Withheld Charity Container: CHAMA demands total refund and release,Petition Nigeria Ambassador to Canada

CHALLENGE AIDS AND MALARIA IN AFRICA ,CHAMA  a Canadian based international charity organization has raised the alarm over the continued withholding of its 40ft Container loaded with charity materials meant for donation to the people of Ohafia in Abia State at

the Tin Can Ports, Lagos since February 1, 2014.

The Board of Trustees of the organization which was established by its Executive Director and Nigerian born (Abia State) Dr. Olugu Ukpai and registered in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada in 2006 to challenge the scourge of Malaria, AIDS and other neglected tropical diseases following the death of one of his 16months old twin daughters: Miss Goodness Ukpai in 2006 from Malaria, has expressed disappointment over the continuous keeping of its container at the Tin Can Ports till date.

In a press statement issued in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, the Assistant Media Officer to CHAMA, Mr. Fyneface Fyneface displeasure over the continued withholding of the Container since its arrival from Canada despite the payment of all and more than necessary charges levied by the Nigerian Customs Authority. Mr. Fyneface who said the organization had so far spent N1,850,000.00 (USD$12,300)yet the container is not freed told newsmen that the
Executive Director of CHAMA, Dr. Ukpai Olugu (+19022232790) had petitioned the Nigerian Ambassador to  Canada, Ojo Maduekwe over the matter and repeatedly made un-replied distress calls through Mana Strategies, a Canadian Lobbying and Policy  Advisory Firm that CHAMA hired to initiate contact with the Nigerian High Commission to intervene and free the container.

The statement also said "Bill Graham", an international Board of Trustee member of CHAMA has resigned on account of what he called "a high profile corruption" by the Nigerian Custom in handling this container issue. Adding that, the continuous withholding of the charity container and how it is being discussed by those who donated the materials is not good for the image of the country thus, calling for something to be done about it and urgently too to redeem the ailing image of the country in the international community while demanding the immediate refund of all monies so far collected which stood at N1, 850,000.00.

His words, "Before the shipment of the container from Canada, CHAMA applied for waiver of charges under the Charity Act by lodging SGD against H.S. Schedule Code II, item 6 of the GET and it was rejected that payment must be made. Although one would expect that the clearing of charity materials should not cost that much; CHAMA had so far paid one million, eight hundred and fifty thousand naira (N1,850,000.00) to clear the container through SHEHIRA NIG. LTD with head office at Suite10, 11 OZDE Plaza, Ajao Estate, Osolo, Lagos with telephone numbers; 08030693341, 0812970337 & 01-6666272 and till now the container is still being held with its contents decaying daily. We have also petitioned the Nigerian High Commissioner in Canada, Ojo Maduekwe on July 14th, 2014 over the matter and followed up through Mana Strategies, a Canadian Lobbying and Policy Advisory Company for his intervention yet, nothing has been done. Besides, this matter had also been reported to the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) before going to press with all details of the transactions to demand for the immediate refund of all total money collected so far and release of the container.

Nigerians should also help use the provided contacts to ask parties involved questions on this container of charity materials". Mr. Fyneface said.

SHEHIRA NIG. LTD is a company recommended to CHAMA by one Dr. Ahamefula Mba (08037368441), a member of the Charity and Lecturer at Renaissance University, Enugu.

According to Dr. Mba, SHEHIRA was recommended to him by an Assistant Controller General of Customs, Mr. Benjamin Obiakalusi (08033004183) whom he knew through his daughter that he supervised and had just graduated from the University.

However, events have turned out to prove that the Clearing and Forwarding Company is jointly owned by the Assistant Controller General of Customs and his younger brother Mr. Handel Obiakalusi (08030693341) who works directly with the port's terminal manager Mr. Chubuike Okemmiri (08033054406) in these collaborations.

When contacted, Dr. Mba expressed frustration, disappointment and regret over the entire issue. He said for about a year now, he has made frantic but fruitless efforts for the release of the container or retrieval of the money since he was the person that recommended the Assistant Controller General of Customs, Mr. Obiakalusi who in turn introduced him to Mr. Handel and received the N1, 850,000 from CHAMA, Canada and paid to Mr. Handel Obiakalusi for the clearing of the container.

Speaking further, Dr. Mba said he is forced to report the matter to the ICPC, Lagos for investigation to save his head and recover the money for CHAMA.

Responding to the allegation in a text message after missing his calls, Mr. Handel Obiakalusi said "Sorry, I cannot divulge information to whom I do not know, but in any case, whatever they told you is not correct. Until we meet face to face" while the Assistant Controller General of Customs, Mr. Benjamin Obiakalusi and the Ports Manager, Mr. Chubuike Okemmiri neither returned the calls put to their phones nor reply the text messages till press time.

The materials contained in the withheld 40ft Container include; one green Ford Explorer vehicle (2002 model, filled with assorted medical supplies) and one Ford Econoline Van (2000 model, filled with clothing and shoes) meant for rural missionary and charity works in communities.

Others are 15 boxes of medical supplies, light equipment, hand gloves and laboratory materials. Also contained in the withheld container are laboratory equipment, telescopes, computers, printers, televisions, toys, school bags, library books, etc. meant for donation
to schools and 6-laptops for secondary school teachers with empowerment materials such as sewing machines, etc. meant for CHAMA's women empowerment programme of which the beneficiaries that had since completed their training and waiting to be empowered with the
materials.

CHAMA wishes to state very clearly that those items in the container were bought and others donated by even ordinary Canadians who decided to support the people of Ohafia after its medical mission in Nigeria and it is inhuman for the Nigerian Customs Service and its collaborators to continue withholding the materials meant to benefit ordinary Nigerians without any satisfactory explanation as for why the container is still being detained after payment of huge sum of money.

In a massage to CHAMA on April 13, 2014 over the non-clearance of the container, the Shipping Company, Absolute Int'l Logistics is demanding additional charges and that all other costs covering "...Return of the shipment to Canada, Disposal of the goods at Nigeria, All local
customs fines/penalties, Demurrage, Terminal charges and All other costs" would be levied on CHAMA that does not have a dime to further pay for this.

CHAMA had contributed immensely to alleviating the plights of ordinary Nigerians and do not deserve to have its container of charity materials withheld. For instance, between 2006 and 2014, CHAMA had successfully completed seven medical missions to Nigeria including
Ebola Virus Awareness Campaign flagged off on August 16, 2014 at Amuma community in Abia state where CHAMA also built four community VIP toilets since the community does not have any. CHAMA had also recently drilled and donated a solar powered (over 350ft deep) water scheme to the people of Amangwu Ohafia which was commissioned in September 2014 by Rt. Hon. Prince Arua Arunsi, member representingArochukwu/Ohafia Federal Constituency at the National Assembly. 

 In December 2013/January 2014, CHAMA had medical mission in Asaga Ohafia where over 100 surgeries were performed on children and the elderly who would have died needlessly, free of charge (live videos available at    https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=CHAMA+medical+missions)

CHAMA particularly thanked Rev. Dr. Uma Ukpai who donated his hospital free of charge forth is exercise. So far, over 60,200 people have benefited from the medical missions in the past eight year with both general and eye surgeries carried and over 20,000 prescription glasses
given out to people free.

CHAMA demands the immediate release of the container and demand that the N1, 850,000.00 (about USD$12,300) be refunded in full while calling on the Nigerian government to use its might to release the container for its citizens because "development is not only government affair, stake holders and NGOs need to compliment government's effort.

And that's exactly what CHAMA had done by paying, buying and gathering the donations and paying for its shipment from Canada to Nigeria". It is against these backgrounds that CHAMA also demands that those responsible for this would be made to pay for all decay contents of
the container which should be freed for shipment to Kenya were the authorities are willing to receive and clear free-of-charge for its contents to be distributed to its citizens in CHAMA's next Medical Mission scheduled to hold in Kenya in 2015.

Fyneface Fyneface,
(https://www.facebook.com/fynefacef)
08035478758,
Media Assistant to CHAMA
www.chama.ca

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