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The Customs Area Controller of Seme Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has continued to hit hard on petroleum product smugglers along the Seme boarder axis. The command recently  intercepted a total of three thousand, nine hundred and ninety eight (3,998)   Jerrycans of premium motor spirit. According to  Compt. M.A Jibo,  the Customs Area Controller of the Command,  the fuel filled in 30littes Jerry cans was intercepted along the Badagry Beach shore based on actionable intelligence. A statement by the Command Public Relations Officer, SC Hussaini Abdullahi Area Controller said but  the swift action of its operatives, the products would have been snuggled out of the country. Jibo said the command and its operatives will continue to maintain high level presence surveillance and monitoring and will not relent in puncturing holes in the wall chest of fund of those who have resolved to wreck havoc on the economy. The statement reads: “The continuous surveillance and offensive pat

The  National Inland Waterways Authority ( NIWA) has introduced a new ambulance boat to serve the Lagos waterways. The decision, which was in response to a critical empowerment of the Search and Rescue Team in Lagos and as strategic fulfilment to suggestions made by the maritime media at a recent parley with the Managing Director of the agency, Dr George Morghalu. According to a statement from NIWA, the new water craft is fitted with amber lights and two 175 Horse Power Yamaha engines with cream colour leather interior. The ambulance is also fitted with medical equipment, first aid boxes, communication system, and stretchers to form the fulcrum of rapid response to accidents on Lagos waterways which  has the busiest watercraft traffic  with heritage operators and water users  Rugged and built to ferry accident victims and those who require immediate medical attention to the nearest hospital and Medical Hold Bay, the ambulance watercraft can travel at controlled timing without fear or a

The anti smuggling operatives of the  Kebbi State Area Command  of the Nigeria Customs Service have continued to give petroleum smugglers tough time as the command’s Anti Bunkering Team seized 478 jerrycans of 25 liters each (11,950 liters) of PMS. The petroleum products which, according to a release by signed  Nasiru Manga,  the  Public  Relations Officer of the Command was intended to be smuggled out of the country through Yauri water way on Thursday, 11th August, 2022, The release states that, based on a tip off, the intelligence operatives had monitored the movement of loaded jerrycans of PMS to a spot near the water way for some days before the deployment of the anti-bunkering squad, who struck and intercepted the 11,950 litres of PMS and evacuated the product to the Command’s Headquarters in Birnin Kebbi. Commenting on the development, the Customs Area Controller of the Command, Comptroller Joseph Attah lauded the fruitful collaboration of relevant units of the Command, stressing

  The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has uncovered 442 parcels of Crystal Methamphetamine concealed in heads of smoked fishes packed in cartons for export to Dubai, United Arab Emirates through the SAHCO shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja Lagos. The 11.90kg consignment was brought to the SAHCO export shed of the airport on Friday, 5th August by a freight agent, Adekunle Paul, 32, from Yagba West LGA, Kogi State. In a statement by the anti-narcotics agency’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, the agency noted that Paul was promptly arrested upon the discovery that the seven cartons he presented for export contained parcels of the dangerous drug wrapped with foil paper and concealed in the heads of hundreds of smoked catfish. The statement reads in part, “The next day, Saturday 6th August, another consignment containing 1.45kg cannabis concealed inside granulated melon and crayfish and packed among other food condiments going to Dubai, UAE was also intercepted by N

  The Office of the Auditor General for the Federation (OAuGF) has queried the Nigerian Ports Authority over the failure of 18 port terminal operators to remit a total sums of $753m and N1.61bn to the Federal Government. A query issued by the office, which is contained in its report being considered by the Committees on Public Accounts in the National Assembly, said the amounts formed part of the debts standing against the operators as of December 31, 2019. The OAuGF, in the ‘Annual Report on Non-Compliance/Internal Control Weaknesses Issues in Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government of Nigeria for the Year Ended 31st December, 2019,’ said the operators were indebted to the tune of $852.094m and N1,878,560,509.57. The query added that, “Agreements signed between NPA and various Terminal Operators state that a fixed annual payment of a sum as specified in the schedule below to be paid in (12) equal instalments in each operating year, the first instalment to be pai

The Director General (DG) of Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Mallam Farouk Salim, has tasked engineers to ensure strict adherence to standards to boost the nation’s economy. Salim said this while speaking at the 30th General Assembly of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) in Abuja recently. In a paper titled “Sustainable Codes and Standards in Engineering Practice in Nigeria"   The SON DG said all hands must be on deck to tackle the menace of substandard products and services in the country.. According to him, all facets of life are guided by standards and code of ethics, noting that the panacea for all the issues facing the country is adherence standards. Mallam Salim acknowledged the numerous miracles engineering had brought into our world which allowed mankind to achieve great exploits ranging from reusable rockets to surgical processes. He described standards application as tools, protocols and instructions that have to be adhered to for t

The Senate  Public Account Committee has given a 48-hour ultimatum to the Nigerian Maritime Adminstration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to show a prove authorising payment of $5 million in legal fees for service not rendered. The panel had invited the management of NIMASA to explain why the $5 million was paid for services not rendered. At the resumption of the committee meeting on the issue on Tuesday, the representative of NIMASA, Olamide Olusanya,  told panel that the matter was in court. But the committee rejected the submission and asked the agency to present information at its disposal on the payment of legal fees to the law firm. The NIMASA representative told the lawmakers that the agency was directed by the then Attorney General of the Federation to pay $5 million for the legal fees. The Chairman of the Committee, however, asked the representative of NIMASA to present any letter mandating it to pay $5 million for legal fees. Responding to whether the Presidency directed the agenc

DC TIMI BOMODI NPRO, NCS Following a recent media reports that the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) was carrying out a special auction of 7,000 imported overtime vehicles, the service  has debunked the reports. In a Press Statement issued on Monday by the National Public Relations Officer (NPRO)  Deputy Comptroller Timi Bomodi, the NCS said the e-auction system of the customs is still in operation, hence, no need for any special auction. The statement reads in parts “The Nigeria Customs Service wishes to restate that our electronic auction (e-auction) platform at https://app.trade.gov.ng/eauction/ is functional and remains the only authentic means of auctioning goods to members of the public. “This reminder is pertinent in light of rumours making the rounds that a special auction of over 7000 cars will soon be held by the Service. “We wish to state that auctions are periodic and advertised in advance on our website to avail members of the public the opportunity of selecting and bidding fo

The cu rrent rising debt of Nigeria has pushed the country up the World Bank’s top 10 International Development Association borrowers’ list. The World Bank Fiscal Year 2021 audited financial statements, known as the IDA financial statement, showed that Nigeria was rated fifth on the list with $11.7bn IDA debt stock as at June 30, 2021. However, the newly released World Bank Fiscal Year 2022 audited financial statements for IDA showed that Nigeria has moved to the fourth position on the list, with $13bn IDA debt stock as of June 30, 2022. This shows that Nigeria accumulated about $1.3bn IDA debt within a fiscal year, with the country taking over the fo urth top debtor position from Vietnam. This debt is different from the outstanding loan of $486m from World Bank’s International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The top five countries on the list slightly reduced their IDA debt stock except Nigeria. India, which is still the first on the list reduced its IDA debt stock from $22bn

The Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives is investigating the Nigerian Ports Authority and Ports and Terminal Operators, (Nigeria) Limited (PTOL) for allegedly failing to remit feed accruing to the federal government of Nigeria. The fees, which are, lease and throughput fees that was collected between 2006 and June 2022, amounted to $68.473m. The committee is also investigating PTOL for allegedly using an exchange rate that is different from the  offiycial approved by the Central Bank of Nigeria in calculating revenue accruing to the government. The Office of the Auditor General for the Federation (OAuGF) raised the issues in an audit query in the annual report presented to the National Assembly. The Managing Director of the NPA, Mohammed Bello-Koko, had in a submission to the committee, alleged that one of the port operators in charge of the Port Harcourt port in Rivers State and PTOL used their own exchange rates in calculating revenue. He said PTOL used N116 to

The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) is set to make history as the first ever political party in the country to present a maritime agenda to Nigerians prior to a general election. This is so because the party has considered the sector a priority area since it is the second highest revenue earner to the nation. Consequently, the party’s presidential flag bearer, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, alongside his running mate, Bishop Isaac Idahosa, and other party stalwarts will storm Lagos on Tuesday, August 23, 2022. Senator Kwankwaso, who will be the Special Guest in a Town Hall Meeting at the Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, will use the opportunity to interact with maritime stakeholders with a view to ascertaining the peculiar needs of the industry. The forum will also offer the Kwankwasiyya Movement leader the opportunity to enter into a social contract with the stakeholders on what they should expect from the NNPP government if the party eventually come into power in 2023. The event, which slated

L-R Port Manager Rivers Port Michael Adamu, Managing Director NPA Mohammed Bello Koko, Hon. Onari Brown Executive Director Marine and Operations and Aderenle Suzana Adesina, Executive Director Finance and Operations As part of a multi pronged approach to attract more vessel and cargo traffic to the Eastern ports, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) is finalising plans to raise tariff relief by as much as 30 percent for service providers.  The Managing Director of NPA, Mohammed Bello Koko, gave this hints while addressing a stakeholders’ forum during an assessment tour of facilities in Port Harcourt and Onne Ports in company of his Management Team and other senior officers. He highlighted that the move is being considered, having observed that a similar concession of a 10 percent rebate granted by the Authority to terminal operators some years back failed to yield the desired result, as shipping traffic to these ports witnessed no significant growth. According to him, the Authority is al

The  Apapa Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has seized yet another batch of tramadol. The drugs, packed in 55 cartons was concealed in a 20ft container at the  APM Terminals in Apapa Port, Lagos. According to a statement by the Area Controller of the cimmand, Comptroller Malanta Ibrahim Yusuf, the container was intercepted by officers and men of the command on 21 July, 2022.. He disclosed that the container with number SUDU-753656 was manifested as 272 cartons of stainless steel hotpot but was captured and declared as cooking appliances, measuring/checking instrument and furnace burner to evade detection.  Comptroller Yusuf said that after joint examination by all security agencies, the container was found to have contained 55 cartons of Tramadol concealed in food flasks. He added that each carton of Tramadol contains 50 rolls, each roll contains 10 packs, and each pack contains 10 sachets. He maintained that the seizure was in line with the Customs and Excise Manageme

The F ederal Government has approved the  concession arrangement for the development of Badagry Deep Seaport at the cost of $2.59 billion for a  period of 45 years. The Minister of Transportation Mu’azu Jaji Sambo disclosed that the approval was granted by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) during the weekly meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja yesterday. The Minister said the port, when fully operational is expected to generate $53.6 billion revenue over the 45 years concession period. He said, “I am pleased to announce to you and the general public that I presented a memo today at council with respect to the development of the Badagry deep seaport under the public-private partnership arrangement, where the private sector will inject money for the development of the port and at the end of the concessionary period, the port reverts to the Federal Government of Nigeria through the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA). “The project cost as contained and approved in cou

The Nigeria Customs Service in Collaboration with Wildlife Justice Commission Intercepts 397kg of Pangolin Scales and arrests 8 Suspects in connection with the illegal trade. The Nigeria Customs Service has in collaboration with Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC) intercepted 397.5kg of pangolin scales and arrested 8 suspects in connection with the seizure. Three of the arrested suspects were identified as Vietnamese. They were involved in the attempted trafficking of large amounts of pangolin scales and ivories through Nigeria.  According to a press release signed by  DC Timi Bomodi, National   Public Relations Officer on behalf of Comptroller General Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Col Hameed Ali (Rtd) p reliminary investigation revealed  these three Vietnamese nationals as high-ranking members of a major organized crime group involved in the trafficking of ivory, pangolin scales, rhino horns and lion bones from Mozambique and South Africa through Nigeria to Vietnam. The three suspects

The Federal Government of  Nigeria has justified the approval of  N1.15 billion for the purchase of vehicles for neighbouring Niger Republic. The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Hajia. Zainab Ahmed who confirmed the report after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday argued that even though Nigerians had the right to question the approval but President Muhammadu Buhari who approved the purchase also had the right to make his own assessment on situations and act accordingly. The meeting which was presided over by President Buhari at the Council Chambers, Presidential Villa, Abuja, the minister said Nigeria had a policy of assisting its neighbours to strengthen capacity to deal with insecurity. According to her, "over time Nigeria has been supporting its neighbours, and that the donation was to enhance the capacity of Niger Republic to maintain security". She also said the President had the liberty to assess what was in the best interest of the coun

From left: Managing Director, NPA, Mohammed Bello-Koko presents a plaque to Director General, SON, Farouk Salim during a visit of the SON management to NPA headquarters, The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), have agreed to collaborate in order to boost the country’s non-oil export drive as well as check the influx of fake and substandard goods into the country. The Director General of the SON, Mallam Farouk Salim, who led the top management of the organisation on a working visit to NPA Headquarters solicited the cooperation and support of the NPA towards ridding the country of fake and substandard products, which he said are inimical to the growth and development of the country as well as the wellbeing of the citizens. He noted that it has become necessary and expedient for relevant stakeholders in the port industry to join hands with the organisation in the fight against fake and substandard goods illegally imported mostly from Asia and

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, (NIMASA), is currently reviewing the cost of direct sponsorship of Nigerian cadets undergoing foreign training under the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP). This was made known in a release from the agency, which reads: "The Director General of NIMASA Dr Bashir Jamoh noted that the review of ongoing sponsorship cost has become necessary due to the global inflationary trends which is very pronounced in the Philippines, India and some other countries where Nigerian cadets are undergoing Certificate of Competency (CoC) Examination training under the NSDP programme. The sponsorship covers training leading to obtaining a Certificate of Competency, CoC". We are not unmindful of the unforeseen global inflationary trend which has affected the cost of sustaining our cadets who are on sponsorship in some schools under the NSDP programme. Though NIMASA paid the tuition fee, examination fee and the original cost of feed