₦airaland Forum

JonDon12:
Shame no dey catch una. Una dey 21st century dey close Border. Una country useless so tay the only solution to unemployment na to stop commerce between small countries like Benin , Togo. Shame.

P.S, I am a Nigerian. Have been to Ghana, Beninm, Togo and probably more Nigerian states than most of you guys.

Our shame and not yours

Hoojay:
do you have any idea of the price per bag and whats your location

Local rice 12- 15k depending on brand and foreign 23-25k here in Onitsha

Hoojay:
without picking?

No picking bro, just cook as you do foreign rice.
Nobody needs to tell you when you see the unstoned, unmilled rice, sellers would even tell you.

I've been having the local rice even before the border closure

musicwriter:
Nigerians are the ones importing foreign rice into Nigeria, not foreigners.

To solve the problem, you must grow foreign rice in Nigeria. You cannot stop Nigerians from importing foreign rice as long as there's demand for it here. Resolve your issues at home and stop blaming neighboring countries. Benin and Niger have nothing to do with it. They just happen to be unfortunate neighbors to the most corrupt country in the world.

We can manage, keep your Asian rice to yourselves.
We are trying to resolve our problems so save us the lectures, epistles and sermons

Hoojay:
Quote me if you don't eat stones in your rice

I eat local rice that's stone free and so?

Islie:
By Vincent Ikuomola,



Nigeria is locked in a meeting with neighbouring countries over the recent border closure.

The Tripartite Committee Meeting by the Foreign Ministers of Nigeria, Benin and Niger Republic is to consider the conditions put forward by Nigeria before the land borders can be opened for goods importation.

The Federal Government Committee had met fortnight ago setting conditions for reopening of the country’s borders for goods importation from neighbouring countries.

Nigeria also insisted that neighbouring countries must respect the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) rules of origin if they must bring goods into the country.

Details shortly…

https://thenationonlineng.net/breaking-nigeria-meets-benin-niger-over-border-closure/

That's all we want.

We give you conditions and you must accept.

We and the rest of ECOWAS combined are not mates in any way.

Unbiased1:
Wow
So all these ones are also made in Anambra? I thought we had only Tiger foods that produces spices.

I'm so shocked too and all located in Onitsha for that matter.

.

duncun:
I should accept a cheap propaganda from yoruba library at ife that most of you claimed to read from..You most be joking and take everyone one for a fool.

Zik, Ironsi and Ojukwu messed up big time and should be apologising to Nigerians if they were still alive

duncun:
Wrong, it has always been Britain's plan to keep nigeria in the hands of the north for compensation.
Each of the subsequent politicians where falling in place for the brits interest

The same way obasanjo,Jonathan couldn't amend the decree being used today.
STOP being a cheap blackmail.

The Brits wanted a unified Nigerian, other Nigerian leaders knew it wasn't possible aside Zik.
He foolishly remained adamant even when others warned him.

GENEGIRIA:
so why is this news item a headline story on nairaland since you are not bothered?

Cry us River Niger or Volta, our border remains shut

GENEGIRIA:
sufferheads suffering and smiling poverty capital of the world kidnappers have taken over the sh1thole

I was kidnapped on the Kaduna express way and here is my story

I had no premonition that day when I boarded a cab, a golf car from Kaduna to Abuja.
A few kilometres after Kaduna, shortly after the NYSC camp, around Dutse, on the express, we were assailed by a volley of gunfire targeted at tyres of vehicles on the express.
Of course all vehicles trapped within the radius of fire had to stop and passengers ran across the express to the other side of the road. As we ran, we saw men in army camouflage wielding Ak47s run after us and dragged us back to the side we just fled from.

We marched on for the full 6 hours into the bush; there were no huts, no buildings, no farmland, just endless vast arid land. I was able to gauge time because I was still wearing my wrist watch though my phone and bag had been taken by the kidnappers. Same with the rest of the others, victims like me, who had the misfortune of being on the road at that hour.
As soon as our phones were taken, the sims were removed; this of course meant they didn’t want us traced. Our phones were auctioned off to a certain ‘Yellow,’ that was the name of the person on the other end of the line who bargained for our phones.

I was in tatters in the course of our 6 hours’ trek; my gown had ripped open in my attempt to escape, my wig had fallen off and my tear stained face was caked with dirt and dust.
I was the only woman among the victims; there were 35 of us and twice the number of kidnappers. I feared the worst would happen to me. I began to pray because these people were just smoking weed, they were not normal people.


When we stopped, I quickly sought the face of one whom I perceived to be the leader. I went on my knees and crawled to his feet, groveling, weeping agonisingly and pleading.
I said to him: ‘I know you are a good Muslim, one versed in the tenets of Islam and who knows the sanctity of marriage. Please protect my honour for I am a married woman. Please protect me.’

This leader, who must have been like 26 years at the most, wouldn’t look at my face and I quickly sensed that he couldnt bear to look at a crying woman and so I intensified my cries and pleas and grovelling. I rolled in the dust with snot running from one nostril to the other.
Still, with his gaze averted he told me to stop crying and go join the rest of the victims where they were huddled on the ground. When I wouldn’t stop, he said sternly that if I didn’t stop then he wouldn’t help me. I stopped. He looked at me and told me I wouldn’t be touched by anyone of his boys.
Then they started getting in touch with our people to demand for ransom. How did they contact our relatives?

First off, they asked us all to call out the numbers of relatives we wanted them to contact for our ransom; once we gave the numbers, they would call them then allow us speak for just a few seconds before they took over the phone and made their demands.
They used an old untraceable Nokia phone to make each of these calls and because they spoke Hausa to us but Fulani amongst themselves, I wasn’t able to catch much of what was said among them.



No one escaped, they had seen us run and pursued us until we were all caught and rounded up. We were then marched in a single file into the bush.
As we headed into the bush, they had us arranged in formation, one victim, one kidnapper and so on while the rest of the kidnappers formed two lines beside our single file. There was no escape as they repeatedly warned us that we would be shot if we tried to escape.
Being the only woman, I was the first to be asked to introduce myself; name, state of origin, job, how much I had in my bank account and as they searched every nook and cranny of my bag and wallet; they wondered why I didn’t have an ATM card.
Thankfully, that day was the day I didn’t travel with my ATM card. I told my kidnappers that I had no bank account; that I am a married woman with children who also happens to be a student. I pleaded, telling them my husband is poor and earns N8,500 monthly and that my family is very poor as well. I told them I was given to my husband at a young age to settle a debt my father had incurred.

But they called me a harlot for leaving my children and going to school. I explained that it was my husband’s idea. He wanted me to go work to augment his salary and working required a certificate and so I had to go to school to earn one. Thankfully, my story was believed. I was soon to realize that these uneducated kidnappers didn’t know much.
They decided I was worth N5million! Immediately I heard that, I raised my hands in surrender, ‘Just shoot me, there’s no way my husband or family will ever raise that amount of money, nobody in my village, Gorin goni, the poorest village in Kaduna, will give as much as N2,000. So please, just shoot me.’
The leader then drew me aside and asked me exactly how much my family could get, I said N10,000. He walked away in anger swearing that I would die. I was still haggling with them over my ransom, when God came through for me…

There was another victim, a Customs officer from Kogi state who drew their ire; they discovered his identity from the ID Card found in his wallet.
It was clear the kidnappers apparently hate the current government because victims who worked for government were singled out and thoroughly beaten with the sticks they used to herd cows. They said the government had impoverished its people and that those in government were thieves.

Every chance they had they would beat the Customs officer. Despite my situation, I began to think of how to save him; so I called out that he must be a fake customs man as his service number is 10 digits instead of 6. They stopped and, thankfully the Customs guy cued in, he begged them saying indeed he was a fake customs man; he said he smuggled cars into the country and he had to do a fake ID to deceive the Customs officials who were collecting money from him. That’s how they stopped beating him!

They demanded 10million off the Customs officers family!

Then, there was also amongst us a Yoruba man who by all appearances was quite rich. Since the Yoruba man didn’t speak Hausa, I was his interpreter to the kidnappers.
This Yoruba man jumped into the drainage tunnel when we were first attacked and fled to the bush but the kidnappers had gone after him and dragged him by the leg out of the tunnel into the open. So, he was caked in blood and dirt. This man told me I should tell the kidnappers he was willing to pay any amount they wanted!

I had to shush him. I warned him, they will finish you o. But the man was jittery, you know how you Yoruba people are at the sign of trouble.
At the end of the negotiation, they demanded N100 million from his family!

You see, all of us victims had been thoroughly stripped of whatever we possessed. I was quick to have deleted my messages and email from my phone when the commotion started, that was my saving grace.
So, when I said I didn’t even have enough money not to talk of a bank account, there were no alerts or bank details in my phone. The others were not so lucky.
Each victim was asked to give the correct PIN number and amount left in their accounts. Any attempt to give a fake PIN was instant death upon discovery because they wouldn’t ask you again.

How did God come through for me?

I was the go-between who always had the phone so I could interpret when calls came in.
One afternoon, they suddenly began to argue amongst themselves and so moved away from us victims. I suddenly found myself alone with the phone! I quickly dialed my brother and told him to keep negotiating, never to give accept the amount they asked for.
You see, once a victim speaks to their family, the victim never gets to talk again until ransom is paid and families don’t realise they can haggle and negotiate the ransom!


After demand for ransom was made from all victims/families, we began another stretch of travelling. We trekked for another 6 hours, making it a total of 12 hours trek from the express into the deepest parts of the bush.
As we went along, we saw their armed vigilantes. Yes, the kidnappers had vigilantes to catch and kill runaway victims. They told us their vigilantes were well armed and since it was an open field, any runaway victim would be shot dead.
When we got to what was our destination, it was a huge village, community of different ‘platoons’ of kidnappers who also had their own victims. So it was like a village business, hundreds of kidnappers, living side by side several hundreds more with each owning victims they raided off the roads.

When we were eventually settled in an open place, the other ‘platoon’ of kidnappers came to ‘inspect us’, like we were spoils of war, loot they had come to admire.
Suddenly, I was being ogled by boys no than 16 to 18. They told my kidnappers that I was a ‘good catch.’ They meant this in terms of rape. But I heard one of my kidnapper say, their leader forbade them from touching me but that they would see about it. I began to pray again that the leader doesn’t change his mind about protecting me.

To cut a long story short, I was released on the third day after a ransom of N500,000 was paid on my behalf. No, my family didn’t raise all the money, my old school mates from the federal government girls’ secondary school I attended, helped raise the money as well. I have God and them and of course my traumatised family to thank for my release.
The customs officer who was asked to bring N10 million, paid N5million.

They asked our families to meet us at a certain place from where their okada rider look outs took them on a two hours’ ride inside the bush. There they counted the money, asked them to walk back and wait at a certain point for us.
I and the customs officer were released together as our ransom was paid the same day. We walked for more than 8 hours to reunite with our families.

I am home today but still so traumatized. I was happy when Governor El Rufia’s convoy went after some of them weeks ago. But a more concerted effort is needed.

While I was there, an Airforce fighter jet came and hovered over the community of kidnappers. Yes, it means government is aware of their location. As soon as the fighter jet was sighted, the kidnappers assembled all of us victims on the edge of a water fall and pointed their weapons at us. They were prepared to shoot us if the fighter jet opened fire on them.
At this point, we the victims began to wave off the fighter jet, we began to beg them to leave, whereas our kidnappers taunted and dared the fighter jet to drop lower so they could complete the massacre.

I found out that victims whose families couldn’t raise money were taken to the edge and shot, their bodies would fall below and be swept away by the water. That way it won’t stink out the community.
To date, no body has come to take my statements or ask me what happened. I mean the authorities haven’t contacted me. So they know exactly what is going on.
(Series written and edited by Peju Akande and based on true stories)

http://thisislagos.ng/%ef%bb%bfi-was-kidnapped-on-the-kaduna-express-way-and-here-is-my-story/


[s][/s]

Epistles upon epistles, border remains shut

GENEGIRIA:
that is the problem with you nigerians simply because exports $80 million worth of goods means nigeria is feeding Ghana so nigeria "feeds" every country that exports to that sh1thole nigerian feeds china, russia, canada, italy, britain, america, japan


[s][/s]

Point of correction, Nigeria exports over $300 million to Ghana and imports just $80 million, why are Nigerians not complaining more?

Our borders remain shut anyway

Kapilta:
stop wasting your time on Genegiria and just30 on here. Just troll them and let them wail in peace. They've been growing economically at that 8% for almost 2 years now, they are still not in top 5 Africa biggest economy. I don't even take IMF,World bank and the likes seriously when i know what's on ground. Stop wasting your time on 'Ordinary' ghanaians. When it's time to talk about the continent, you will surely see Nigeria, SA, Egypt and Morocco sitting comfortably on the high table.

You see him quoting inflation up and down buh believe me when i say things we buy for a thousand in Naija, we buy it 3k here. No matter how inflated the price of foods can be in Nigeria at the moment, it's two times that here in ghana my brother.

I don't even take all those nonsense stats seiously. If you shuttle between the two countries, you'll see the big difference.

Bless you Bros

GENEGIRIA:
what is economic growth in your economy? i am glad you know $80 million is a tiny drop in Ghana's export volumes

[s][/s]

....and what is $300 million to a $1.2 trillion Nigerian strong economy? This is the reason no noise from this side unlike those beggarly noise makers from over the border

GENEGIRIA:
that $60 billion is doing great things for GHANAIANS. life expectancy in Ghana is 65 years and improving. children in Ghana attend school free from primary to secondary school. the State even feds them for free electricity is regular and constant. 80 % of Ghanaians have access to elctricity. there are plans to extend coverage to 100% by 2023 poverty is 23% and reducing all the time do you want to tell me about the numbers in nigeria?
[s][/s]

Why still begging for border opening?

GENEGIRIA:
begging for what? begging for poverty poverty and stvpidity is the only thing nigeria has to offer
[s][/s]

.....but what have your ministers being doing in Abuja for some time?

GENEGIRIA:
chigoize stop talking like an azzhole Ghana's exports to nigeria is just about $100 million. how will stopping Ghana from exporting to nigeria derail the Ghanaian economy? Ghana can make life very very difficult for your igbo brothers and your Nigerian businesses operating in Ghana so talk with sense and stop talking anyhow Ghana's economy is growing at 8,8 percent, while nigeria's generator powere economy is struggling at less than 2% there is even speculation that the nigerian economy will enter another recession in 2020

[s][/s]

You've started again with your stats, the 8% growth was a projected one and not actual.
Your 1st and 2nd quarter growth was 6% and 5%, why must you lie?
Nigeria exports over $300 million to Ghana and imports about $80 million yet Nigerians aren't crying and wailing everyday as you guys do,

ehissi:
See poverty sha ooooh! We closed a whole border, for the whole west African table, na only ghanians dey cry pass....

Meanwhile their people are busy ranting on social media, while their foreign ambassador has permanently relocated to abuja to drink satchet milo with Mr President in hope that he will "Change" his mind......

Since we closed the border, I thought I was going to hear that UBA has been sent packing, or access bank has been sent out, or glomobile has gone bust, since ghanians kicked them out.

Na 70 shops, abi 400 shops in one faceless market, run by the underdogs of ghana, that has no serious consequence on the world economy that ghanians are using to brag say them get power.......


If Kwame Nkrumah was ever alive to read what these indomie generation ghanians are posting and boasting about on social media, he will Claim Us Citizenship instantly......

You don talk am finish

GENEGIRIA:
how dare you compare a certified sh1thole to china. nigerians are mostly poor don't be fooled by the numbers most nigerians don't have a purchasing power. most of them are unemployed most are desperately poor. those with real purchasing power may not be more than 10 million, which is almost the same as Ghana keep the border closed till 2100 food prices are already skyrocketing in the zoo

[s][/s]

We are mostly poor but why is your president and ministers begging and wailing everyday for us to open our borders?

GENEGIRIA:
Just as your foreign minister will soon be in ACCRA to beg your foreign minister was here months ago to beg when Ghana closed nigerian shops

[s][/s]

Yours have been here begging, let ours come first before you start rejoicing.

GENEGIRIA:
foolish talk GHANA attracted more FDIs than nigeria in 2018, so what FDI are you talking about? take your so-called FDI back to the sh1thole you guys need FDIs than Ghana look at the mass unemployment people are even committing suicide when they are deported back to nigeria trade war, which trade war how much trade do we even do with nigeria?

[s][/s]

Why still begging Nigeria to open her border for your crappy goods?

GhostWisperer:
The ignorant fools in Ghana thought their irrelevant country had the geopolitical might to fight a trade war until their minister of trade told them Ghana is in no shape or form to engage in a trade war with Nigeria.

That's when the petty lots started harassing people who are bringing DFI into their miserable economy.

Even their minister for foreign affairs was in Abuja too and begging

GENEGIRIA:
so what is this news a headline item on nairaland if nigerians are mot bothered by the closure of nigerian shops in Ghana? ;Dn

99.999% of Nigerians don't even care about your crying and wailing everyday, ask the mod who did it why

GENEGIRIA:
hshahahaha so why are you nigerians wailing i hope your clueless president will not send his foreign minister and top officials to come and beg like he did the last time lets see who will cry. you should be paying more attention to skyrocketing food prices in your country chai,

You've been telling us about a protest in Abuja but nothing, only your useless and beggarly ministers in Abuja had left for good

GhostWisperer:
This goes to show than Ghana's economy is hugely dependent on Nigeria. But it's just a laughable 60 billion dollar economy.

Wretched lots.

You dey mind those beggars, just border closure with Benin and they won't allow us rest, Benin, Cameroon and Niger didn't cry this much.

GENEGIRIA:
of course stay in your country, I stay in my country. nothing spoil

Is the Nigerian government begging you to stop is the question

GENEGIRIA:
you guys should calm down now they are only closing shops they haven't killed any nigerian like the south africans did now they are only enforcing an existing law, the same way you guys are enforcing a domestic law that made you to close your borders

Close more shops abeg, we're not begging you to stop

GENEGIRIA:
70 shops closed in one day over 400 shops closed so far more closures coming
[s][/s]

We need more closure please and tell your police not to reopen them as usual

RichDad1:
There’s surely more to this that meets the eye.
I am suspecting this Ghanaians are actually into smuggling of contrabands into Nigeria but they usually cover up with their legit goods. And the customs might not really out much interest in them since they’re not our immediate neighbors.

Bros haven't you noticed that the Fulani herdsmen wahala, Boko Haram, militancy, armed robbery etc had all reduced since the border closure?
Think am na, these foreigners hate us

wallisdon:
Don't they have president in Ghana?If they do, the president is the masterminds of the action.

We will reciprocate soon and hope aunty Abike Dabiri would mind her business and allow Buhari to finish up those leeches

sonature1:
The fight between Nigeria and Ghana is like that between the US and China.

Ghana is having a field day dealing with Nigerian businesses and the world kept quiet.

When Nigeria goes hard on them, every Tom, Dick and Harry will start condemning the Nigerian government.

Even in dreams, Nigeria and Ghana are no equals.

The only countries that can stand Nigeria's might on the continent are South Africa and Egypt.

You just said my mind, no addition