was ready, he did not make sure the calabar port infrastructure was able to receive large ships to dock at the port.

there are people there complaining there is no electricity, the truth is they knew electricity is dead in this country before the project started, the cross rivers govt. should have done an IPP.

Tinapa was trying to do the Dubai thing "Build it and they will come", but forgot roads and port are important.

nonesense!!

naijatoday:

you have to blame the state governor at the time, Duke.

he jumped from stage 0 to stage 5. He did not make sure the road linking to other part of the state was ready, he did not make sure the calabar port infrastructure was able to receive large ships to dock at the port.

Tinapa was trying to do the Dubai thing "Build it and they will come", but forgot roads and port are important.

Look how long it took Abuja to get to this stage. If it is good enough for Abuja the it is good enough for the South South or the South East.

Tinapa can work but customs are sabotaging it. This has nothing to do with roads or the litany of excuses you have given.

SapeleGuy:

Look how long it took Abuja to get to this stage. If it is good enough for Abuja the it is good enough for the South South or the South East.
Tinapa can work but customs are sabotaging it. This has nothing to do with roads or the litany of excuses you have given.

Another thing Mbakwe cried about was having corrupt customs people harrasing traders inside Onitsha, Aba, Port Harcourt and now Calabar.

Have we finally realized that having Hausa men who know nothing about imports and exports run the the customs from year to year is another millstone on our neck?

Instead of opening up PH and Calabar, they force Igbos and other easterners to go to Lagos or Cotonou, pay bribe to Hausa customs officers as they return to the east.

Why can't Easterners just get some balls and reverse the BS trend. WTF is wrong with our people?

Is this a typo or is it simply outdated news? The date on the copied text says "June 6, 2008.

@A-town
i tot i waz d only 1 dat saw dat
@poster
let us no if itz a fresh or old jist b4 make ma comments!

A-town:

Is this a typo or is it simply outdated news? The date on the copied text says "June 6, 2008.

udezue:

Why can't Easterners just get some balls and reverse the BS trend. WTF is wrong with our people?

You really should be asking yourself that, not the whole eastern region.

The Federal Govt is killing Tinapa because there is no huge money to be made for private pocket. The Oga in the office want his own kola before he sign anything.

Tinapa, who cares. Oga is more interested in sending his children away to foreign land for school. And if he has headache, he can send himself to foreign hospital.

That's it.

Its simple selfish interest those are the kind of leaders(government) we have today
Non of them want the country (NIGERIA) development. And the youths they dont give a damn rather they spend all their time with sport and end up allowing this same leaders they complain about give them guns with highest #50,000 to steal ballot box and rig elections. its only youths that can turn this country around.

I think we need a change

Where are the legislators representing Cross Rivers State , Have they for a second raised this Issue in the Federal House?What's the liyel doing to make the place work? The entire country heard about the business resort and would want and support it whenever the People of the state rise up and push 4 it.
At the moment they are busy fighting over oil wells given to akwa ibom state by going on hunger strike very soon they start blaming yaradua, Oil companies and JTF.

mahal:

Where are the legislators representing Cross Rivers State , Have they for a second raised this Issue in the Federal House?What's the liyel doing to make the place work? The entire country heard about the business resort and would want and support it whenever the People of the state rise up and push 4 it.
At the moment they are busy fighting over oil wells given to akwa ibom state by going on hunger strike very soon they start blaming yaradua, Oil companies and JTF.

You're so very misinformed.
If you don't blame the president when things of such federal bureaucratic nature come up, who do you blame? The buck has to stop somewhere. In many contries the buck stop with the preseident, in Nigeria, thanks to people like you the bucks goes round and round, nonstop.
The president controls the customs for goodness sake, and you don't want him blamed

udezue:

Niger-Delta, Eastern region or whatever we like to call it. Its just another evidence of the Fed's deliberate attempt to stop any real economic development in the Eastern region and it doesn't matter whether its in Ijaw, Igbo, Efik, land. People open ur eyes.

Onitsha should have a seaport. PH and Calabar seaports should be in full capacity. Calabar should have a real international airport to attract tourism for the town and even neighboring towns like Arochukwu, Umuahia.

Asaba, Anambra, Imo, Enugu, PH should have international airports to attract better investment and for the fact that these places have potentials but em that will never happen under naija govt West and North.

Haba! Why are u making a molehill out of a mountain? U're off context as u've taken it personal.

The FG is sabotaging dvpmt in d eastern region? and u want the Int'l Airports for d states above?
Hw many states in the western region, apart frm Lagos, have an Int'l Airport?

You guys are so quick to claim marginalization at every turn.

You guys are so quick to claim marginalization at every turn.

Abi o!!!

The answer is simple-that true federalism may not see the light of the day!Result?- The Henry Okahs, Asari Dokubos, Tompolos

Tayo,

Is there any International Airport running in full capacity in the East? Una get 1. How many do we have? I listed states that deserve it. The East deserves at least 2 jare.

@Udezue
You will get it when every last one of you starts staying in the east to build it. You won't get anything done by running down to North or West!

tayo_ast:

Haba! Why are u making a molehill out of a mountain? U're off context as u've taken it personal.

The FG is sabotaging dvpmt in d eastern region? and u want the Int'l Airports for d states above?
Hw many states in the western region, apart frm Lagos, have an Int'l Airport?

Your so-called federal government should not be the one dolling out International airports to favorite areas. Determination of an international airport should be determined by need, sustainability, and abilityt to develope it. In all areas the federal government turns down request for an international airport in an Igbo heartland.

Stop the marginalization cry and face the fact! a goat is a goat, and a sheep will always be a sheep!

it is a big pity

but how would the most industrous people have to go miles and miles to get their goods down for distribution when there are easy way

not recently they same fools in here will back lagos-kano rail project

only a fool from odududwa will keep repeat the same trait

so when u see the mend blew up some pipeline in lagos, then u wonder

talkin like it was ur house that has be blew up

yes hhhaha they just keep cryin hahha my friend stop deludin urself fact are on ground

the oduduwa never set their foot to delta before lagos was built up


cuz we are all proud of lagos but what we are sayin there should fairness and equity among us all for goodness and better living of the nigerians

otokx:

it is a big pity

LOL

they wont initiate anything good themselves and are quick to strangle
the daylight out of the few good things naija can boast off. poor naija!

I DONT THINK THIS IS FAIR BECAUSE THIS PROJECT SHOULD BE LAUDED BY THE FGN

POSSIBLY AS A NATIONAL MONUMENT DUE TO THE EXISTENCE OF A NON PARALEL INITIATIVE,

TINAPA HAS MADE THE WORLD KNOW THAT NIGERIA POSSES ABUNDANT TOURIST ATTRACTION LOCATIONS,

Pity