Lawmaker Raises Fear Of Coronavirus Spread Through Imported ‘Okrika’ From Onne Port
LAGOS MARCH 5TH (NEWSRANGERS)-The lawmaker representing Osun East Senatorial District at the Senate, Francis Adenigba Fadahunsi, has raised the alarm that second-hand clothes – popularly known as Okrika – from China were being brought into the country through the Onne Port in Rivers State.
Fadahunsi, who is the vice-chairman, Senate Committee on Customs, said the clothes may worsen the Coronavirus outbreak in the country.
Blaming alleged corruption in the Nigeria Customs Service [NCS], the lawmaker on Tuesday alleged that some unscrupulous importers were bringing contraband goods from China and other countries through the Onne Port.
He said these containers, including the ones bearing okrika, were not quarantined, adding that Coronavirus might be imported into the country through these means.
Fadahunsi said corrupt customs officers were colluding with clearing agents to under-declare the value of imported goods in order to pay lesser duties. He said this was causing the nation to lose huge resources especially at this time that the price of crude oil had dropped sharply due to the dreaded virus.
Fadahunsi, who retired from the Nigeria Customs Service as an assistant comptroller general, also said arms and ammunition could be brought in especially through Onne Port thereby worsening the insecurity in the country.
Fadahunsi said,“A lot of corrupt practices is going on in the Customs. Most of the items banned are being brought into the country especially through Onne Port. They are under-declaring to shortchange the government. Instead of getting about 25 or 30 per cent, we get like five per cent because of some greedy officers there. The Comptroller General of Customs, Col. Hammed Ali cannot should be blamed. He is the head and he has sacked the almost 50,000 workforce he met to about 15,600 still corruption has continued.
“A professional should head Customs. The way he is doing it is not giving the nation the best result and there should be no sentiment about this. The nation is losing so much revenue through this. But the most worrisome now is the unquarantined containers being brought into Nigeria from China.
“Due to the outbreak of the virus now, China does not allow anything into their country without being quarantined. Saudi Arabia has stopped people going there for lesser Hajj because of the virus nut we are bringing second-hand clothes and other items from China without being quarantined. We are playing with fire.
“All the containers we are bringing in from China are more than 20,000 in Nigeria and we have not quarantined anyone of them. In Onne Port alone there will be more than 10,000. Anywhere you see Mass Line, such containers are from China and the Far East. The concentration is Onne 2. We do not quarantine these containers with second-hand clothes worn by the Chinese whose country is the epicentre of Coronavirus.
“ The virus will be so disastrous if we allow it to come in through these okrika. The index case that came in from Italy is giving everybody a serious headache so, u can imagine how terrible such would be if we allow the deadly virus to be brought in because of greed and negligence.
“They should quarantine the containers there, open them and destroy the okrika to prevent the virus. Other contraband such as tramadol should be seized. The health situation in the world now does not allow such sharp practice.
“Instead of closing the land borders or setting up task force at the borders, the Federal Government should look at Onne Port and stop all sharp practices going on which are making the nation’s economy to bleed profusely. The Senate Committee on Customs went there recently and saw these containers and we have written our report.
“Tramadol which was banned is coming into the country through Onne Port. You cannot ban goods on the land and allow it to come in through the waters. It is easy to control goods coming in
“We are raising the alarm now and government should do something about it. There is massive corruption still going on in Customs despite what the Comptroller General of Customs Col Ali is telling us. We should look at the disaster we are importing from China through used clothes and containers that are not quarantined. I pray we don’t bringing in this Coronavirus through second-hand clothes . serious countries are working hard to secure their country but if we allow this into our country, it will be on record that we gave this warning.”
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