'GRINGORI' LEFT UNANNOUNCED

By Okey IROEGBU 

Death truely is a necessary end that will come when it shall come. The death of Fidelis Chibuike Igbokwugha  Onyealisi came at a wrong time leaving many uncompleted actions and projects which over the time have kept his friends and contemporaries always happy. His comic lifestyle that gave him the name Gringori, apologies to James Iroha who played the role of Gringori in the soap opera "The Masqurade" makes nobody who stays around him to feel any pain or depressed. It was on this note that his sudden death created a serious cold and unease around Seme border where he operates and Badagry, his residence. Apart from comic and fun, Onyealisi is known for his extreme brilliance. It could be ascertained that he did not get to the northern Nigeria before he started speaking Hausa language. According to him, he got wind of the language for the love of it through most of his friends at Badagry and Seme border. Apart from Hausa language, he was also fluent in the difficult Ogu (Egun) dialect and Yoruba. Onyealisi was kind to a fault. He would never be in where injustice, nepotism, ethnocentism and cheating thrives. He was always a gentleman and respected himself to the extent that he would prefer to die of hunger than to go cup at hand begging. He was loved by many including the principal partners in his freight forwarding profession, the Customs officers. Among the top hierarchy in the service, Onyealisi had the followings as his senior friends, DCG Tahir Musa rtd., AC Matthew Opaluwa rtd. and others. Friends and well wishers gathered on Thursday, June 27, 2024 under the auspics of Association of Igbo Maritime Practitioners in Nigeria (ASIMPIN) to give the traditional Exit Demonstration around the ECOWAS Joint Border Post. On the same Thursday at Holy Family Catholic Church, Ajara, there was a Requiem Mass for him. On Saturday, June 29, 2024, the family, colleagues, friends and Well wishers gathered at the Ezeigbo-Badagry Ofala ground to celebrate Gringori with a wake keep. He will be missed by many. The Baggage Magazine commiserates with the family and pray that he will rest in peace.

ADVERTS

BELLO-KOKO ATTRIBUTES NPA's SUCCESS TO TINUBU's IMPRESSIVE POLICIES

By Okey IROEGBU 

Mohammed Bello Koko the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) is very much excited with the developmental strides and economic policies of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR. He stated this recently when he visited the port access road where the traffic gridlock was recently cleared by the NPA. He praised the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola’s leadership and hands on approach to driving the industry.  He stated that these have attracted global applause which no doubt is responsible for the transformation of the maritime industry and massive improvement in revenue generation by the Authority. Bello-Koko noted that, despite global economic downturn that characterized the year 2023, the NPA succeeded in maintaining momentum to surpass its impressive performance of the year 2022. This is seen as part of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda as he said that sanity has since returned to the ports access roads which will be sustained to promote ease of doing business and drive exports to enhance Nigeria’s balance of trade. “The implementation of continuous performance improvement measures resulted in unprecedented revenue generation and remittances to the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) of the Federation, with revenues steadily growing from N361 billion in 2022 to N501 billion as of December 2023 and remittances increasing from N93.4 billion in 2022 to N131.2 billion by year-end 2023,” Bello-Koko said. It could be recalled that Bello-Koko was recently appointed by President Tinubu to the implementation committee of the National Single Window Project, added that “taxes paid to the Government of the Federation also grew at various times in the period under review up to $77.7 million and N17.6 billion, respectively.” He went further to say that “the foregoing, added to the strategic forecasts set to be actualized in 2024 such as the $1billion worth reconstruction of Tin Can Island Ports Complex and the comprehensive rehabilitation of Apapa, Rivers, Onne, Warri and Calabar Ports Complexes. "New Ports Developments viz; Badagry Deep Seaport, Snake Island, Burutu and Ondo Deep Seaports, the Port Community System PCS and the National Single Window amongst other initiatives for port competitiveness being aggressively implemented. "It is evident that the Nigerian Ports Authority has been positioned not only to create but sustain superior performance necessary to maximize the comparative advantages that Nigeria’s maritime endowments confer,” the NPA boss stated. Meanwhile, the Chief Operating Officer COO of Lekki Port, Laurence Smith, has charged stakeholders to work together to unlock the full potential of the Nigerian maritime industry so that Nigeria can become a major player in global trade. He made this assertion during the BusinessDay Maritime Conference which took place on Thursday, 13th June 2024 where he spoke on the topic “Nigerian Maritime: Unlocking Potential, Overcoming Challenges.” While applauding NPA for investing hundreds of dollars to upgrade its facilities, he urged all other government agencies located in all the ports to devise a long-term strategy for multimodal evacuation of cargo. Also speaking at the event, the Managing Director/CEO of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Mohammed Bello-Koko announced that the Authority and the Nigeria Customs Service will now collaborate to actualize 24-hour port operations and ensure cargo owners take delivery of their consignments without delays. He noted that this will now consequently reduce non-tariff trade barrier. He did not also forget to mention some challenges that could hinder this. “During the panel discussion, I emphasized the significant trade barriers in Nigeria, including fiscal and monetary policies, and challenges such as the multiplicity of government agencies, deteriorating port infrastructure, and inadequate power supply. “As a government agency vital to the nation’s economic revival, we are committed to addressing these trade barriers and implementing measures to revitalize and strengthen the economy,” he said among other things.

ATLANTIC OCCEAN ENCROACHING THE OFFICERS BARRACK AT SEME BORDER

The attention of the press was drawn to the fast devastating approach of the Atlantic Ocean at the Seme Krake border. This came up as the media men were waiting for the official press briefing of the Coordinator of Operation Whirlwind, Comptroller Hussein Ejibunu, using Seme border. It could be noted that Comptroller Ejibunu was recently appointed as the coordinator of the anti-bunkering outfit after his redeployment from Federal Operations Unit, Zone 'A' Ikeja. While the seized Petroleum product PMS were carefully being arranged and displayed for the press briefing with the assistance of the host Customs Area Controller CAC, Comptroller Timi Bomodi, the host CAC decided to take the journalists around the border. At the beach, it was a horrible sight that should require an urgent attention of the Federal Government before it is too late. It could be observed that the Atlantic beach at the back of the residential blocks of the Customs and Immigration

officers is just between 100 to 150 meters originally. The ocean surge which started recently has already destroyed more than 50 meters, pulling off the concrete barriers between the sand base and the tarred road. With the rate at which the surge is taking place the tarred road at the back of the barrack may not survive the end of this year 2024. This also drew the attention of this media to have and over view of the surroundings of the border facilities. This time the center of concentration was on the Freight Forwarders business offices which has turned to a ghost town since the closure of the border. These offices which were built by the Customs brokers cost them millions of naira as the offices were built to withstand the corrosiveness of the ocean salt water. Despite the reinforcement, many of the offices are now collapsing due to lack of maintenance. The worst scenario is that more than 60% of the owners are dead or seriously pinned down by stroke and other terminal illnesses. The reasons are not farfetched. It could be noted that many of these agents as they are generally referred to lost so much money they invested on their freight forwarding business as a result of the border closure. When people eulogize the present administration of President Ahmed Tinubu and the Comptroller General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi MFR, it is because they operated with human face. How can one describe the sudden closure of Nigerian borders by the former administration of Muhammadu Buhari without a minute notice? This action affected the Southwest borders which were generating revenue to the Federal Government coffers. There were consignments still on their way on the sea en-route Benin Seaports for Nigerian importers. There were many containers expected to be cleared by these resident agents. So many have already been paid for and processed in advance in line with customs clearing procedures in other to avoid demurrage. Some of these agents borrowed money from the banks with their properties as collaterals but when these goods could not be allowed in after perpetual waiting for months that run to years, it started affecting the existence of these agents. As at the time the new

Comptroller General of Customs visited Seme border barely a year ago, on assumption of office, 67 Freight Forwarders and their allies were reported to have lost their lives from this quagmire. In the address presented to the CGC by the then Chairman of Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents, ANLCA Onyekach Ojinma, this fatal lost were recorded on his report which was given to the CGC. Unfortunately, since that visit a year ago, four more have lost their lives as two are yet to be buried as at the time of writing this.

ADVERTISEMENTS

THE WAY-FORWARD: A BRIEFING TO THE SPIRIT-FILLED WORKERS OF ST. JOSEPH'S CHOSEN CHURCH OF GOD, LAGOS REGION

It was a memorable occasion for the Spirit-filled workers and Ministers of St. Joseph's Chosen Church of God, Lagos region on Monday, June, 17, 2024 at Kirikiri branch of the church. The Islamic holidays on this Monday was a very good timing to have such an important briefing to enable government workers to participate fully. It was on this note that the church auditorium was filled to its capacity. The time conscious Regional Apostle Ken Osanebi was sited at the church before others and could. He gave very little grace to form a reasonable audience before he started the programme. 

        The event as usual started with an opening prayer from Staff Pastor Isaiah Udo after which visions were given by the Visioneers which formed the basis for the gathering. The visions were all centered on the confirmation of the presence of God at the event, the need for cleansing of members and the expectant blessings that are associated with Holiness and uprightness in worshipping of God.

        Spirit lifting praises and worship songs followed with members exercising themselves to the various tones. An opening of the event further took the turn of Sacred Songs and Solos SS&S 22 proclaiming the holiness of God Almighty. The hymn which was written in 1826 by Bishop Regnald Heber were the doctrine of the Trinity, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost was no less needed that morning to invite His Holiness for the day’s proceedings.

       

In line with the lineup of activities for the day, Staff Pastor David Chimobi Oleka was called to the podium to deliver the first Sermon which dealt with the three segment of operating spirits in the world. He saw then as thus; Human Spirit, Demonic Spirits and the Holy Spirit. His teachings were based on the bible verses of Prov. 20:27, 1Corn. 2:11, Eccl. 12:7, Mark 1:23, 5:8-9, John 15:16, 14:26, Eph. 5:18. Oleka could not hide his emotion on the rot that has bedeviled the spirit-filled workers whereby one cannot differentiate between demonic spirits in operation in the place of the spirit of God. 

        He therefore warned the ministers to be in alert because many of the disappearing native Doctors he referred to as Ezenwanyis are today in the churches. This teachings were watered down with SS&S No. 616, "Take my life, and let it be." A song of consecration written by Frances Ridley Havergal around 1870. 

        At this juncture the Regional Apostle called on Deaconess Nchekube to give a pep talk on the lyrics of the hymn. The talk which was well handled by her, turned to a short but beautiful sermon all together as the spirit led her.            Another hymn followed as the Regional Apostle rhetorically said it was a day of praises as praises promote the work of Holy Spirit. The congregation sang together SS&S No. 601, "All to Jesus I surrender." 

       

This hymn ushered in the Apostle in charge of Kirikiri branch, Apostle Godwin Ogbemudia whose Sermon was based on the following bible verses; 1Kg22:19 and Heb. 6:18. Apostle Ogbemudia without mincing words warned the Spirit-filled workers to stop seeing themselves as equal to the ministers in terms of looking for remunerations. 

        He reiterated that it is on this note that many of them are now engaging on private practices to attract wages. He therefore warned that it is not appropriate to say "Thus said the Lord, when the Lord did not say anything."

        As the programme by now was building up to harness the reason for the gathering, Hymn SS&S No. 606 "Oh Jesus, I have promised" written by John Ernest Bode in 1870 on consecration and supplication was sang with symbolic oath taking as Apostle Osanebi ask members to place their right hands on their chest. 

       

It was his turn to summarize the day’s activities which he started by asking the congregation to pray a prayer of forgiveness of sins and asking God to do some of the things they so much desire. This was further followed by answering and clearing some of the questions that arose from the previous sermons. With a powerful Sermon which were based on the followings 1Corn.14:24-34, Amos3:7, Jere. 14:14-16, 23:25-32, Rm.12:6, 1Jn4:1, 1The.5:20, Eze.33:1-10, Apostle Osanebi carried out a surgical round up on the work of the Spirit-filled workers, their limitations and the growth of the church through their accuracies.

        In the process of his teaches, he noted that the problem most of the time is the messenger and not the message. He confirmed that visions could take some time before they come to pass as some may have conditions attached to them. 

       

Finally he warned that all stations should stop listening of Dreams verbally. That the messages from dreams should be sent ahead of time to the station pastors in writing or voice notes.

        As the programme was coming to an end, every attendee was asked to step forward to be anointed. An inventory of all the spirit-filled workers from every station was thereafter taken and the records kept. SS&S No. 23, "To God be the glory" a praise song written by Fanny Crosby who was known to have many pseudonyms brought the programme to a close. 

       One beauty of the song is that it also has related songs in "How great thou art", Praise my soul, the king of heaven" and others. It was a thing of glory that our mother General in the person of Dr. (Mrs.) Pat Alile found time to attend. 

THE CHURCH MAGAZINE IN THE MAKING