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How Organised Smuggling Thrives At Seme Border

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In 2007, Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) established an office at Cotonou in Benin Republic to monitor and assist their Benin counterparts in checking contrabands coming in as ETLS goods but today the reverse is the case. The good initiative of the then Comptroller-General, Elder Buba Gyang is not yielding any results considering the rate of influx of such contraband goods through the busy Seme border.

Just like Shaki in Oyo State and Idiroko in Ogun State, Seme is the border between Nigeria and Benin Republic and is unarguably the busiest of the three borders.

Importers of Nigeria-bound goods through the Cotonou Port now see Seme as a most viable entry point either for duty evasion or concealment of prohibited items. Most items that fall under the Federal Government’s import prohibition list or as statutorily barred from entering the country through the land borders find their way in through Seme.

The Tide investigation reveals that these items come in trickles and in bulk depending on who is bringing them into Nigeria. The volume of the imports for which revenue is lost on the part of the government may far outweigh the generated revenue and create an adverse effect on government policy to encourage local production of some of the products.

Our investigations also revealed that there are also unmanned areas that present a blank cheque situation to smugglers. These areas are not policed by Customs men either for fear of confrontation by die-hard smugglers or Customs men who chose to look the other way after compromising their positions for smugglers to have a field day.

The film trick of textile seizures at Seme border is a tip of the iceberg as assorted clothings are brought into Alaba market on a daily basis.

This development may have contributed adversely to the massive loss of job that has hit the nation’s once vibrant textile industry.

Over 90 per cent of the membership of the National Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring Workers (NUTGW) have been lost to the menace of smuggling and the textile industry is close to dying in Nigeria.

The 100 road blocks by Federal Operations Units Zone A (South West) Customs has not helped as prohibited clothing flood our markets.

Textile merchants besiege Alaba Rago daily to take delivery of consignments of different types of clothing.

Ironically, it is noted for being one of the most viable border stations in Nigeria with a high revenue generation profile and increasing volume of seizures, other things that happen behind the scene leave much to be desired.

From the large-scale concealment in trucks purportedly laden with dutiable goods to the fleet of vehicles under prohibition and smuggled items that come in under the cover of darkness, Seme border is indeed a place to watch, if the economy of the nation must be protected.

An instance is the effect of rice smuggling on the Nigerian economy. Local rice merchants, under the aegis of Rice Millers, Importers and Distributors of Nigeria (RMIDN) have often expressed displeasure over the upsurge in the smuggling of rice into Nigeria through Cotonou, Republic of Benin.

According to RMIDN, Nigeria has lost an estimated N50 billion as a result of rice smuggling.

Most Indian and Thailand rice that are imported into Cotonou find their way to Nigeria illegally with Seme border serving as gateway to the highest degree of these illicit imports.

Some Nigerian dealers on the product aver that about 5000,000 metric tones of rice are smuggled into the country through Benin annually. This trend is frustrating to Nigerians who have invested massively in rice production and legitimate importation through approved seaports after paying appropriate duty charges into government coffers.

Local production of this grain will remain imperiled except a closer tab is placed on Seme border and other possible areas of leakage as stakeholders in the genuine rice business now see that entry point is their major threat.

A source close to the borders, who prefers anonymity, told The Tide that the government has however not shown commitment in its resolve to make its policy on rice work.

He explained that price differential between imported rice smuggled into Nigeria through Cotonou and the ones that come through the approved Nigerian seaports are as high as N2,000. He argued that the need for the government to review Nigerian port charges to make them competitive with the Cotonou port has become imperative.

This price differential has not helped the government’s purported drive to stop smuggling. The much talked about Common External Tariff (CET) has also not been able to address this trend.

Smugglers and buyers rendezvous for rice coming through Seme are the Alaba-Rago Market, Iyana –Era, Iyana-Iba, all located on the Lagos –Badagry expressway and other parts of the country.

The volume of poultry products through the border is no doubt far from abating. Whereas, the command attempts to destroy seized poultry products particularly frozen chicken and turkeys, a glaring fact remains that these poultry products flood our local markets having found their way from Cotonou to Lagos.

The retaining of the poultry products to direct consumers start from Seme to every other part of Lagos. Some smugglers break their bulk at the borders while others ship them as far as Port-Harcourt and the entire South Eastern states.

At Mazamaza, a popular inter-state motor park for South East bound luxury buses, there are buses waiting to ship as much as 6000 cartons of poultry products to Port Harcourt, Aba, Owerri enroute the South East.

The Tide finding can authoritatively reveal that a consignment of about 600 cartons of poultry products shipped in a bus could belong to about 2 to 3 persons. Over six of these big buses leave Lagos for various destinations on daily basis.

Some turkey and chicken laden buses also do transporting in textile materials, used tyres that come in through the connivance of some officials of the Customs Services.

Some of these contraband laden buses get seized while in transit out of Lagos by men of the Federal Operation Units of the Customs. These seizures have often times been paraded by Comptroller Victor Dimka, the F.O.U Zone A. comptroller.

Along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, precisely at two points-Gbaji and Agbara, Customs officials manned check points and collect various sums from smugglers before allowing their goods in. These checkpoints are jointly mounted by the resident officers of Seme border Customs and Federal Operation Unit.

It therefore, becomes ironical when goods for which “settlement” was paid to Customs at the Seme Border, Gbaji Bridge and Agbara get seized by F.O.U.

Aside the issue of compromise on the part of the Customs, there is also the factor of negligence due to the lack of Customs presence in places like Fara Seme and Ponraele. Fara –Seme, a border town is dreaded by government agencies. This has resulted to the place becoming a route for unfettered smuggling activities.

Ponraele, from our investigation, is a rendezvous for dare –devil smugglers that may resolve to confront Customs forces, should there be an attempt by the Customs to stop their operations. It is in fact a storage point for large-scale consignment before they are shipped into the country at night or concealed with dutiable items by day after “settlement”.

Operatives of the Customs avoid going close to Ponraele for the purpose of performing the enforcement functions except those who go to indulge with the smugglers for the purpose of mapping out strategies and taking of hard drugs like Indian hemp.

Outside of these functions, the Seme command of Nigerian Customs Service tends to have enshrined in its duties other acts that are anti-people and other vices capable of devastating the economy which they are established to uplift.

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Eazipay  Offers Zero-Interest Loans To  150,000 SMEs, Employees

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With a mission to ignite growth, encourage business continuity and help businesses and employees thrive, Eazipay is gearing up to propel the dreams of 150,000 SMEs and employees to new heights through her relief fund.
Gone are the days of financial constraints and stifled dreams. With Eazipay’s support, SMEs and employees alike can bid farewell to limitations and embrace a world of endless possibilities.
Whether it’s start up,  business expansion or personal development, Eazipay is here to make dreams come true.
The mind-blowing initiative, which  kicked off this month, would end in December, and will also offer a range of perks and benefits designed to put a smile on the faces of SMEs and employees alike.
From exclusive discounts to various advisory services and beyond, Eazipay is committed to spreading happiness and creating lasting impact in people’s lives and to the growth of businesses.
The technology company which offers products and services that range from payroll management to IT/Device management and assessments, “Eazipay isn’t just providing financial support but also unleashing a wave of growth and prosperity for SMEs and employees across the nation.
“Interested businesses and individuals can take part in this initiative directly from the Eazipay website: www.myeazipay.com”.

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SMEs Critical For Sustainable Dev – Commissioner

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The Commissioner of Finance, Lagos State, Abayomi Oluyomi, has described Small and medium Enterprises (SMEs) as a critical engine for sustainable development in any economy.
He said this recently at the 10th anniversary of the Alert Group Microfinance Bank and the opening of their new head office in Lagos.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, SMEs accounted for about 50 per cent of Nigeria’s gross.
He commended the positive impact of the Alert MFB as it empowers SMEs in the State.
“Alert MFB in the past 10 years has been at the forefront of empowering SMEs in Lagos State, disbursing over N30bn in loans to over 30,000 individuals having small to medium businesses over that period, which is quite remarkable”, he said.
Speaking, the Group Managing Director of Alert Group, Dr Kazeem Olanrewaju, revealed that the financial institution commenced business in 2013 as a microfinance bank.
“We started this journey in 2013 and it has been expanding. Today, they have about 10 branches across Lagos. They have supported well over 30,000 clients and have disbursed over N30bn.
“The company has been profitable since the second year. Looking at the market and the available opportunity, the Alert MFB board decided to come together to establish a Microfinance Institute (MFI), which is the Auto Bucks Lenders”, Dr. Olanrewaju said.
The GMD further stated that the company was focused more on supporting businesses and small and medium enterprises.
“The loan to support business represents over 98 per cent. The consumer loans you will see are the ones given to entrepreneurs. So, the area of focus of Alert MFB and Auto Bucks Lenders is to support businesses across the country.
“With the establishment of Auto Bucks Lenders, we have the opportunity to also do business outside Lagos. So, presently, we have offices in Ogun State and Oyo State. We intend to go to every part of Nigeria to support what we are doing”, he declared.

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Retailers Explain Price Drop In  Cement Cost

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The cement market, in the last couple of weeks, has seen a significant turnaround with prices tumbling from between N10,000 and N15,000 per 50kg bag to between N7,000 and N8,000.
The sudden rise in the prices of cement and other major building materials in February this year upsets  the construction industry, especially in real estate, where many developers were forced to abandon building sites.
A recent market survey conducted by The Tide’s source in different locations across the country confirmed a price drop, ranging between N7,000 and N7,500 per bag, though BUA cement is selling for N7,500 to N7,800 per 50kg bag, depending on location.
Both entrepreneurs and major distributors who were interviewed,  explained that the price drop is due to low demand and government’s intervention.
At the peak of the price hike, the Federal Government called a meeting with major producers where it was agreed that a bag of cement should be between for N7,000 to N8,000, depending on location.
But the producers did not comply with this agreement immediately, followin which “Nigerians stopped demanding for cement; many project sites were abandoned as developers sat back and waited for the prices to come down.
“So, what has happened is an inter-play of demand and supply with price responding, which is Economics at work”, Collins Okpala, a cement dealer, told the source in Abuja.
In the Nyanya area of the Federal Capital Territory, a 50-kg bag of Dangote cement now sells for between N7,000 and N7,500, while BUA cement sells for between N8,500 and N9,500, down from between N11,000 and N12,000 respectively.
In Lagos, the product has seen significant price drop too. In Ojo area of the state, Sebastin Ovie, a dealer, told our reporter that what has happened is a crash from the January price, attributing the crash to low demand and stronger naira.
“The current price of the product is between N7,000 and N7,500 per 50kg bag, depending on the brand. This is a significant drop from the average of N12,000 which most dealers were selling in February and March”, he said.
A dealer in Agege area of the state who identified himself as Taofik Olateju, told the source that sales are picking up due to the drop in price.
He recalled that Nigerians at a point stopped buying due to the high price of the product at N15,000 per bag.
“I am sure most dealers ran at a loss then because we had mainly old stocks which we wanted to offload quickly”, he said, confirming that the product sells for between N7,500 and N8,000, depending on the brand and the demand for the brand.
Continuing, Olateju noted that “because the naira is now doing well against the dollar, it will be unreasonable for manufacturers to continue to sell the product at the old prices. I also believe that the federal government’s intervention and the threat to license more importers may have worked, leading to the reduction in price”.
In Enugu, the source reports that the product sells for between N7,200 and N7,500 depending on the brand and location.
“This is a city where the price of a 50kg bag went for as high as N12,000 and N13,000 in some cases in February and March”, Samuel Chikwendu said.
He added that the prices of other building materials, especially iron rods, have also dropped considerably which is why, he said, activities are picking up again at construction sites.
The story is slightly different in Owerri, the capital of Imo State, where Innocent Okonkwo told the source that low demand was also driving the price drop, adding that a 50kg bag was selling for N9,000 on the average in the state.
Sundry market observers are optimistic of further price reductions, but they remain cautious as manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers continue to play critical roles in setting prices for end-users.
They lamented, however, that despite Nigeria’s status as one of the largest producers of cement in Africa, the price of the product continues to rise, particularly in the face of high inflation impacting the building materials market generally.
Okpala in Abuja highlighted the variations arising from direct sourcing from manufacturers versus procurement through dealers, with traders holding old stocks selling products at prices ranging from N8,500, N8,300 to N8,000 per bag.
Lucy Nwachukwu, another dealer in Abuja, said the significance of  procurement volume in determining cement costs, noting that stability in prices has been observed over the past month, with the product retailing for between N7,000 and N7,800 depending on the brand.
In Port Harcourt also, a customer, Daniel Etteobong Effiong, said the price goes between N7500 to N8500, depending on the brand and the location one is buying from.

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