Headlines

Philippines spits fire over prolonged presence of Chinese vessels in South China Sea

Philippines has fired a warning shot to China over its conduct in South China Sea where about 220 Chinese vessels are reportedly amassing for possible military exercise.

The vessels are believed to be manned by militias.

According to Reuter, aide of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday criticised China for what they called territorial incursions by hundreds of its vessels, which his legal counsel warned could damage ties and lead to “unwanted hostilities”.

In strongly worded condemnation of the activities of China at this area,

Salvador Panelo , the lawyer to President Duterte, called the prolonged presence of boats an unwelcome stain on relations that risked “unwanted hostilities that both countries would rather not pursue”.

“We can negotiate on matters of mutual concern and benefit, but make no mistake about it , our sovereignty is non-negotiable,” Panelo said in a statement.

Duterte’s spokesman , Harry Roque, echoed the view and told a news conference: “We will not give up even a single inch of our national territory or our exclusive economic zone (EEZ).”

China’s embassy in Manila has kept mute on the incident.

Though Philippine diplomats and top generals have spoken out against China lately, the comments from the presidential palace are unusually strong given Duterte’s reluctance to confront Beijing, which he has sought to befriend.

His refusal to press China to respect a landmark 2016 arbitral ruling that clarified the Philippines sovereign rights in its EEZ has frustrated nationalists, who accused Duterte of gambling with territory in return for elusive Chinese investmentd

Duterte has previously said challenging China was pointless and risked starting a war.

The Philippines last month filed a diplomatic protest over a “swarming and threatening” presence of 220 Chinese vessels it believed to be manned by militias at Whitsun Reef, a stance backed by ally the United States.

On Monday, its foreign ministry rejected China’s view that Whitsun Reef was a traditional fishing ground in its waters, and said it would send a diplomatic protest each day that China boats stayed there.

It said the boats “blatantly infringe” on Philippine jurisdiction.

Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, China and Vietnam also have competing claims for islands and features in the area.

Panelo also said the Philippines would not be blinded by China’s humanitarian gestures, referring to millions of COVID-19 vaccines donated by China.

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Headlines

IGP grieves over assault on policewoman

Prof. Zainab Duke Abiola

— orders prosecution of culprits

Owolola Adebola

The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, has strongly condemned the grievous assault of a female Police Officer, Inspector Teju Moses, by her principal who is a Legal practitioner and human rights activist, Prof. Zainab Duke Abiola and her domestic staff comprising the housemaid, one Rebecca Enechido and a male suspect currently at large.

Zainab Duke, a Mbaise-born activist, grievously assaulted her orderly in the company of some accomplices on Tuesday 20th September 2022 at her residence in Garki, Abuja, due to the refusal of the orderly to breach professional ethics by carrying out menial and domestic chores at her house.

The IGP also directed the express prosecution of the arrested suspects who are currently in Police custody, as the preliminary investigation shows overwhelming evidence of culpability on the part of the Professor and her domestic staff.

The IGP has equally tasked the investigative team to ensure that the fleeing suspect is arrested and made to face the wrath of the law.

It is pertinent to clarify that the suspect, Prof. Zainab, who name-drops the IGP, his family members, and other officers in the top hierarchy of the Force has no acquaintance with the Police in any form as erroneously peddled on social media.

The Inspector-General of Police who similarly ordered the withdrawal of all Police personnel attached to the Professor expressed consternation at the fact that an individual who claims to be an advocate for Human Rights could stoop so low as to violate the rights of another individual, a police officer tasked with ensuring her protection.

Customs

Customs collects N1.7trn revenue in 8 months

CGC, Ali

–embarks on aggressive revenue hunts to meet target

The Eyewitness reporter

The Nigeria Customs Service has collected a whooping sum of N1,755,386,486,390.02 as revenue in the first eight months of the year spanning January and August.

The service made the highest monthly earnings of N241,903,781,854.46 in August as the service intensifies its aggressive revenue drive to meet the expectations of the Federal Government which has come to rely on the revenue from the service to fund its critical project.

This follows the diversification of government to non-oil sectors and expands its tax base due to the dwindling revenue from the oil sector.

The revenue in the first eight months of 2022 is N363,436,321,614.95 higher than N1,391,950,164,775.97 the customs collected in the corresponding period of 2021.

Abuja has increased its focus on non-oil revenue sources, prompting higher expectations from revenue collection agencies such as the NCS, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), among others.

Headlines

Jamoh wears OFR diadem as Buhari confers national honour on NIMASA DG

The Eyewitness reporter

The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Bashir Jamoh, has expressed deep appreciation to President Mohammed Buhari for being conferred with one of the highest national honours in Nigeria, Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR).

The Office of the Honourable Minister, Ministry of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Senator George Akume, has conveyed this good news to Dr Jamoh in a letter of Award which has slated the investiture ceremony for the International Conference Center (ICC), Abuja on Monday, 10th October 2022.

Recall that Dr. Jamoh had served the Nigerian maritime sector as an administrator for over 30 years when he was appointed by President Buhari as the NIMASA DG in March 2020.

Since that time, he has overseen the successful deployment of the Integrated National Security and Waterways Protection Infrastructure otherwise known as the Deep Blue Project which has played a major role in achieving a reduction of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea to its barest minimum since 1994 and culminating in Nigeria being removed from the infamous piracy red list by the International Maritime Bureau, IMB.

A hallmark of his tenure at the helm of NIMASA has been his institutionalization of collaboration among stakeholders, within and outside the country, to achieve significant milestones in the sector.

One notable example of this is his initiation of the Gulf of Guinea Maritime Collaboration Forum/ Shared Awareness and De-confliction (GOG-MCF/SHADE), which has demonstrated the positive outcomes of information sharing among regional and non-regional military forces in achieving a secure maritime space.

Reacting to the news on his social media handle, Dr Jamoh expressed gratitude for being considered for the honour stating:

“Words cannot express how humbled I feel to be so considered for the National Honour as an Officer of the Federal Republic (OFR).

“When I began my maritime journey 30 years ago, little did I know that Almighty Allah would so favour me to rise to the position of NIMASA DG, let alone to be considered for one of the highest honours in the land”.

Dr Jamoh especially thanked His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, and the Standing Committee on National Honours Award for deeming him worthy of the honour while also appreciating everyone who had supported him throughout his tenure as NIMASA Director General, especially the maritime stakeholders.