Urgently realize Isiala Ngwa ICD, Shippers tell governtment

July 27, 2017

By Ijendu Iheaka

 
Stakeholders in shipping business in Eastern Nigeria have called on the federal government to quickly realize the Inland Container Depot at Ntigha in Isiala Ngwa North LGA to reduce their losses.

They said that long distance land transportation of goods from Lagos and Onne  Ports to Aba and other parts of the South-East region increases the risk of loss of their goods.

The stakeholders made their demands known through a Communique issued at the end of one-day seminar themed “Compliance with global standard and best practices for enhanced international trade” in Aba.

They further urged government to urgently dismantle all Customs road blocks on the roads in the East and limit their operations to the ports, where they belong.

This, they said, would help to eradicate corruption and reduce the hardship stakeholders go through in importing goods into Nigeria.

The stakeholders also called on the government to harmonize the operations of product certification agencies or merge them to enable easy product certification and conformity to specified standards.

The Shippers further asked government to act quickly to reduce the cost of doing business at the ports and ensure the enthronement of efficiency and effectiveness in the sector.

They enjoined shippers to ensure strict adherence to international best trade practices to avoid grave consequences associated with non compliance to international rules.        

They said Nigerian shippers were bound to transact international businesses with honesty, sincerity and respect for all the parties involved, so as to sustain mutual trust and cooperation.

They praised the efforts of the Nigerian Shippers Council as the port’s economic regulator in building capacity of players in the maritime industry through enlightenment programmes and encouraged them to sustain the tempo.

Desist from fraudulent practices, Shippers Council charges operators

July 20, 2017


By Ijendu Iheaka


The Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) on Thursday advised exporters and importers to desist from fraudulent practices in order to expand the nation’s international trade.

The council’s Director, Regulatory Services, Mrs Ify Ezedinma, gave the advice at a seminar organised by the South East Zonal Coordinating Office in Aba, Abia, with the theme “Best Practices for International Trade Compliance: Prospects and Challenges”.

Ezedinma, who was represented by Mrs Enoche Ogenyi, an Assistant Director, Standard Services, gave a lecture entitled “Global Standard and Best Practices: Panacea for Enhanced International Trade”.

She noted that the abundant opportunities in international trade were being ruined due to fraudulent practices by some Nigerians.

Nigerians, she said, understood what was expected of them in international trade but found it difficult to play by the rules, thereby hindering expansion in export and import trades.

She, therefore, advised Nigerian exporters and importers to adhere to international best practices for their benefit and that of the country.

In another lecture entitled “The Role and Responsibilities of Parties in International Trade Transactions: What Stakeholders Must Know”, Mr Emma Nwachukwu, accused some government agencies of hindering trade flow processes.

Nwachukwu, the Zonal Secretary, Association of Licensed Customs Agents, urged the Nigerian Customs Service and commercial banks to review their operational methods.

This, he said, would ensure that they assist instead of constituting obstructions to exporters and importers.

He appealed to the government to remove the double checking of goods on transit at Onne Port and the Expressway in Port Harcourt, to make goods cheaper.

Earlier, Mrs Ify Okolue, the South-East Zonal Coordinator of the council, said the seminar was aimed at imparting knowledge into industry operators, to enable them to reposition their businesses for increased share of the international market.

She said the theme of the seminar focused on complying with international trade rules which, she noted, was central to making progress in export and import business across the world.

She said that the objective of the seminar was to create the enabling environment to equip stakeholders to meet the demands of a dynamic industry.

Okolue urged participants to make the best use of the opportunities the seminar provided, to improve their practice and expand their businesses.

Court dissolves marriage as husband abandons wife two weeks after marriage

July 19, 2017


By Ijendu Iheaka


An Aba-la-Ohazu Customary Court in Aba South Local Government Area of Abia  has dissolved the marriage between one Juliet Igwe and her husband, Chibuzo,  over abandonment and irreconcilable differences.

Juliet, the petitioner,  told the court that her husband abandoned her after only two weeks of marriage and went back to Gabon where he resides.

She  told the court that her husband took her to his home town and after two weeks of co-habiting  asked her to go back to her father’s house and engage in a vocation.

Juliet said that her father rejected the idea and reported her husband to his  foster father, one Pastor   S.K. Ogbonna,  who took her in.

The foster father, he added, later asked her to return to her father’s house since her husband was no longer interested in the union.

Juliet said that they  married on Dec.  29, 2015 under the native custom and tradition in  Akpugo, Nkanu West Local Government Area  of Enugu State.

She also told the court that since the second week of January 2016 when her husband abandoned her , he had not shown concern for her inspite of being told she was pregnant.

Juliet  prayed the court to dissolve the marriage and grant her continued custody of her 10- month-old child pending when he would come of age.

Although  Juliet was present in court without a lawyer, Chibuzo was absent and had no legal representation.

Giving his ruling, Senior Magistrate, Diamond Olewengwa,  said  Chibuzo’s refusal to stop the  planned dissolution indicated that the  parties  had  consented  to severing the union.

He said that the marriage,  having broken down irretrievably as a result of lack of love and care, denial of sex, irreconcilable differences and abandonment,  stood  dissolved.

He granted Juliet the continued custody of their  son until maturity, adding that Chibuzo had the right to see his son whenever he wished.

The judge also ordered Chibuzo to collect his N50.00 bride price  through the court registrar and to pay Juliet N30,000 monthly as upkeep allowance for their  child.

Olewengwa further ordered him to pay Juliet N200, 000 in bulk for nursing the baby from birth till date since he never  offered support  since the marriage was contracted.

He  said that the parties were free to remarry  and enjoined them to maintain the peace.

The ruling of the court, he added, should  be communicated to the foster father of  Chibuzo to ensure  compliance with  the judgment.

NAFDAC arrests 4 men in Aba for revalidating expired food beverages

July 18, 2017 

By Ijendu Iheaka

The National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control,(NAFDAC) Abia state office has arrested four men for complicity in faking and revalidating expired food beverages in Aba.

The Abia State Coordinator of NAFDAC, Mr Olisa Okeke, who revealed this in his office on Tuesday during an interview with the our reporter in Aba said it was dangerous to put a new expiry date to a product after the original date had expired.

He said that the arrests were made by a joint Enforcement Team from Lagos and Abia office led by Mr Emeka Onwuasoanya who swooped in on the fakers at the Eziukwu market on Monday and arrested the hoodlums.

Okeke said that some other fakers of food beverage at the market who were caught by NAFDAC  fought back to stop the arrest, but the armed policemen over powered them and led the four away.

He further said that the suspects later attempted to escape from the boot of a vehicle conveying them to the Police station but were repelled by policemen who began shooting sporadically.

The Coordinator said that the men were caught revalidating expired Orijin products in cans and Lucozade Sport drink while faking malt drinks and dairy products at the time of the arrests.

He said that the men were on their way to Lagos for further investigation and prosecution.

Okeke noted that NAFDAC was devising new means of tackling the menace of the fakers at the Eziukwu market since the operators seem to have sworn to continue in their evil actions.

“There is no type of faking of food beverages that the miscreants at the Eziukwu market also known as Cemetery market do not engage in.

“That market is a haven for faking of products especially food beverages in Aba. They also have person who are specialists in revalidating expired food beverages but we are making serious efforts to sanitize the market.

“I cannot reveal all our strategy here but we are confident that our actions will yield the desired results in a short time”, Okeke said.

The state Coordinator said that his men confiscated about 144 bottles of expired Lucozade Sport drink and 29 cartons of expired Orijin products in cans which were being re-validated .

About four weeks ago, the dealers in fake alcoholic drinks at the Eziukwu market assaulted NAFDAC staff during a raid of the market.

They also injured two NAFDAC staff on the shoulder and head with stones and also broke a NAFDAC operations vehicle windshield used during the operation.

Abia State Speaker visits shot FRSC men in hospital

July 17, 2017

By Ijendu Iheaka

The Speaker, Abia state House of Assembly, Mr Chikwendu Kalu on Monday visited the two Federal Road Safety Corps men shot on Saturday by policemen attached to him.

Kalu who arrived the Living Word Mission Hospital, Aba around 10 am said he came to see how the men were faring.

However, the speaker was stopped from entering their ward by the victims who shouted that Kalu should not be allowed into the room.

One of the men who was shot on the neck and waist was seen on the floor reeling and crying profusely while some hospital staff tried to console and control him.

"I saw him at the scene. What if we had died, he would have come to see our corpses", he said

However, Kalu who spoke to newsmen after the visit said he was satisfied that the FRSC men were recuperating and in better health condition.

He said that he had paid their hospital bills already and would still pay them more visits until they were discharged from the hospital.

Kalu said although he had no say in the fate of his police aide who shot the FRSC men, that there was no reason for the shooting to have taken place at all.

"I don't think I will ever condone that (overzealousness). I have been able to do the needful telling them that such a thing will never happen again", he said.

Dr Jude Ehiemere, the Chief Medical Director of the hospital when asked about the health status of the victims declined comments saying that he is busy and has no time for journalists.

Reports say that FRSC men from RS 9.32 at Kilometer 78 Umuikea had a clash with the wife of Kalu in the afternoon on Saturday while she was travelling to Aba because her driver did not put on his seatbelt on.

The report said that the clash resulted in two ladies in Kalu’s wife’s SUV joining her to fight FRSC men for attempting to stop their vehicle against their will to stop.

It was reported that the Speaker was informed and he sent policemen who came in and began to shoot at FRSC staff injuring two of them with one sustaining injuries on the neck and waist and the other on the hand.

The men also claimed to have seen the speaker at the site of the incident alleging that he ordered the shooting but the Speaker had refuted the allegation saying that he was never at the scene of the incident.

The Abia Police Command through its PRO, ASP Geoffrey Ogbonna had said that the two persons who were suspected to have shot the RFSC men, one police officer and a Department of State Security (DSS) staff have been arrested and detained to aid investigations.

Meanwhile, the two FRSC staff who were shot are now at the Living Word Mission Hospital Aba receiving treatment.

Reports say that the hospital authorities who had scheduled one of them shot in the lower region of his abdomen for a surgery had cancelled the surgery stressing that removing the bullet from his body could cause him permanent disorder.

Building Permits: Abia residents to face severe punishments for defaulting

July 12, 2017 

By Ijendu Iheaka

Abia state residents who initiate building registration processes without completing them before starting to build risk paying N1 million fine or having their houses demolished, Abia State Town Planning Authority (TPA) has warned.

The Director, Abia State Town Planning Authority, Mr  Chibueze Nwaogwugwu gave the warning in an interview with the our reporter in Aba on Thursday.

Nwaogwugwu spoke at the sidelines of the investiture of Elder Nelson Nwosu as the 9th Chairman, Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, Abia state chapter and inauguration of the executive officers in Aba. 

He said that anybody who moved to start building a house on a piece of land in Abia territory without getting a proper permit was offending the law and will face punishment.

“When we seal a building and the owners unseal it without permission, the punishment clearly contained in Section 75 of the Urban and Regional Planning Law and stipulates a fine of N1million and N5million for individuals and corporate bodies respectively.

“When the owners of the building are neither willing to comply with the rules and nor to accept their punishment, the authority is permitted by law to demolish the building and recover the land”, he said.

The director decried the attitude of residents who claim that payment receipts for initiating building processes are building permits and urged them to desist from such acts or be ready to face the law henceforth.

He said that the receipts issued prospective builders were only for the services rendered them at the beginning of the process and cannot be taken to be the permit to start construction.

He said that people wanting to involve the Town Planning Authority (TPA) in their building arrangement must come with a building plan and title document including the Certificate of Occupancy.

 Nwaogwugwu also said that when people get their permits, they should remain guided by the TPA to ensure they did not go off-course and suffer severe punishments.

He said that the Abia State TPA had begun a media enlightenment programme in electronic and print media to educate residents and to save them from such costly mistakes.

He said that the town planning in Abia state was a government activity wherein government employs and pays the Executive Secretaries in the authority.

Nwaogwugwu  said that past Abia state governments lacked the political will and interest to plan the state adding that the lack accounted for the nature of settlements found even in the cities of Abia at this time.

He praised the Ikpeazu administration for enabling arrangements to plan the state which is ongoing now in conjunction with United Nations Settlements Programme (UN Habitat).

Weilder kills woman for allegedly defrauding him in Aba

July 13, 2017

By Ijendu Iheaka

An Aba-based Wielder, Mr Ogbonnaya Igwe arrested for shooting and killing a woman on Sunday in Aba for allegedly extorting him has been handed over to the State Police Command in Umuahia.

The Abia State Police PRO, Mr Geoffery Ogbonnay when contacted said he was aware of the matter.

Police sources told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the Ogbonnaya said he killed the woman because she had been extorting him using an abortion he asked her to for him.

The source said that Ogbonnaya claimed that the woman whose name is Ijeoma Chibuzo was his girlfriend and that they have been in the relationship since 2013 before the woman got married.

He said that in the course of the relationship, the woman conceived for him and he asked her to abort the baby and since that time, the woman had been using the abortion to extort money from him.

The source said that the woman was invited by Igwe on Sunday to collect some money from the him which Ogbonnaya reportedly claimed was N600,000.

According to the source, the man who claimed he had sold off most of his properties to meet the woman's demands was enraged by her fresh demand for N600, 000 from him and took out his pump action gun and shot her dead.

A witness said he shot the woman three times before finally hitting her and killing her in his compound at Obohia road in Aba.

However, the police source said that it took up to three hours and the use of some canisters of tear gas to arrest the man because he hid inside a bunker he built on top of his ceiling in his Obohia road house.

Our reporter learnt that the woman had told her husband that she was going to collect a debt the man owed her when she met her death at the man’s house.