The General overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has revealed how he would like to die.

The cleric who disclosed this at the ongoing annual Holy Ghost Congress of the church on Thursday in Ogun State, said he wanted a death similar to one of his uncles.

He said, “I know somebody will say if we are never sick, how are we going to die and go to heaven? You don’t need to be sick to go to heaven.

“An uncle of mine woke up on a thanksgiving Sunday, went to Church, danced like everybody else, came home and his wife gave him a light breakfast before preparing the original food which was pounded yam. She was already pounding the yam when my uncle decided to go to the toilet.

“After she finished pounding, she knocked at the door of the toilet, when they opened the door, my uncle was gone; no sickness, no ache, no pain. If the Lord tarries His coming, I will go on a Sunday after a good meal of pounded yam.”

The Federal Government has removed VAT and customs duty payments from cooking gas imports. This is according to a letter written to several government agencies.  

The Cable reports that the federal government has decided to waive customs duty and value-added tax (VAT) on the importation of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) also known as cooking gas and its associated equipment. This action aims to bring down the cost of cooking gas across the country. 

The Ministry of Finance conveyed this decision in a letter dated November 28, 2023, addressed to several officials including the Special Adviser to the President on Energy, the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), and the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS). Wale Edun, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, signed the letter. 

A part of the letter read: 

• “In line with His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to improving the investment climate in Nigeria, increasing the supply of LPG to meet local demand, reducing market prices and promoting clean cooking practices, I hereby affirm Presidential directive dated July 29, 2022, with reference number PRES/88/MPR/99,” the letter reads. 
• “Accordingly, the importation of LPG utilizing HS Codes 2711.12.00.00, 2711.13.00.00 and 2711.19.00.00 is exempt from Import Duty and Value-Added Tax. Consequently, the Importation of LPG shall incur a 0% duty rate and 0% VAT rate, effective immediately.” 

According to the Cable, the ministry also directed the Nigerian Customs Service to comply with the presidential directive, dated July 29, 2022, and withdraw all debit notes issued to petroleum marketers who have imported LPG “using codes 2711.1.2.00.00 and 2711.13.00.00 from August 26, 2019, to the present date”.  

Other items exempted from VAT and duty payment are LPG cylinders, LPG cascades, gas leak detectors, steel pipes, steel valves and fittings, LPG dispensers, gas generators, and LPG trucks, among others. 

Prior to the letter issuance 

Recall that two weeks ago, Ekperikpe Ekpo, the Minister for Petroleum Resources (Gas) conveyed President Bola Tinubu’s worries about how much more expensive cooking gas has become and how this is making life tough for most people. 

He pointed out that Nigeria has a lot of gas, but it’s not right that some big companies prefer to sell it overseas instead of making sure there is enough supply for the domestic market. 

He emphasized that the government needs to step in because the prices of cooking gas are shooting up like crazy, and dealing with bringing it in and sending it out is a big challenge. 

To fix things up, the minister put together a team. Their job is to figure out, in just a week, how to get more cooking gas to Nigerians and make it cheaper.  

Note that in Abuja, people were paying around N11,800 on average to refill their 12.5kg gas cylinders as of December 8. 

When it comes to the cooking gas we use in the country, 40% comes from the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited, but the other 60% is brought in from other countries. 

The price of this gas is connected to how much the Naira is worth compared to the Dollar. So, if the Naira gets weaker against the Dollar, the price of cooking gas goes up. Right now, on the black market, the exchange rate is N1200 for a single dollar as of December 9. 

[Nairametrics]

Stagnant wages, the inability of a majority of Nigerians to meet their basic needs due to rising inflation and low purchasing power may imperil the economic agenda of President Bola Tinubu.

With household spending rising on a daily basis, more Nigerians are dropping the quality of standard of living in a bid to cope with the current harsh economic reality, LEADERSHIP Sunday learnt.

Since coming into office, the Tinubu government has removed the subsidy on Petroleum Motor Spirit, further worsening the inflation crisis and has also devalued the Naira, making imported goods more expensive.

The government has however left the minimum wage frozen at about N30,000 a month and only choosing to provide a wage award of N35,000 across board to all civil servants for a period of six months.

No agreement has been reached with labour unions on a new minimum wage making it unlikely that an agreed wage increase could come into effect immediately after the first quarter of 2024.

To assess the impact of stagnant wages and a decrease in the purchasing power of Nigerians, LEADERSHIP Sunday spoke with the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, the Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN), a clearing agent and a former economic adviser to former President Muhammadu Buhari.

And while the government is faced with the twin evils of high inflation and a weakening economy, a number of economists are of the view that Tinubu should seek to stimulate growth, create employment and tolerate some level of inflation.

The major spending affected by decisions of people are food, house rent, subscription, clothing, among others. People resort to cutting down on household spending as inflation is eroding their savings, making the money they had on them worthless.

Already, the latest data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has indicated that Nigerians spent N61.08 trillion on food and other household items and services in the first six months of 2023, which is a 2.85 per cent increase from the N59.39 trillion that was spent in the corresponding period of 2022 at the current purchasers’ value.

Household consumption continues to account for the largest share of the country’s Gross Domestic Product, the NBS stated in its ‘Nigerian Gross Domestic Product Report (Expenditure and Income Approach): Q1, Q2.

It said: “Household Consumption Expenditure, in Q1 and Q2 of 2023 grew by -24.95 per cent and 3.30 per cent in real terms, year-on-year. The growth rates in Q1 and Q2 of 2023 were lower than the rates recorded in Q1 of 2022 and higher than Q2 of 2022.

“Household Consumption accounted for the largest share of real Gross Domestic Product at market prices, representing 57.18 per cent and 64.05 per cent in Q1 and Q2 of 2023 respectively, compared to 78.02 per cent and 63.65 per cent in the corresponding quarters of 2022.”

Household consumption expenditure consists of expenditure, including imputed expenditure, incurred by resident households on individual consumption goods and services, NBS stressed.

In October 2023, the headline inflation rate, according to NBS, increased to 27.33 per cent relative to the September 2023 headline inflation rate which was 26.72 per cent.

Food inflation rate in October 2023 was 31.52 per cent on a year-on-year basis, which was 7.80 per cent points higher compared to the rate recorded in October 2022 (23.72 per cent).

The rise in food inflation on a year-on-year basis was caused by increases in prices of bread and cereals, oil and fat, potatoes, yam and other tubers; fish, Fruit, meat, vegetables as well as milk, cheese and eggs.

Similarly, the situation is forcing more citizens in the country to live in rural areas, slums, and makeshift camps due to inability to afford the cost of rent payment in most urban centres across the country.

Specifically, inflation has triggered a rise in the price of building materials, making projects to be delayed and, in other cases, stalled. Developers have also reduced their portfolios, as purchasing powers of Nigerians continue to decrease for them to stay afloat.

Similarly, rents have increased by between 75 per cent in densely populated cities like Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt, where the hike has risen to about 50 per cent in certain locations in the last three years. For example, a duplex of four-bedrooms that was let out for N4 million to N4.5m is now going for between N6 million and N7 million yearly.

And with the Yuletide approaching, the situation is further compounded with expectation of a rise in the prices of imported goods as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) adjusted the exchange rate from N783.174/$1 to N951.941/$1

LEADERSHIP Sunday gathered that the adjustment was made at the weekend by the CBN, meaning that the cost of clearing cargoes in the nation’s seaports will go up.

It could be recalled that the CBN had on June 24, 2023 adjusted the exchange rate from N422.30/$1 to N589/$1 and on July 6, 2023 it was adjusted to N770.88/$1, on November 14, 2023, it was adjusted to N783.174/$1, now, adjusted to N951.941/$1

Clearing agents, however, stated that, with N194 increment, cargoes will be abandoned at the nation’s seaports while prices of goods will go up.

A lecturer in the Department of Economics, University of Jos, Dr Joshua Reti while speaking on the impact of stagnant wages on the purchasing power of Nigerians said inflation is a persistent increase of prices of goods which, if not curtailed would have a lasting negative impact on the purchasing power of the consumers, particularly when their wages are not increased.

“You’d discover that the purchasing power of the consumers whose wages are not increased is eroded completely. It is eroded in the sense that, what you used to buy at the rate of N10 will be N20. It will definitely have an adverse effect on the purchasing power,” he said.

According to him, the common man on the street, the consumers whose wages are not increased are at the receiving end, stressing that it would really affect the purchasing power which will lead to poverty in the land.

“The major thing is the erosion of the purchasing power as long as the wages are not increased in commiseration with the increase of the prices of goods and services,” he declared

A clearing agent, Comrade Onome Monije, told LEADERSHIP Sunday that freight forwarders and importers would have a bleak Christmas.

However, maritime experts have argued that the new customs exchange rate effectively means there would be an increase in import duty payable by clearing agents to the Customs Service and would overall, affect price of goods at the market.

Meanwhile, an economist, Mr Tunde Oyediran stated that, “the increasing cost of food in Nigeria has significantly affected the living standards of ordinary citizens. It has become a serious cause for concern. The real income of the average income earner has been falling consistently. This implies that people can now afford fewer baskets of commodities for their livelihood and sustenance.”

He noted that, food has gone up in price including bread, cereals, potatoes, yam and other tubers, meat, fish, fruits, oils and fats and vegetables, saying average Nigerians consume these items daily, particularly bread. Oyediran said, inflation is perhaps the biggest poverty accelerator in the economy due to its weakening effect on people’s purchasing power.

On its part, the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) said it is concerned about the continued uptick in inflation (year-on-year) and its impact on consumers’ spending and manufacturing productivity in the country.

“As a result, we anticipate economic policymakers to give priority to inflation as well as businesses in the short term to implement a variety of cost reduction strategies, including downsizing and local sourcing of input factors as they bid to lower operating expenses. Also, households must consider the costs/ prices of items when catering to their immediate needs,” the chamber said.

In taming down inflation, the director-general of LCCI, Dr Chinyere Almona said, the government should focus its efforts on boosting supply rather than a decline in demand.

She stated that, “we implore the government to address the challenges inhibiting domestic production and ease the bottlenecks to the distribution of goods within the country. Further, we urge the government to continue to address the problems of insecurity and other factors affecting agriculture productivity in the country to improve food supply.”

She also urged the CBN to improve the flow of credit to the real economy.

Director-general of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Segun Ajayi-Kadir stated that, “as you would expect, the current inflationary condition in Nigeria is adversely affecting the operation of the manufacturing sector, just like most other sectors of the economy. Some of the impacts of the rise in inflation on manufacturing include increase in cost of production, reduced profit margin, supply chain disruptions, uncertainty in planning, and reduction of consumer spending.”

According to Ajayi-Kadir, elevated inflation serves as a significant sign of underlying macroeconomic weaknesses, and neglecting to tackle the underlying causes will exacerbate constraints on economic expansion and elevate the unemployment rate within the country.

“It is important to note that addressing inflation is a complex and long-term endeavor that requires a coordinated effort from various stakeholders, including the government, central bank, private sector, and civil society,” he said.

He called on the government to strive towards a stable exchange rate which is crucial to controlling inflation; employment of collaborative fiscal policy measure through budgeting and effective taxation to complement the monetary policy actions taken by CBN; increased targeted support to the agricultural sector to enhance productivity, reduce reliance on imports and stabilize food prices; and formulation of policies that promote a stable and conducive business environment which can attract both local and foreign investments, leading to increased production, job creation, and ultimately, stability in prices.

Moreover, the director, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and the Singapore Business Federation (SBF) Centre for African Studies, Nanyang Business School, Mr Amit Jain, has sounded a note of warning that over 35 million Nigerians are likely to fall into the poverty bracket except the federal government urgently checkmates the high inflation rate, remove trade barriers and provide critical infrastructure for economic growth and development.

Jain stated this at the public presentation of a 10-year roadmap for Nigeria by NTU-SBF Centre for African Studies in partnership with Tolaram and NTU, Singapore in Lagos.

According to him, since 2015, poverty has been on the high side as more Nigerians are slipping into poverty than climbing out of it, advising that, unless something is done urgently, Nigeria might not be able to address the problem of extreme poverty for 35 million people by 2025.

“We have looked at some of the causes of this extreme poverty endemic in Nigeria which include inflation, population growth and climate change essentially explains why it remains so endemic. One of the best ways to address extreme poverty is to curb inflation, reduce trade barriers for many people to get job opportunities, educate the populace and improve their health to become a lot more productive,” he said.

He pointed out that Nigeria needs to take proactive steps to put the country on the path of growth and reduce its inflation rate, adding that Nigeria must revamp crude oil production very quickly to create the fiscal room that Nigeria needs.

He stated that the country, in the next two years, must focus on economic stabilisation, structural reforms to revive growth, prioritise investment in health, education and social protection and avert negative Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth to arrest poverty.

He added that within the next five years, Nigeria should prioritise reviving growth, enhancing investment climate, improving business confidence, targeting four per cent GDP growth rate and reviving employment.

Also speaking, a Nigerian Economist, Dr Adedoyin Salami, who was the chief economic adviser to former President Muhammadu Buhari, said Nigeria needs to consider how she begins to lay in the short term the foundation for middle term via re-establishing economic stabilisation over the next 12 months.

Salami stressed that education is where the country’s biggest investment must lie.

“The country’s future prosperity is also dependent on her ability to build and sustain an agro economy which education can help achieve. If education is sorted, the speed at which our population is growing would come down and we can be more balanced to pursue the skill and enlightenment the country needs to grow,” he said.

Similarly, the chairman, Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN), South West, Debo Adejana, said all the rents were reviewed last year in city centres, as rent cannot be separated from the economy.

“What we’re experiencing is a reaction to inflation in the system. Every property given out for rent is largely an investment property for the owner and returns are expected. As prices of goods continue to jump, landlords would demand higher rent.”

He said fewer properties were completed in the past three years, which indicates that property stock fell within the period, as production has not caught up with demand due to increased population. Adejana pointed out some tenants have also moved out of city centres to the outskirts or fringes owing to rent increases.

Taiwo Josu, a young lady in her 20s, strapped a school bag on her back; another of such bag was fastened on her chest, while a sack sat on her head. She appeared like someone set for the space, as she walked slowly under the heavy weight of what she carried this sweltering afternoon.

Josu was walking into Benin Republic from the Nigeria-Seme Border corridor through one of the illegal bush paths with Gandonou, an energetic 35-year-old young man whose family’s livelihood depends on petrol smuggling.

Unlike Josu, Gandonou hardly spends an entire night at home with his wife and kids. He often sneaks through the bush on his moped and illegally crosses over into Nigeria, where he fills jerry cans with fuel. He then returns home the same night. In the daytime, his wife, Ajuwa, sells the fuel to moped riders and car drivers on the roadside of the Cotonou-Port-Novo expressway.

The movement of these partners in crime betrayed the impression of Nigerians that the removal of fuel subsidy would lead to non-smuggling of petrol to neighbouring countries. It wouldn’t take long to encounter petroleum smugglers.

Recall that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, during his inaugural speech on May 29, 2023, had said without missing words, “the era of fuel subsidy is gone.”

Before then, to some Nigerians and stakeholders, subsidising of petroleum products not only has huge negative implication for the country’s revenue and spending on critical infrastructure, but also gave room for smuggling of the product across Nigerian borders.

Along the border, petrol smuggling is a big business that involves natives of both Nigeria and Benin. Despite the subsidy, it is continuing at an insignificantly reduced scale.

In the wide swathes of dense jungles and shrubs of the borders with this French-speaking country, there are hundreds of smuggling routes, some known to Customs officers, others newly invented, used by smuggling gangs from Seme in Lagos, to Kishi in Oyo State, and Ipokia in Ogun State, even up North.

The vast topography and extensive landscape for operation makes it easier for this illegal trade, which has negatively impacted the relationship between the two countries, flourish. In fact, at a time, the border between these ECOWAS members was closed for months.

Though Gandonou acknowledges that this illegal business has become more difficult, as petrol is no longer easily available on the other side of the border, he still goes home with at least 100 litres.

With Josu, they used to smuggle above 500 litres daily, now they consider it good business to get 150 litres.
In Nigeria, it is believed that smuggling of petrol to neighbouring countries led to the country’s daily petrol consumption to soar high, making it spend more in the attempt to subsidise the product for Nigerians comfort.

Sometime, earlier in the year, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, disclosed that, in 2022, more than N4trillion went into paying subsidy on petrol.

But months after the president removed subsidy on petrol, the product is still being smuggled into countries like Benin Republic, just as Nigeria’s daily petrol consumption has also dropped.

The Guardian was at Badagry, Seme and Benin Republic, and it is still business as usual, as smugglers had not backed out, operating across the borders 24 hours of the day.

A testament to this was the recent explosion accident in Seme Podji corridor of Benin Republic, in September 2023, where not less than 34 persons reportedly died while over 20 who survived had varied severe burns. The incident, it was reported, occurred at a warehouse where smuggled petrol from Nigeria is purchased by Beninese.

One of the checkpoints on the badagry-Seme Road

Investigations by The Guardian revealed that despite the removal of subsidy that has tripled the price of petrol in Nigeria, there is still market for smuggled petrol from Nigeria to Benin Republic because the official price of a litre of petrol in Benin Republic is still higher compared to the price in Nigeria.

Findings revealed that smuggled petrol from Nigeria sold in black market is cheaper compared to the official price of a litre of petrol in Benin Republic. While the official price for a litre of petrol is 800CFA, the black market price was between 550CFA and 650CFA, when The Guardian visited Benin republic.

During the visit, in Badagry, a litre of petrol was being sold for between N640 and N650 at most filling stations. But in Benin Republic, a litre was being sold for 550 to 800 CFA, which when converted into naira translate to between N1000 to N1400.

Some Nigerians had commended Tinubu for removing subsidy in spite of the biting effect of the policy on the average citizens. To these Nigerians, the removal of subsidy is why there is a huge difference in the figure of daily petrol consumption pre and post subsidy removal in Nigeria.

Before subsidy was removed, Nigeria’s average daily petrol consumption was said to be averagely 66 million litres daily, but after the removal of fuel subsidy in late May 2023, the daily petrol consumption in Nigeria, is said, to have dropped by 18 million litres daily.

But the drop in the country’s daily petrol consumption from The Guardian findings is actually not as a result of a stop in smuggling of the product, as men, women and children still ferry petrol from Badagry to Seme, while majorly men complete the job of getting the product into Benin Republic. There are more women who move the product from Badagry to the Seme border post corridor.

At Badagry, the petrol stations dispensing fuel had mostly women armed with all forms of containers and cellophane bags that they use in bagging and repackaging the petrol for onward movement to Seme and then its final destination, Benin Republic.

Disused water bottles of different sizes, gallons of varied shapes and bulks were used to buy and ferry the product. Some of the smugglers after buying the petrol in bottles or nylon; thereafter, package them in sacks of different shapes and sizes as well as bags of varied sizes.

It was learnt that those who package the petrol in small bottles and nylon did that not to fall prey to the Nigeria Customs officials and other security agencies to reduce the bribe that would be given to security personnel.

Some of the smugglers, who are more daring and have agreement with security personnel, it was gathered, are those who move their products in 50-litre gallons.

They put them on motorcycles and cars, which then helped to convey the product from Badagry to Seme enroute Benin Republic. The more daring smugglers also move petrol in jerry-cans through boats.
Investigation revealed that many of these smugglers, especially those who move the product in big jerry-cans, often had an understanding with the personnel of security agencies, who overlook their activities, but take count of the number of time they move the product across the checkpoints.

However, there are those who operate on the pay as you go basis. It was learnt that those who operate on this basis are the small smugglers who moved their petrol in bottles, small sacks, bags and nylons.

There are also smugglers including commercial bus drivers who move the product across border or to Seme by expanding their vehicles’ fuel tank capacity to at least a triple of its size or create additional fuel tank within the vehicle.

Many of these smugglers, who move the petrol in nylon, bags and bottles, sourced their goods, mainly in Badagry, especially Badagry Roundabout corridor.

Also, many of the filling stations seem readily available to serve majorly smugglers who are ready to buy at above the normal pump prices. A number of the petrol stations that were dispensing fuel that was visited by The Guardian, especially those cashing in on the smuggling market, were selling a litre of petrol for between N640 to N650.

This is aside the tips the petrol attendants get from these smugglers. Those who were selling at the average market price of N600 were not dispensing fuel to those buying in gallons, bottles or nylon. And in such filling stations, there are usually long queues of vehicles waiting to buy fuel. However, there was just one or two of such petrol stations on that corridor.

But many residents, especially those in Seme are not happy with the development, saying smuggling activities make them pay more for fuel. On the Nigeria side of the Seme border, a litre of fuel goes for between N800 and N900.

It was observed that despite the good number of petrol stations around the Seme border corridor, they were not dispensing fuel. Many of the filling stations appeared abandoned and dilapidated.

It was gathered that many of them became non-functional, when as a result of smuggling activities; the Federal Government in 2019 stopped the supply of fuel to communities within 20 kilometre to the border.

Sharing her experience, Dorcas Hunja, said that many of the filling stations within the Seme border do not dispense fuel, as a result, the residents either buy from black market that comes at a higher price or go to Badagry that comes with pain and additional cost, which eventually amount to a higher price too and almost the same cost with the black market price.

She said: “To buy petrol from those selling in gallon and bottles within our neighbourhood in Seme, it is between N800 and N900 currently. If you are not willing to buy from them probably because of the price, the option is to go to Badagry, which comes with security agencies treating you as a smuggler, especially if you carry more than five litres of petrol. And when you consider going to buy five litres of fuel in Badagry, yet a return trip fare for Seme-Badagry is between N1000 and N1400. With that, whatever gain that is enjoined from buying the petrol at even N600 is eroded by the transport fare. So, many residents in Seme just buy from the black market.”

She, therefore, pleaded with government to devise a strategy that would help Seme border residents to have access to petrol at the official price, noting that the illegal routes around the border post should have been where the security agencies should mount the multiple security checkpoints and not access road to the border post.

Also, a resident of Badagry, Peter Dosu, claimed that smuggling activities is why residents pay a little more for a litre compared to what the product is sold in the city.

He said that residents of Badagry usually pay at least N50 more for every litre of fuel bought at filling stations owing to smuggling activities. He added that most filling stations selling at N600 usually have long queue of vehicles waiting to buy, which then means spending more time buying the product, with the option being going to petrol stations with higher rate but with no queue.

Of note is that, despite the multiplicity of the security checkpoints that dot the Badagry-Seme corridor, especially from Badagry roundabout, many are still moving the product across the checkpoints and borders once the right fee is paid. This is aside those who smuggle petrol through the waterways.

What many of the smugglers are often apprehensive of is what to pay so that it does not erode the profit to be made at the end of their ‘business’ and not about whether the product would be seized most times.

At each of the checkpoints manned by the police, customs, and the army, as well as other security agencies, if the officers are not collecting bribe from the smugglers directly, they had locals who manned the checkpoints on their behalf, though these security personnel usually sit within the checkpoint corridor monitoring the operations and the returns.

It was observed that in most instances that the security officers or their proxies check a vehicle, it was to survey the volume of product carried, as it determines what would be charged and paid to allow for onward movement.

It was also observed that some of the commercial drivers demand a higher fare from passengers carrying petrol above five litres. In such case, the driver is expected to pave the way across the checkpoints for the passenger and the content by paying the officers of the security agencies at each of the checkpoints. In instances the commercial vehicle driver does not charge extra fare, it is the smuggler that would sort himself or herself out at each of the checkpoints.

A driver, simply identified as Chukwuemeka, said that he does not pick passengers ferrying petrol because the stoppage time at each of the many checkpoints by security agencies often lead to time wasting.
“If the security agencies’ officials know you don’t move petrol or convey smugglers ferrying fuel, once you get to each checkpoint, the officers or their boys allow you to drive pass without delay, but that is not the case if they know you aid those smuggling petrol regularly.”

He revealed that he used to move passengers smuggling petrol, but he stopped because after paying at each of the multiple checkpoints, he noticed that he always suffered losses.

According to him, though he usually charge the passengers smuggling petrol extra, but on many occasions, what he charged extra is wasted in paying the security officers mounting the multiple checkpoints, while at other times, he even spent more than the extra he had charged.
“So, I felt it was not profitable. Despite I will not make extra money by carrying these smugglers, I will still spend longer time on the journey because sometimes we spend time hassling with the security officers who want more and this leads to argument and negotiation.”

Also, in the business of helping to move petrol in vehicles and motorcycles from Badagry to Seme, and sometimes, across the border are security officers, while some others actively participate in smuggling the product themselves for personal economic gains.
It was, however, observed that men mostly smuggle the products into Benin Republic on motorcycles, vehicles and cart, while women move the product on their head or strapped on their backs or chests as they walk into Benin Republic.

It seems the hurdle is usually getting the product to Seme, crossing the product to Benin Republic, thereafter, does not pose much difficulty. This could be because of the many illegal routes available between Nigeria and Benin Republic.
Nigeria’s porous border is said to span over 17,000 kilometres, with the Border Communities Development Agency saying that there are over 2000 border communities in 21 states across Nigeria. Efforts to use technology to monitor the border, especially the porous routes, led to the Federal Executive Council approving a N52 billion contract to purchase e-border surveillance systems in 2019.

There are layers of security officers mounting checkpoints between Badagry and Seme, but that is not the case with many of the illegal border points, including those sharing fence with the border post. Although there are checkpoints at the illegal routes, but not the high number available around the Badagry-Seme road.

It was learnt that, occasionally, custom officers raid the illegal routes corridor to confiscate goods and petrol.
Despite the pains that sometimes come with smuggling petrol why does she continue to engage in the illegality, a woman, who simply gave her name as Ratsiki, said that she has been in the business for about five years and she is enjoying it. She claimed she makes a better living engaging in smuggling than doing any other business.

“If I am lucky, I can make N10,000 on a trip smuggling petrol. Which business will I do that will give me that much. Yes, there are times when I have lost my product to customs or security agencies, but it has not deterred me from continuing the ‘business’.”

Speaking on how smuggling activities negatively affect residents of border communities, Mr. Francis Solomon, who worked in Owode-apa for many years, but now lives in Badagry town, noted that from Gbaji to Owode-apa, there is no single filling station. With that, all residents are expected to come to Badagry to buy fuel.

“The most pathetic part of the story is that many residents of border communities have to travel down to Badagry Township before they can get a litre of fuel and when returning, they pass through the rigour of security checkpoints. It makes life seriously unbearable for them.

“Whatever reason you need fuel for, you go through harassment. And it is why things are expensive in these border communities. Transport fare is triple the amount it ought to be, coupled with bad road. The activities of the smugglers are a huge problem to residents because the oil marketers, especially those within the Badagry Roundabout axis give preference to smugglers. It is the smugglers that buy their product off most times, once they are supplied. Generally, it has been a difficult experience.”

Solomon added that the smugglers have access to petrol than the residents, as some of the filling stations only attend to residents’ petrol need after satisfying the smugglers’ request.

Providing insight into the activities of smugglers and corroborating The Guardian findings, he said: “In Owode-apa, there are bush paths that link Benin Republic. It is through these routes that the smugglers take petrol out of Nigeria. We have those who use kegs, they will fill the kegs and they move in the night, while there are those who have worked on their car tanks. You can see a fine jeep with tinted glasses and you think it is a Very Important Person (VIP) or government officials that is in the car, the person is a smuggler. You may not even know, but the underneath tank of the vehicle has been enlarged.

“The motorcyclists carry one to two kegs across. We have women who do not use vehicles or bikes; they pack their fuel in sack and bags and transport them to Benin Republic. They are packaged in such a way that you may not even know it is fuel that is in sack, nylon or bags. It has been harrowing experience for residents. Those us of that are consumers cannot easily drive in to buy, the smugglers have condoned off those places in collaboration with attendant and station managers.”

Solomon insisted that security officers are complicit, because if they are doing their job, there would be no room for smuggling in the scale that it is being carried out. “All the checkpoints, in every 10-metre, are there just for them to collect their own share. The law enforcement agents are there for personal gains. There is no seizure except if it is of a high scale to make name and pretend as if they are working. With the number of checkpoints, smugglers should not be passing, but once you settle, you are allowed to pass,” Solomon said.

When The Guardian contacted the spokesperson of the Customs in Seme, after getting a brief on the findings, he promised to get back but has not done so as at press time.

[Guardian]