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Stories by Isaac Anumihe
While the Federal and Lagos State Governments are basking in the euphoria of constructing the largest deep seaport (in Africa) in the ancient city of Badagry, the indigenes are enwrapped in the fear of the negatives, which the development will bring. They cite environmental degradation, deprivation of their main source of livelihood – farming – as some of the backlashes of the development.
Despite these fears, the Lagos State government and the Federal Government are already calculating the gains of the project. According to the authorities, the seaport would generate over 500,000 direct and indirect jobs and make the city one of the biggest tourist attractions in the world.
The facility, touted to be the biggest in the African continent, sits on a land space of over 1,000 hectares.
Speaking when he met with representatives of APM Terminals (a private firm) in London to advance the development of the Badagry Deep Seaport project, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwumi Ambode, restated his administration’s key strategic imperative to create a friendly environment to encourage private sector participation in driving economic development in the state.
He assured that the state government would spare nothing to see the project to realisation, while pledging that the interests of the host communities within the location of the project will be protected.
In his remarks, Head of Africa, APM Terminals, Mr. Peter Volkjaer Jorgensen, said his company was strongly committed to partnering with the state government on the project.
Beside APM Terminals, Maersk, one of the biggest cargo container companies, and many other firms have indicated interest to invest in the project.
“That means a lot of us in terms of employment will be involved. We hope that in the next two months we’re coming to start this project here,” Ambode said.
But amidst all these excitements, the Mobee of Badagry Kingdom, High Chief Menu Toyon, who spoke the minds of the over 12 communities in the area, said in the midst of the excitements, there are some underlying discomforts, which the Badagry community would be exposed to.
“I am delighted but there is no good thing without the other side. Yes, maritime or whatever associated business that is coming to Badagry in terms of deep seaport will expose Badagry to some hazards. No doubt about that. Yes, there was jubilation on hearing the news that we are going to have a deep seaport but at the end of the day, Badagry where you came today and saw everywhere peaceful and fine may not be the same again.
“When the time comes, there will be an influx of people of questionable characters. It happens everywhere. All we are praying for is that we don’t experience what is happening in the Niger Delta here in Badagry because maritime brings a lot of goodies and challenges,” he said.
Listing the hazards the project will bring to the community, the High Chief, said: “Number one, when the port starts, our roads are going to be bastardised; there will be environmental degradation in Badagry, which will be very bad. I would have preferred luxury cruise ships in Badagry where we have very beautiful vessels that can be taking tourists round. The port will distort our peace.
“They are going to use some people’s property. They are going to dislocate some people but I will tell you that when you light a candle and put a paper on top of it, there is bound to be fire. Let the APM Terminal come and meet the stakeholders and talk to us. Though we held a meeting about two years ago, the state government will be having 20 per cent, Federal Government will be having 20 per cent and APM Terminal will be having 60 per cent, which is 100 per cent. What percentage are they giving to the stakeholders. I mean, owners of the land?
“My grandfather was among the first farmers at the Gberefu Beachland in the 1880s and till now, we the stakeholders, have nothing to show that things are coming to Badagry. Good, it has been approved by the Federal Government. Oil exploration is going on with crude being taken but the stakeholders on oil exploration area don’t have anything to show for it. We are in the dark,” he cried out.
About employment, which the Lagos State Government said was one of the benefits of the project, the Mobee recalled that the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON) and the French Village sited in Badagry have not helped the indigenes in terms of employment.
“Let me tell you, we have ASCON and French Village as corporate bodies in Badagry. How many people can ASCON employ? How many people can French Village employ?
“How many people can local government employ? And there are lots of youths and if you don’t want devil to make use of you, you find something doing and that is why they are going to Seme to find their daily bread.
“We have eight quarters in Badagry. We are not hostile. The way they nurtured us right from youth cannot permit us to be violent like Niger Delta people. But environments are impacted negatively and the government does not contribute to developing areas where they explore. They hardly contribute to developing areas where they explore wealth from,” he regretted.
Trade facilitation: CG’s team seizes N540m items in 6 months
THE newly-formed Comptroller General’s Compliance Team has seized over N500 million worth of items since its inception six months ago.
Speaking about the team, Lagos Zonal Commander, Chief Superintendent H. Bello, said the team was well prepared with all the logistics and human resources to carry out the functions assigned to it by the Comptroller General and will leave no stone unturned in that regard.
According to him, importers who play according to the rules should have no fear as the team is on ground to stamp out products that are either prohibited or injurious to the health of the citizens as well as Nigeria’s economy.
The team, he said, has since its establishment ensured that accurate duties are paid on goods being cleared at the various entry points, leading to a peak in the revenue of the various commands. Thus, enforcement stations like Seme/Badagry as well as Idiroko borders have experienced sharp increase in their monthly revenue to an average of N1 billion, as against N500 million previously recorded.
The team co-ordinated, Assistant Comptroller of Customs, Mr. M. I. Jalo, said that his team has been able to nip in the bud activities of smugglers who bring undocumented cargoes into the country.
He said that the team was determined to encourage importers and ensure that the country is not made a dumping ground for fake products or contrabands.
“It has mopped up some of the smugglers’ warehouses in Lagos where smuggled bags of rice were deposited in large quantity after they were repacked with sacks” he said.
The new operation, he said, accounts for the less inflow of imported rice, which used to flood the Western borders of the country during the Christmas period and other festivals. Jalo said that foreign parboiled rice intercepted by the officers totalled 21,314 bags with Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N138,541,000. Also, about N40 million worth of poultry products have been seized.
The Assistant Comptroller said that the General’s Compliance Team made a striking seizure recently of three bullet-proof vehicles worth N120 million whose owners evaded duties outright. The vehicles, he said, include Mercedes G. Wagon (2015 model), Lexus 750 (2015 model) and Escalade (2015 model) as well. Other cargoes seized include second-hand clothing totalling 1,387 bales; 7,344 pieces of used tyres as well as large quantity of vegetable oil.
For effective policing of the nation against economic saboteurs, the Customs Comptroller General, Col. Hameed Ali, recently appointed six officers to ensure maximum efficiency and to improve on trade facilitation.
The appointees include Assistant Comptroller, M. I. Jalo, who is the co-ordinator; Chief Supt. Nwokocha, deputy, while Chief Supt. Bello is Zonal Commander for Lagos Zone. Sani A. A. is Sector Commander for Seme axis, Longji L. J. takes charge of Ogun axis while Shazin Z. M. is Sector Commander for Oyo axis.
Vehicle importers rush to beat December 31 deadline
As the December 31, 2016 import prohibition order of vehicles through the land border draws close, importers now import between 100 and 150 vehicles daily as against the 20 or 30 vehicles imported daily before the order.
According to the Customs Area Controller of Seme Border, Mr Victor Dimka, importers are rushing to push in their vehicles so as to beat the deadline.
Dimka said that customs has also increased vigilance at the border to ensure that after the deadline no vehicle would be allowed to enter the country. Also, he said that the total ban on imported rice is very effective and that customs would ensure that Nigeria was free of imported rice.
Recall that early this month, the spokesman of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Mr. Wale Adeniyi, announced the prohibition order in Abuja, saying that the step was sequel to a presidential directive restricting all vehicle imports to Nigerian seaports only.
“The restriction on importation of vehicles follows that of rice, whose imports have been banned through the land borders since April 2016. Importers of vehicles through the land borders are requested to utilise the grace period up till December 31, 2016 to clear their vehicle imports landed in neighbouring ports,” Adeniyi stated.
Predictably, the freight forwarders under the canopy of Save Nigerian Freight Forwarders (SNFF), hailed the policy, describing it as a timely intervention to save the roll on roll off (RoRo) companies whose business fortunes have dwindled. The National Co-ordinator of the group, Chief Osita Patrick Chukwu, said the decision of the government to ban the importation of all types of new and used vehicles through the land border was timely.
According to him, the ban will create jobs for Nigerians and revive some ports that are redundant. He said that those who bring vehicles from land borders are saboteurs.
“But the government should go further to reduce the tariff and make the importation competitive among the West African countries.”
It will create employment and revive some ports already rendered redundant due to inactivity. The companies which import vehicles through the sea have been rendered redundant because of the importation through the land border. We welcome the announcement whole-heartedly. Government has been losing revenue via land borders because they don’t pay full duties and most of the vehicles are smuggled. But with this, it’ll help a great deal,” he said.
