₦airaland Forum

The thread like all promise cancelled

Dansuqi:
Engineer canoe why are you so desperate in seeing apc not contest the bayelsa polls

I'm not sure you know what you are saying

When court did not seat

Or is it APC BMNC court room

Abeg swerve

seunmsg:
My dear engineerboat, you came late to the party. The latest news in town is that another FHC has nullified the Bayelsa PDP primary. As it stands, PDP has no candidate in tomorrow’s election. Let us kuku scatter everything since PDP they are the only ones with madness.

If you're sleeping wake up

Abuja stay of execution only affects Abuja FHC ruling.

48hrs to Bayelsa gov’ship: High Court sacks APC candidate as Appeal Court reinstates deputy

A Federal High Court in Yenagoa, yesterday, nullified the September 4, 2019 Bayelsa State governorship primary that produced David Lyon as candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in tomorrow’s election.

Our reporters in Yenagoa report that the decision had thrown stalwarts of the APC into confusion, reminiscent of what befell the party in some states during the last general elections when it was disqualified from participating.

But in a twist, the Court of Appeal in Abuja, yesterday, ordered a stay of execution of the judgement of the Abuja Federal High Court which disqualified the APC deputy governorship candidate in Bayelsa, Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo, over false information.

The panel, chaired by Justice Stephen Adah, issued an interim order of stay of execution of the judgement of the Federal High Court of November 12, 2019, pending the determination of “the motion on notice for order of interlocutory injunction filed on 13 November, 2019.”

The appellate court also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) “to maintain status quo ante bellum which existed on or before the 19th day of September 2019 when suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1101/2019, now on appeal to this court, was filed at the lower court pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction filed on 13th November, 2019.”

The judge consequently adjourned hearing of the motion to Wednesday November 20. The appeal was brought by Degi-Eremienyo’s lawyer, Damian Dodo (SAN).

The Bayelsa judgement

While delivering her judgement which sacked Lyon in a suit filed by Senator Heineken Lokpobiri who is also governorship aspirant of the APC, Justice Jane Inyang noted that the primary was conducted outside the rules of the party. Lokpobiri, a minister of state for Agriculture during the first tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari, had sued the party protesting the conduct of the governorship primary. He approached the court seeking a declaration that he was the “authentic candidate of the APC” and not Lyon.

Lyon, who was seen as new in Bayelsa politics but had the backing of the Minister of State for Petroleum and former governor of Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva, had during the contentious primary scored 42,138 votes to defeat five other aspirants including Lokpobiri who scored 571 votes. Justice Inyang ruled that since the primary was conducted in violation of the party’s constitution and guidelines, none of the aspirants should stand as APC candidate in tomorrow’s election. She therefore restrained INEC from fielding Lyon as the party’s candidate.

Responding to the judgement, Lokpobiri’s lawyer, Fitzgerald Olorogun expressed shock on the grounds that the court’s declaration was not part of their prayers. “It’s strange,” he said. Lokpobiri had while pursuing his case in the court, nonetheless, urged the people of Bayelsa to vote for the APC despite his court case against Lyon and the party. But beyond Lokpobiri’s clamour to be declared winner of the primary election, the judge said the APC guideline provided that results should be declared by the chairman of the election committee of the party, saying in the case of Bayelsa, it should have been Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe and not Senator Emmanuel Ochega who served as the committee’s secretary. She noted that the APC also violated its own rules in the composition of the election panel when it constituted an 11 member committee rather than seven.

“It has been established by judicial authorities and several judgements that political parties are bound by their own rules. The committee that conducted the primary threw caution to the winds and it is my ruling that the primaries stand nullified,” she said.

APC moves to Appeal Court

Reacting to the judgment, Mr Jothan Amos, who is the Chairman of Bayelsa chapter of APC, said the party was optimistic of overcoming the setback before tomorrow. He said the party had set in motion the legal process of appeal and was in the process of obtaining a stay of execution pending the determination of the appeal. He assured party followers that the party was seeking judicial review of the judgment and urged them to remain calm. Sylva gives another interpretation However, Sylva yesterday gave a different interpretation of the Court of Appeal judgement, saying it had granted the APC a stay of execution on the judgment delivered by the Federal High Court nullifying the primary of the party. Sylva, who stated this in a news conference in Yenagoa, said that the APC would fully participate by contesting in the Saturday governorship poll. “I must tell you that the judgment nullifying the primary was clearly a bias one with all due respect to the judiciary. “So, I have come to address you because we have good news for the people of Bayelsa. The court in Abuja has granted us stay of execution. “That means, we are fully as a party, in the position of contesting this election. “Because we know that the people of Bayelsa are seriously behind us and we will win the election,” he said.

Lawyers react

Lawyers have described the situation in Bayelsa as complicated, but explained that despite the orders of the high courts in Abuja and Yenagoa, INEC should allow the political party on the ballot paper for tomorrow’s governorship election. The Director General of the National Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS), Prof Taofiq Ladan, said despite the order of the High Court in Yenagoa disqualifying the APC governorship candidate, INEC cannot disqualify a political party because the logo on the ballot is that of the party and not a candidate. Dayo Akinlaja (SAN) said the APC would lose the opportunity to field a candidate in the election except it moves swiftly and “finds a way of restraining INEC from removing the candidate from the ballot paper for the election to forestall an appeal against the judgement from being rendered nugatory.” According to him, “I must admit that it is a somewhat complex and complicated scenario.

The reality is that if INEC excludes the candidate based on the judgment, it cannot be accused of doing any wrong. Nonetheless, the saying that ‘discretion is the better part of valour’ has a pride of place in all this.” For his part, Obioma Ezenwobodo Esq. said the situation is dicey because the disqualification may be upturned or upheld at the Supreme Court, stressing that the only way the matter would become immaterial is where the APC loses the election on November 16.

Our correspondents report that similar internal party crisis did not augur well for the APC in Zamfara and Rivers in February and March, this year. In Rivers, the party’s candidates for governorship and other positions were all disqualified before the general elections.

In Zamfara, the candidates who were earlier declared winners with a landslide were all disqualified by the Supreme Court in favour of the opposition candidates mostly from the PDP. PDP asks INEC to delist APC from poll The PDP yesterday said APC had no place in tomorrow’s governorship election in Bayelsa State following the disqualification of its candidate, Lyon and his running mate, by two courts of competent jurisdiction. PDP, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the development pointed to nothing but victory for the PDP and democracy in the country. The party asked INEC to delist the APC from the ballot as any vote cast for the party would be a wasted vote. “The PDP invites INEC to note that no fewer than two decisions of courts of competent jurisdiction have negated the participation of the APC in the race.

INEC rules out postponement

Speaking on the development, INEC yesterday ruled out postponement of tomorrow’s governorship elections in Kogi and Bayelsa states. INEC said last night in Abuja after a management meeting to review the Bayelsa case and other aspects of the election that there was no going back. Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi, Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu said the meeting ended successfully but that the commission would not issue any statement on Bayelsa or on any aspects of the elections. “The meeting has ended but we are not issuing a statement. However, our elections in both Kogi and Bayelsa will go on as planned,” Oyekanmi said and declined further comments.

Kogi debacle Meanwhile, a Federal High Court in Abuja will today rule on the application seeking the disqualification of Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State from participating in tomorrow’s election over double registration of voters’ card. In the originating summons the governorship candidate of Social Democratic Party (SDP), Natasha Akpoti, is seeking the court to also issue an order of mandamus compelling INEC to “thoroughly investigate the acts of double registration as a voter made by Yahaya Bello” and to prosecute him upon the expiration of his tenure in January 2020. Akpoti alleged that Gov. Bello committed electoral fraud through his registration sometime in 2011 in Abuja and a second registration as a voter on 23rd May, 2017 at Government House, Lokoja “while his first registration as a voter in Abuja was still live, extant and subsisting.” In the application brought on her behalf by Mike Ozekhome (SAN) on Oct. 10, Akpoti also asked the court to declare that the governor is liable to be disqualified and/or barred from contesting, participating and/or voting in the forthcoming Kogi State governorship election. She contended that the act of doubt registration of voters’ card is a violation of Section 24(E) of the Electoral Act, 2010.

Read more: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/48hrs-to-bayelsa-govship-high-court-sacks-apc-candidate-as-appeal-court-reinstates-deputy.html

Yusman316:
His case is not for the disqualification of the APC, rather confirming him as the rightful APC candidate. Here we are talking about the deputy governorship candidate's disqualification. And I am saying it was PDP that entered that case into court

Go back and read the OP link again

Yusman316:
This is the problem of Nigeria. Youths that are too lazy to do simple research about issues. The governorship candidate of any political party usually picks his running mate, either unilaterally or by party stake holders consensus. So why will a party member fail against the governorship candidate in the primaries then go after the deputy governorship candidate? PDP now seeing APC as real threat this time around, file the case in court. Not that there is anything wrong with that. The guy presented false documents which is wrong. APC goofed by not screening their candidate's credentials properly

Should I say you're the one showing sign of laziness here.

Its a two court case

The one for the afternoon was instituted by lokpobiri an APC cnndidate

Enwhen:
When was this Lokpobiri judgement delivered ?

This afternoon

Enwhen:
Not Lokpobiri , it's the PDP , Lokpobiri own is still in the court , just like that of Idris in Kogi PDP waiting for Wada to win and take over.

The ruling is made already

APC has no candidate the court ruled
https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/362829-just-in-apc-has-no-governorship-candidate-in-bayelsa-court-declares.html

The Federal High Court, Yenagoa, on Thursday declared that the All Progressives Congress (APC) does not have a governorship candidate in the forthcoming election in Bayelsa State.
This development is coming two days to the election.

The court was presided over by Justice Jane Inyang.

The court declaration, on Thursday, was part of its judgement in a case filed by Heineken Lokpobiri, one of the APC governorship aspirants.

Mr Lokpobiri, a former minister of state for agriculture, had approached the court, asking it to declare him, and not David Lyon, the authentic candidate of the APC.
“The court pronounced that the governorship primary conducted by the APC in Bayelsa state was not done in compliance with the guidelines and the constitution of the party, and, therefore, the party has no candidate,” Mr Lokpobiri’s lawyer, Fitzgerald Olorogun, told reporters immediately after the court ruling.
A shocked Mr Olorogun said the court declaration was not part of their prayers. “It’s strange,” he said.

Asked what was the next option for his client, Mr Olorogun said “We’ll do the needful. But for now, the pronouncement of the court is that APC has no candidate.”
There was heavy police presence within and outside the court premises. The main highway way leading to the court was barricaded by the police. Visitors, including journalists, were frisked before they were allowed to enter the court building.

Mr Lokpobiri, before now, has been urging the people of Bayelsa to vote for the APC in the November 16 election, despite his court case against Mr Lyon and the party.
“I’m a very strong member of APC and I came today to formally tell our chairman and to speak to Nigerians, in particular, the electorate in Bayelsa that all of them should vote for APC regardless of what happens in the court case in which judgment is slated for Nov. 14, 2019,” the former minister said in Abuja after a courtesy visit on the national chairman of APC, Adams Oshiomhole.

“I told my supporters even before I came here that no matter what happened, I will remain in APC having served as a minister under this administration.

“There is no way the outcome of the governorship primaries will make me leave APC. We are working and campaigning at different levels.
“I always advise that anybody that is grieved, the only place to go is the court.


“So, whatever happens in the matter that is pending in court will not be an infraction on any part of our party’s constitution,” he said.
A Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday had disqualified Mr Lyon’s running mate, Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo, from participating in the forthcoming election on the grounds that he provided conflicting information on the documents he presented to INEC.

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/362829-just-in-apc-has-no-governorship-candidate-in-bayelsa-court-declares.html

Enwhen:
The Gov and D.Gov candidates are not qualify to run Bayelsa at all...non was present at the debate, the deputy gov. candidate forged credentials, the Gov candidate cannot spell his name well, instead of LION he is using LYON( France Ligue 1 club)....



It would have been difficult fort he PDP and APC this time, but had it been the APC field in Silver or Lokpobiri it could have been a complete take over with the supports of GEJ and federal might, but with LION , court or no court , the PDP will win , DIckson is in control of two senatorial districts while LION and APC joined with the new former PDP defectors are struggliing to take full control of just one( GEJ constituency) .....I am happy for this judgement like that of Rivers , the judgement has just saves hundreds of lives(including soldiers, Dss, EFCC, corpses and police) and properties...

It was lokpobiri that instituted this very case faulting APC primary

APC e-wariors

This is another judgement instituted by APC aspirant on Bayelsa APc primary it has nothing to do with PDP

senatordave1:
You are already swerving and on a losing spree

Eya Sorry

You will dey alright las las

Appell court cannot help adelabu

You have a bad case

senatordave1:
Yes.only you and two others understood the judgment.what happened is that the appeal court in a majority judgment discovered that the apc were not given fair hearing and that documents and other evidences presented by the apc were ignored by the tribunal which is a miscarriage of justice.and that if they scrutinized these evidences,perhaps they would reach a different conclusion.they then decided that the trial tribunal judgment affirming makinde victory is nullified and should retry the case but since it the 180 days period has elapsed,the status quo remain.


They are now leaving the matter for the supreme court to decide.they could have based on the strength of the documents made a declaration either cancelling the polls or declaring adelabu

.for them to come down hard on the tribunal means that the documents had incriminating facts.perhaps,they didnt want to make a declaration which the apex court will cancel and therefore ridiculing the judges.therefore,this is a wise move.very tactical.the supreme court should now look at the documents and see whether a declaration should made be made or not.

What do you say about Atiku.

You said atiku just dump Evidences on the Appeal tribunal


It's a karma don't you know.

You cannot mis-interprete now that it affects you or your party

senatordave1:
I have better understanding of legal matters thsn you.dont argue.listen and learn.the buhari and adeleke matters should have humbled you,dont know why you are still arguing vainly.

The matter is 50 50.the supreme court can decide on the strength of the evidences order a rerun.nothing is certain

50, 50 you say

Adelabu complained of irregularities in 1,334 polling units and only called 38 polling unit agents out of which majority of them confirmed that the election conducted by INEC complied strictly with the Electoral Act.

senatordave1:
I have better understanding of legal matters thsn you.dont argue.listen and learn.the buhari and adeleke matters should have humbled you,dont know why you are still arguing vainly.

The matter is 50 50.the supreme court can decide on the strength of the evidences order a rerun.nothing is certain

No wonder you quickly forget your gallivanting statement on osun on quickly.

Better understanding KO better overstanding no

Ogbeni swerve

Iamgrey5:
3G doesn't save data. Your data saving depends on your browser..

Ogbeni o to nowww

By the way, if you're now downloading or working on browsing that require 4G why wasting your data on 4G
H

Iamgrey5:
3G doesn't save data. Your data saving depends on your browser..

Ogbeni o to nowww

By the way, if you're now downloading or working on browsing that require 4G why wasting your data on 4G

senatordave1:
You are an annoying fellow i must tell you.only channels is reporting something different.infact from what channels reported,you can deduce that the elections were nullified but no declarations were made therefore he remains governor for now tentatively

Go and read

Guardian news

senatordave1:
Are you in apga or pdp? Channels are misleading people.only them are reporting that makinde won but others are reporting something else.the truth is that the tribunal judgment was set aside nut no declaration was made.the comments by the apc and pdp sources there confirms everything.makinde remains governor for now

We're you at the court.

Same thing applies to adeleke you know.

No time again for retrial as the time had elapses.

That time you said the same thing.

Now its playing out for Adelabu APC

Refresh your memory

References:
Just to add....
https://m.guardian.ng/news/appeal-court-faults-seyi-makindes-victory-at-tribunal/

The panel, however, affirmed the victory of Makinde of the Peoples Democratic Party in the Oyo State governorship election.

It upheld the decision of the tribunal, which declared Makinde as the winner of the March 9 poll, in a unanimous judgement delivered Yahaya.

This is also from your link

fergie001:
senatordave1... Come and advise Akpabio ooooo.....

Senatodave1 knows APC cabal trap for Akpabio.

Like a proverbial Dog that want to get lost, will not hear the whistles of the hunter

IamPatriotic:
He doesn't have to resign, Fayemi didn't resign even after his victory until few days to his inuagrations

How did Fayemi now contest

seunmsg:
PDP is a party of hypocrites. If they agree with this judgement, they should have disagreed with the silly judgement that gave an illegal victory to Olujimi in Ekiti instead of ordering for a rerun.

The court of appeal should have a standard to follow as far as election petition is concerned. They cannot cancel the result of a local government in Ekiti as a result of violence and irregularities without ordering a rerun in the council while cancelling the result a local government council in Akwa Ibom for the same reason and ordering a rerun in the affected local government.

What is good for Akwa Ibom should be good for Ekiti. The judiciary should not promote double standard.

Stop wailing

I'm not sure you read the 2 judgement

Continued

More

Continued

Conversation

An audio recording reveals that the Kogi State Resident Electoral Commission, James Apam has expressed concern with being pressured to rig the Kogi West Senatorial election against Dino Melaye. The election held in February 2019.

In the recording, published by Natasha Akpoti, the Social Democratic Party’s candidate for the November 16, 2019 gubernatorial elections, Professor Apam is heard telling someone on the other end of what appears to be a phone call, that Senator Dino Melaye won the poll by 17,000 votes.

“The guy [Dino Melaye] won neatly,” the INEC official can be heard saying.

He also said that there was ‘suddenly pressure” on him to doctor the results so that Melaye would lose the election.

“I hate injustice and can’t keep this to myself,” Ms. Akpoti wrote as she shared the recording on Twitter.

You may listen to the sub-titled conversation below:
https://www.thetrentonline.com/leaked-audio-reveals-kogi-state-inec-rec-under-pressure-to-rig-election-against-dino-meleye-listen/amp/

Listen to audio below

https://twitter.com/i/status/1190334012495138816

Government that needs propaganda to cover another propaganda, is that one government

Exposed: How Customs Paraded 2016 Seized Rice Containers as 2019 Seizures, Alleges Masters Energy


A recent claim by the Nigeria Customs Service that it seized 33 containers of rice from Masters Energy, whereas the seizure was made in 2016 shows that several other claims of seizures made by the service over the years leave much to be desired, writes Eromosele Abiodun


As customary to Nigeria’s security services, the Nigeria Customs Service paraded containers of rice it claimed to have seized last October. Customs’ Comptroller-General, Col. Hameed Ali (retd), while parading 54 containers of spoilt rice and other commodities, including fake pharmaceutical products and vegetable oil worth about N2.7 billion in Lagos, said: “One significant finding about this seizure is that all the rice have expired or about to expire.”

The retired army colonel claimed the rice was re-bagged as local products, though they were from China and Thailand.


A closer look at the bags shows that they bore Masters Energy with GRA Ikeja, Lagos and another, Dr. Chang by Yunfei International Trading Co Limited in Jabi, Abuja as companies and addresses, respectively.

However, as the dust had yet to settle over the claim by the customs that 33 of the 54 containers were rotten rice, the issue drew the ire of industry stakeholders and observers, who maintained that the rice was seized in 2016 and had rotten in custody.


Ali had while addressing journalists in Lagos on Tuesday stated that 33 containers of expired and spoilt rice, alongside 11 containers of unregistered pharmaceutical products, two containers of used tires, four containers of refined vegetable oil in retail packs, were seized at the Tin-Can Island ports by the Tin-Can Customs Command.

Masters Energy Commodities Trading Limited and others would be investigated over connections to the seized expired bags of rice, he had threatened.

Ali stated that in all, 54 containers comprising of 15 by 40ft and 39 by 20ft containers with a duty paid value of N2,713,865,051.00 were seized in line with the provisions of the Customs & Excise Management Act (CEMA) Cap C45 LFN 2004 section 46 and 161.


“One significant finding of this seizure is that all the rice are expired or about to expire. Also remarkable is the seizures of Tramadol variants and unregistered performance-enhancing drugs among the pharmaceutical.

“You will recall that in the past, the service has raised the alarm and drew the attention of the general public to the fact that most of the imported rice is expired.

“Some of the rice allegedly imported from overseas had Nigerian addresses, and the service will be going after these addresses to investigate their connections to the importation of these expired rice. Some of the addresses include Masters Energy Commodities Trading Limited located at 31A, Remi Fani-Kayode Street, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos and 103, Ebitu Ukiwe Street, Jabi, Abuja. We will be going after these addresses and investigating their connections with these expired bags of rice in 33 containers.


“I want to commend officers and men of the Tin-Can Island Port Command of the NCS for a job well done. I am also aware of the commands contribution to the Service revenue collection drive. Statistics in my office shows the command has so far collected N286,742,551,443.00 from January 2019 till date. I, therefore, urge the Command to keep up the good work and possibly surpass its target,” explained the Customs boss.

Seizure That Never Was


However, a source in Masters Energy told THISDAY that the product was impounded in 2016, wondering what the Customs hoped to achieve by parading same items as imported spoilt goods three years later.

THISDAY learnt that Masters Energy Commodity Trading Limited had without being compelled to, petitioned the House Committee on Customs Excise and Tariff, that its agent made false declaration in order to cut tariff for the 30 containers of rice. It had also indicated willingness to pay but the NCS curiously turned down their request.


The letter, signed by the then Managing Director, Mr. Chukwudi Otigba, said: “Sometimes in May 2016, we entered into a business transaction with a Thailand company known as Asia Inter Trade Rice Export Co Limited, for the importation of 30 containers of Thai Parboiled Rice to be delivered at the Tin Can Island Port, Apapa, Lagos as contained in the bill of laden.

“We contracted Destiny Impex Limited, a clearing company registered and licensed by customs with registration number…. As our clearing agent to clear the 30 containers of rice in accordance with Customs tariff and classifications.”


During the parade of the seized containers last week, Ali neither mentioned when the consignment was intercepted nor who imported the rice, as all efforts to ascertain the date of interception proved abortive.

This, analysts asserted, was deliberately done to make it look like the closure of the border was yielding positive results.

In a swift response to Customs’ claims, lawyer to Masters Energy, Monday Ubani, said there was no truth in Ali’s claims.


Ubani stated, “I do not know how many of you listened to this piece of news yesterday in various television channels and radio stations where the Comptroller General, Retired Col Ahmed Ali, showed 54 containers of spoilt rice and other commodities including fake pharmaceutical products and vegetable oil allegedly worth 2.7 billion Naira in Lagos. According to him “One significant finding about this seizure is that all the rice have expired or about to expire”. The retired army colonel said that the rice was re-bagged as local ones even they were coming all the way from China and Thailand. There is no single truth in what Col. Ahmed Ali was trying to make the whole world to believe in the said press conference.


“If you Google, you will find out that sometime in 2016 it was widely reported in the news that about 30 containers of rice belonging and imported by Masters Energy Commodity Trading Limited through Nigerian port, Tin Can Island, Apapa were impounded for failure to pay the correct tariff when clearing them by the Customs’ licensed agent. It was even reported that Masters Energy then petitioned the House Committee on Customs, Excise and Tariff that its agent Messrs Destiny Impex Limited, a clearing company registered and licensed by the Customs made a false declaration in order to cut tariffs for the 30 containers of rice.

“The company indicated willingness to pay the correct tariff as the agent was paid full money but decided to cut down the tariffs in order to avoid paying full value of the tariffs. This request was turned down and the company was later informed through anonymous source that the same rice had been shared to the internally displaced persons’ homes in northern Nigeria. It is important we point out here that this parboiled rice was purchased from Thailand from a company known as Asia Inter Trade Rice Export Co, Limited with a disclosed address and there is bill of lading to that effect.”

He disclosed further that the quantity the company imported were 60 containers but 30 containers were seized due to the under declaration by the agent while the remaining 30 containers arrived later at the port by which time the federal government had put rice as one of the famous 41 Items that will not enjoy forex of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Because of the policy the remaining 30 containers remained uncleared and abandoned.

Ubani added: “We have letter from Customs Authority asking Masters Energy to seek the approval of Central Bank of Nigeria before they could clear the remaining rice. These events took place in 2016.

“The issues begging for questions really with this emergency press briefing by the retired colonel are as follows: Why was it convenient for the Comptroller General to withhold the date of the said interception? These containers belonging to Masters Energy was impounded since 2016.

“What point did the comptroller-ceneral of Customs want to achieve by this emergency press briefing in 2019 over a seizure that was made in 2016 and already in the news? Is it to prove to the gullible Nigerians that Nigerian Customs Service that is under ‘heavy fire’ for its excesses is really working and saving Nigeria’s economy?

“What was also intended to be achieved by saying that the rice has expired or about to expire when it failed to disclose when the seizure was done and whether the life span of rice was supposed to be forever?”

Continuing, he said, “That Nigeria should clap for the comptroller-general, who has wasted such quantity of rice that should have been donated to the internally displaced people in Nigeria, who are dying of hunger every day? Why do we choose to run government by sheer propaganda in this Internet age where lies and falsehood can easily be detected by discernible minds?”

Controversy Galore

The NCS seems to like controversy. This is because before the disputed seizure was announced last week, a directive by the customs management in Abuja had unsettled shipping agents and stakeholders in the maritime sector,

The CG of Customs had recently directed that 100 percent examination should be conducted on cargoes destined for inland ports in the country including the Kaduna Inland Dry Port (KIDP).

He said: “All importation are to be unsealed, opened, examined to ascertain the contents and resealed before exiting the mother port. Such consignment shall be escorted by the FOU Escort Personnel to their various destinations without compromise.”

But shippers and importers in the country, who have benefited from the services of these inland ports, especially KIDP, raised concerns over the order saying it negates international best practices.

The stakeholders, which also include freight forwarders, asserted that the directive would amount to multiple screening or examination of cargoes meant for the inland ports since officials of federal agencies such as the NCS are also at the dry ports to carry out proper examination of the cargoes.

Speaking on the matter, the President of Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents, Tony Uju Nwabunike, cautioned the NCS, saying that such a directive will affect trade facilitation.

He said: “I think we (ANLCA) should look into the principles and guidelines that cover transit cargoes to see if it is proper, but we will send a position to the government through the Customs on the issue.

We think if there is any reason to take that decision, they should go through the principles of import guidelines as they affect dry ports.

“So many of our members that are into exports have said if that is the case, there is no need for a second examination of cargoes. The Customs, from the grapevine, said they just want to open to know what is inside the containers and re-seal them. But whichever way it is, it will be much clearer in a number of days now.”

https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2019/11/03/exposed-how-customs-paraded-2016-seized-rice-containers-as-2019-seizures-alleges-masters-energy

[quote author=wwwihy post=83615155]They are Anti-Democrats[/quote]I guess you mean the man

Who congratulate with "The blood of dog and baboons"