What Is Nigeria Turning Into? Nigerian Banker Shares Her Ordeal At Abuja Airport

Good afternoon my dear friends! Hope we are keeping well. I want to share my experience yesterday morning at the Abuja International Airport so you all are in the know of what is going on in our country, NIGERIA.

I arrived Abuja from London yesterday October 18, 2019 at about 4.30am with ONE pair of trainers and ONE mini boy bag bought at the duty free shop in Heathrow (Please see pictures below). For the records, I am a banker. I am not a trader. .
To my shock, Customs at Abuja airport headed by one Ms Essien and T. Abdulrahman said these do not qualify as personal effects and calculated duty payment of about N175,000 for me to pay. Most shocking to me was that I was the only passenger on that flight BA 083 from London that was singled out for this treatment.

My question now is, what are Nigerians able to buy when they travel? Ms Essien says that Nigerians are only entitled to N50,000 worth of goods. Everything above N50,000 is considered luxury and dutiable. I pointed out to her that some one who had shoes had just been released by same Customs without any charge and to my shock she said that it’s because he put his feet in it already. So, I asked her that does it then mean that all I needed to do for this trainers not to be seized by Nigerian Custom was to simply remove it from the box and wear it and it seizes to be a luxury good and duty exempt, she said “yes”. I told her that does this not then show her that this law enables her the opportunity to apply common sense when she sees Nigerians with just one trainers and one mini boy bag? She refused to answer. I asked her to allow me put my feet in my trainers and if it’s not my size, apply duty and she refused.

Ms Essien and Tijani Adulrahman were so filled with hatred in such an airport that they refused to do the right thing. I was one of the first 10 passengers to disembark from the aircraft and get to Customs. I was the very last person to leave airport after my ONE pair of trainers and ONE mini boy bag had been seized and T. Abdulrahman was done ‘punishing’ me.

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Posted: at 20-10-2019 06:48 PM (4 years ago) | Hero

The masses have been cage.

Posted: at 20-10-2019 07:02 PM (4 years ago) | Addicted Hero

Lost country ,animals in uniform .I pity for that country.well thank you for sharing your story tho,shame that you have to take the brunt but this teach me that when next coming to wear 2 diff leg of shoes hahaha yeye country.

Posted: at 20-10-2019 08:31 PM (4 years ago) | Gistmaniac

It's only sad that in our own country, when we make rules, those to enforce those rules will bend it and find a way to work around it...but in all fairness, no country has survived without making very strict rules that the citizens might not be necessarily happy with...we must all know that if we really want this country to develop, we are definitely going to abide by rules that we are not happy with.

Posted: at 20-10-2019 10:07 PM (4 years ago) | Hero

All hail the present Government of Nigeria. They are the best so far

Posted: at 20-10-2019 11:05 PM (4 years ago) | Hero

Nigeria is a lost country.

Posted: at 21-10-2019 09:05 AM (4 years ago) | Gistmaniac

The suggestion may look stupid but he is right, once you remove the boxes, the label and the price tag, they don't bother you again. Its has happened to me.

Posted: at 21-10-2019 02:11 PM (4 years ago) | Gistmaniac

I wonder in whose cupboard at home, the seized goods end up in - boxes, label, price tag and all?

Ms Essiens OR T Abdulrahmans? Or will they share the loot.

Posted: at 23-10-2019 08:23 AM (4 years ago) | Gistmaniac