FG planning to reopen Seme border

Published

11 months ago

June 22, 2023

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Freight forwarders operating at Seme Border have written to the Federal Government demanding the opening of the border for vehicle importation.

The Director of Road Transport, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Ibrahim Musa, disclosed this at Seme during a meeting between officials of Nigeria and Benin organised by the Economic Community of West African States.

He explained that freight forwarders appealed to the former Minister of State for Transportation during his last visit to the border, asking for the reactivation of the border.

He said a memo prepared and sent to the Federal Government based on the request was approved by the Federal Executive Council.

The director said FEC had promised to leave the approval on reopening the border to the new government to act on.

He said, “I was here with the former Minister of State for Transportation and the freight forwarders pleaded that the border should be reactivated for free movement of goods and services. The minister made us prepare a memo to that effect. It was considered and sent to the government.”

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Also speaking at the event, the Customs Area Controller in charge of Seme Command, Dera Nnadi, said the service had noticed a reduction in its revenue since the importation of vehicles was banned from the land borders.
He said, “The Honorable Minister of Transportation, the immediate past one, responding to some of our requests and from the stakeholders, promised to take them to the Federal Executive Council; one of them is how to fully open this border.

Nnadi also said illegal checkpoints along the border corridors have been dismantled by customs, while the Border Control unit of the Nigerian Police Force has promised to do the same.

He urged the Federal Government to complete the highway from Lagos to Seme Border, saying the completion would grow trade and investment in the Abidjan-Lagos corridor.

The Seme Customs boss maintained that the corridor is important for the growth of trade, investment, cultural diversity, and peace in West Africa and the whole of Africa.

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Comptroller Nnadi who is also a Co-chair of the Joint Border Post said, “Abidjan-Lagos Corridor is an important corridor for trade among West African countries, a melting point where our people share culture and religion. It is a very important place where we maintain relationships and peace with ourselves. It is important to keep the corridor alive. We appreciate ECOWAS for its contribution to the growth of business in the corridor. While appreciating the Federal Ministry of Transportation for the ongoing rehabilitation of the highway, if the road is complete, it will improve trade.”

Entertainment

Davido sacks lawyer, Bobo Ajudua

Published

7 mins ago

May 17, 2024

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Nigerian Afrobeats singer, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has confirmed that he fired his lawyer and longtime friend, Prince Bobo Ajudua.

The singer confirmed the news on his Instagram story while reacting to a blog post that suggested he sacked Bobo Ajudua, over embezzlement.

Reports emerged that Davido recently sacked his long-term business partner and lawyer for embezzling $370,000.

However, reacting, the singer stated that that wasn’t the case, clarifying that they are still friends even though they are no longer business partners.

Sharing a screenshot of the report via his Instagram account, he wrote: “This was not the case at all! We are still very good friends! In business things evolve and change all the time! Please everyone disregard this narrative.”

What this means is that Bobo has ceased to be one of the point contacts in business dealings with Davido and his record label. The reason for the firing was not specified.

Bobo went to the same secondary school as Davido, where he was his senior, and once co-managed the singer and was part of his music management team.

Bobo who was his lawyer for several years is the only child of alleged serial fraudster, Fred Ajudua and his politician wife, Patricia

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Court refuses to grant bail to Binance executive in ‘money laundering’ case

Published

1 hour ago

May 17, 2024

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A federal high court in Abuja has refused to grant bail to Tigran Gambaryan, an executive of Binance Holdings Limited, a cryptocurrency firm.

Emeka Nwite, presiding judge, held that Gambaryan is likely to “jump bail if granted to him”.

The company and its executive were arraigned on a five-count charge bordering on money laundering.

The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Details later…

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Judiciary, not INEC, is the problem with Nigeria’s democracy, says Peter Obi

Published

4 hours ago

May 17, 2024

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Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, says the judiciary is the biggest threat to the nation’s democracy — and not the electoral umpire.

Obi said this while delivering a keynote speech at the fifth memorial of late Justice Anthony Aniagolu at the Godfrey Okoye University in Enugu.

The former Anambra governor said justice in Nigeria “goes to the highest bidder” and has become “commodified”.

“While the judiciary, today, still boasts of a few outstanding judges, there is an undeniable decline in our judicial system,” he said.

“This decline poses a significant threat to the future of Nigeria. Justice is increasingly commodified, and delivered in favour of the highest bidder.

“Whenever democracy is discussed, fingers point to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the problem. But INEC is not the problem, instead, the judiciary is. The judiciary is the biggest threat to Nigeria. If our judiciary is effective, our businesses will thrive.

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“When the rule of law is compromised, the most vulnerable members of society are disproportionately affected, and the fabric of our society begins to fray. The integrity of our institutions, the protection of human rights, and the stability of our nation are all jeopardised.

“The rule of law is the highest intangible and most valuable asset of any society, and we must work tirelessly to protect and preserve it. We must prioritise the pursuit of justice above all else.

“I emphasised the urgent need to revitalise our judicial system by safeguarding its independence and promoting the values of character, competence, capability, compassion, and integrity among our jurists, as well as within our political leadership.

“By doing so, we can ensure justice and fairness prevail as we endeavour to build a better Nigeria for all.

“Nigeria has become a country where anything goes. There is no rule of law, there is almost no judiciary. Everybody could be pushed down because there is no rule of law.

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“Because the judiciary has become commercialised and depends on how much one pays, it has become difficult to get true justice in the judiciary.

“At any point in time where the judiciary is not working, the society suffers.”

Bola Tinubu of the All Progressive Congress (APC) won the 2023 presidential election with 8,794,726 votes; Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) came second with 6,984,520 votes; while Obi polled third with 6,101,533 votes.

Obi and Abubakar challenged Tinubu’s electoral victory all the way to the supreme court.

On October 26, 2023, the apex court dismissed the appeals of Abubakar and Obi and affirmed Tinubu as president.