Chinese blame businessmen for fake goods

China has blamed Nigerian businessmen for the fake and sub-standard products coming into Nigeria from China.

Consul-General of China in Lagos, Mr. Guo Kun, made the allegation at an interactive session between the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) and a delegation of Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) held at NIIA, yesterday in Lagos.

Mr. Kun said some Nigerian entrepreneurs compel some Chinese companies to produce sub-standard goods and Chinese companies consent because they do not want to lose good business.

"It is a real problem for a product that is say 10 dollars (about N1500) of standard quality, some of the [Nigerian] entrepreneurs went to China, and asked the host to make it thinner and cheaper. At the very beginning, some of the [Chinese] companies were very reluctant to produce for them. But later, you know they are entrepreneurs, they want to make money. These host factories don't want to make for them, to produce for them. Finally they [Nigerian entrepreneurs] went to many factories, at least they can find one or two factories to make for them sub-standard goods and they bring it back [ to Nigeria]," he said.

When asked what Chinese government is doing to stop the production of sub-standard goods in China.

Mr Gun said: "We have regulations. We also educate Chinese entrepreneurs. As I am a government official, I also talk with Chinese in the so-called China Village and with those in Balogun market, 'don't bring these to the Nigerian market".

He promised that the Chinese government will strengthen its products quality control system in order to stop the production of sub-standard goods in China.

Earlier in his address, the leader of CPAFFC delegation, Mr Feng Zuoku, who spoke through an interpreter, said the visit is to strengthen bilateral relationship with Nigeria given the strategic positions both countries occupy in their respective continents and in the world as well.

Mr. Zuoku said future co operations between the two nations are very broad since their respective leadership have continued to share similar positions on global issues and have shown increasing commitment to work together.

Receiving the Chinese delegation, the Director-General of NIIA, Prof. Osita Eze, said Nigeria has a lot to learn from China, given China's increasing ascendance as a global force in political and economic issues. "China is a major power in economic and political issues in the world. It is about the second largest economy in the world and is a member of the United Nations Security Council. You just cannot ignore China in today's economic and political arena. Nigeria must learn from China, how to bring about development in all its facets," he said.

Prof. Eze expressed the hope that the visit will not just stop at NIIA, but extend to all areas of our national life given the shared experiences between the two nations.

In his address, the founder and chairman Nigeria-China Friendship Association (NICAF), Ambassador Vincent Chibundu, expressed appreciation at the expanding and deepening bilateral relationship between Nigeria and China. In his words: "You need to go to the Consulate-General of the PRC [People's Republic of China] or the Embassy in Abuja to witness the long queues applying for visas to China for all sorts of businesses and positive relationship between our two countries is indeed flourishing."

The Chinese delegation comprises local government officials, entrepreneurs and a journalist.

Daily Champion

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Government borrows $1 billion from world bank

The Federal Government has borrowed US $915 million from the World Bank to finance an expected deficit in the 2010 budget, it emerged yesterday.

Acting President Goodluck Jonathan sent a letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives seeking approval to borrow the money.

Jonathan said the money was needed because Nigeria was in dire need of funds to finance an infrastructure deficit, which he said is critical to rapid development. He also said the credit is highly concessionary, offered by multilateral agencies to which Nigeria belongs and commits substantial resources as affiliation fees.

Jonathan said in the letter, "The World Bank portfolio of the facilities totalling $915 million out of which $179 million would be drawn in fiscal 2010 is of particular essence as it would be deployed to Urban Water and Transport, Human Capacity Development and Power infrastructure projects across the country." He said the borrowing plan was in consonance with due process and appealed to the House of Representatives to approve it. The total budget deficit in the 2010 budget stands at N1.3 trillion naira, while the whole budget is N4.06 trillion naira.

Meanwhile, the Acting President is expected to sign the 2010 budget at 10am today at the Presidential Villa. This followed a meeting between him and the leadership of the National Assembly on Tuesday, during which the lawmakers agreed to remove projects that were inserted in the budget without the knowledge of the executive.

Jonathan was reportedly not happy with the padding of the budget by the appropriation committees of the two chambers, saying they might have taken advantage of President Umaru Yar'adua's illness.

Passage of the budget, which was approved by the National Assembly and forwarded to Jonathan last month, has been delayed for weeks due to differences between the Presidency and the lawmakers.

Minister of State for Information and Communications Labaran Maku, while briefing reporters shortly after the Federal Executive Council meeting yesterday, said the budget would be signed before the week runs out. He said Jonathan was unable to assent to the budget because of certain discrepancies which he said have to be sorted out.

But later yesterday, Jonathan's spokesman Ima Niboro came up with a terse statement saying the budget would be signed today by 10 am. "Budget to be signed tomorrow by 10 am", Niboro said in the statement.

"The Acting President told us that the National Assembly has forwarded the approved budget which the executive arm is looking at, so from what the Acting President told council, the leadership of the National Assembly and the presidency are discussing on the areas of discrepancies and we expect that between now and some few days, the budget will be signed into law because we do not have a lot of time to wait. Already we are in the month of April, the nation is expecting a lot of activities to regenerate the economy and give life to socio-economic activities in the country," Maku said.

The budget aims to increase expenditure by 50 percent this year as Nigeria tries to spend its way out of a downturn, but the increase risks pushing the country to a budget deficit of more than 5 percent.

On the golden jubilee anniversary, Maku said the council had received the report of the presidential committee chaired by the Secretary to Government of Federation Mahmud Yayale Ahmed.

He said the council called on Nigerians to be mobilized to celebrate the golden jubilee of the nation. "The state governments are expected to draw up their own programs as well. The logo would also be unveiled very soon," Maku said.

On the recent trip of the acting President to United States, foreign affairs Minister Odein Ajumogobia said the trip had tangible benefits to Nigeria. "The tangible benefit of the Acting President's trip to US is something we have to work on In terms of follow up, in terms of trying to engage our partners to address our domestic issues of power, infrastructure and so on and that is what this trip did," he said.

Daily Trust

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Historical Ife art on display in British museum

From the 12th to the 15th centuries, Ife was a powerful, wealthy and cosmopolitan city-state in West Africa, in what is now Nigeria. The people of Ife developed a distinctive style of sculpture, which is on display in London to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Nigerian independence. Selah Hennessy reports on the art of this historical city-state.

Pregnant woman swallows 350 grams of cocaine

Apart from the criminal implication, tell me, what could be more undignifying for a woman to ingest hard drugs for whatever reason, knowing full well the health implication?" queried the Murtala Mohammed International Airport Commander of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Alhaji Hamza Umar.

The anti-drug agency boss continued, "This drug barons and couriers have no respect for their own lives; neither do they respect the dignity of their children. This is the height of desperation by drug barons and their associates."

Ms Osatohamwen Esohe was arrested by operatives of NDLEA at the airport while passengers were being screened for Alitalia flight to Rome. Incidentally, Osatohamwen in Bini translation means "God have mercy on me", but in this present situation, it is doubted whether the same God will have mercy on her, having gone contrary to the ordinance of God.

At the departure lounge of the airport, the 29 years old expectant mother had submitted her luggage for screening, optimistic that she may never be detected. But the scanning machine proved her wrong as some black spots were spotted in her intestines.

She was promptly asked to excuse others for profiling. Initially, the woman was said to have screamed at the officers operating the machine that she was pregnant and therefore, should not be disturbed. Her shout did not however make any meaning to the officers who told her gently that she had to be examined.

After observation, she expelled 27 wraps of substances that tested positive to cocaine weighing 350 grammes.

At the airport office of the anti-drug agency, Osatohamwen who was visibly full of remorse, broke down in tears, attributing her ordeal to poverty. She claimed she was once jilted by the man who had promised her marriage but gave in to the present one whom she said was responsible for her pregnancy because he promised to take her to the altar shortly.

Continuing, Osatohamwen said, "I discovered again that the man responsible for my pregnancy changed overnight, saying he was no longer interested in the relationship. At that time, I discovered that I was three months' pregnant, and since the man who put me in this condition refused to take responsibility and I am jobless, that was why I had to go into this drug deal.

The people that gave me the drugs promised me Euros 2000 and to me, that is a big money. This is the first time I am smuggling drugs. I only need enough money to take care of my unborn baby. That is all."

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