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Exporting yam tubers carries life sentence in Nigeria(FACT)

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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

In 2017, Nigeria made a failed attempt at exporting yam to the United States of America. It was part of the national response to the recession crisis of 2016. Audu Ogbeh, the then minister of agriculture, publicly announced that the USA rejected Nigeria’s yam exports due to the poor quality of the tubers.

A few days after the international embarrassment, Gaza Jonathan, a member of the then House of Representatives, called the minister out for illegality. According to him, exporting yam from Nigeria was against the law, and he was right.

The Export Prohibition Act of 1989, introduced under the Ibrahim Babangida regime, bans the export of yam. But the list of contraband exports was longer than that. Aside from yam, the act prohibited the export of beans, cassava tubers, maize, rice, yam tubers and their derivatives. The act also prohibited the export of imported food.

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What is more interesting, however, is the punishment stipulated by the legislation for exporting these food items. According to the act, the punishment for exporting these items could be as light as a fine or as severe as a life imprisonment sentence.

Below is what the legislation reads as punishments for exporting any of the prohibited items:

“Any person who takes causes to be taken induces any other person to take or attempts to take out of Nigeria any of the goods specified in the Schedule to this Act shall be guilty of an offense and liable on conviction to imprisonment for life.”

“In addition to the penalty specified in subsection (1) of this section

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the goods, as well as any vehicle, vessel, aircraft, or other things whatsoever used in connection with the exportation; and
all the assets, movable or immovable, including motor vehicles, of any person convicted of the offense, shall be forfeited to the Federal Government.
Any customs officer or other person who aids counsels procures or conspires with any person to commit an offense under this section, shall be guilty of an offense and liable on conviction to the same punishment as prescribed for the offense under subsection (1) of this section. (4) Any offense committed under this Act shall be triable by the Federal High Court.”

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Just in: Tinubu exposes those behind deadly stampedes

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President Bola Tinubu has accused organisers for the deadly stampedes that occurred during the distribution of relief materials in three states.

Recall in the past week, chaotic scenes in Ibadan, Anambra and Abuja led to the deaths of over 60 people, including children, as crowds scrambled for food items.

During a Presidential Media Chat on Monday, Tinubu described the events as a critical failure in planning and execution.

Condolences to those who lost a family member, but it is good to give. I have been giving out food stuff, commodities, etc. in Bourdillon.

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“I am an organized person and that’s why I have been giving people food for the past 25 years and no incident has happened.

“Let this tragedy not affect us”, the Nigerian leader said.

The president also said he has no plans to reduce his cabinet or sack more ministers.

For the controversial tax reform bills, he said it has come to stay.

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He also revealed he has no regrets removing fuel subsidy.

He declared utmost confidence in his security chiefs saying over the past decades, wanton killings has reduced drastically.

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Tinubu To Hold Maiden Presidential Media Chat Tonight

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President Bola Tinubu will hold first presidential chat since assuming office on Monday night.

Accoding to a statement released by presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, the chat will be broadcast at 9 p.m. on the stations of Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN).

All television and radio stations are requested to hook up to the broadcast.

“The first Presidential Media Chat with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will be broadcast at 9 p.m. on Monday, December 23, on the Nigerian Television Authority and Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria.

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“All television and radio stations are requested to hook up to the broadcast,” the statement.

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‘Putin waiting to meet me as soon as possible’ to end Ukraine war – Trump

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The US President-elect took to the stage AmFest in Phoenix to talk about his contact with the Russian leader.

He told the crowd: “President Putin has said he want to meet with me as soon as possible.”

Trump went on to brand the war “horrible” and stated it needed to end. It is not known whether or not this meeting will take place in person. His comments at the event in the US come as Putin met with another world leader.

Putin held talks in the Kremlin today (December 22) with Slovakia’s prime minister, Robert Fico, in a rare visit to Moscow by an EU leader since Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

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Fico arrived in Russia on a “working visit” and met with Putin one-on-one. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russia’s RIA agency that the talks would focus on “the international situation” and Russian natural gas deliveries.

Visits and phone calls from European leaders to Putin have been rare since Moscow sent troops into Ukraine, although Hungary’s PM Viktor Orban visited Russia in July. Orban’s visit drew condemnation from Kyiv and European leaders.Fico’s views on Russia’s war on Ukraine differ sharply from most other European leaders. The Slovakian PM returned to power last year after his leftist party Smer (Direction) won parliamentary elections on a pro-Russia and anti-American platform. Since then, he has ended his country’s military aid for Ukraine, hit out at EU sanctions on Russia, and vowed to block Ukraine from joining NATO.

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