Maritimegistplus

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Wednesday said it was not involved in determining the exchange rate applied in determining import duties. Reacting to reports attributing the increase in exchange rate in duty payments in a statement, the National Public Relations Officer of the Service, Deputy Comptroller Timi Bomodi said it is the duty of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and not the Nigeria Customs Service, he however, added that the rate of exchange used to calculate duty payments is not a static phenomenon. Part of the statement reads, “The attention of the Nigeria Customs Service has been drawn to reports by some sections of the media attributing the increase in exchange rate in our system to the Nigeria Customs Service. “Noting that the rate of exchange used to calculate duty payments is not a static phenomenon, we wish to reiterate that the Central Bank of Nigeria is the only organisation vested with the authority to determine official rates as applicable for the purpose...

  The leadership crisis bedeviling the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agent ( ANLCA) for almost three years now will soon be led to rest as the Taiwo Afolabi led BoT finally receives Certificate  of Incorporation from the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). The Acting President of the Association, Dr. Kayode Farinto, announced the receipt of the new certificate in a press statement he personally signed on Friday. Armed with the certificate, Farinto advised all stakeholders to “disregard any other group or individuals that are parading themselves as ANLCA board members”. He maintained that those parading themselves as board members were simply those expelled by the Association. He said that the ANLCA NECOM was aware of frantic moves by the expelled members to get recognition from stakeholders, adding that they have been distributing letters of introduction for recognition. Farinto said that while the issue of letters of introduction is being investigated, he warned th...

The new Customs Area Controller (CAC) of the  Ports Terminal MultiServices Limited (PTML)  Comptroller Sulaiman Bomai has reassured all port users at the command of regular facilitation of legitimate trade, constant dialogue and prompt dispute resolution. According to a statement from  SC Muhammad Yakubu the command as  Public Relations Officer, Comptroller Bomai gave this hint at his maiden  meeting with  government agencies, and other stakeholders operating within the  command. The CAC urged importers and their agents to embrace voluntary compliance, saying the newly introduced fast track 2.0 being put in place by the management of Nigeria Customs Service, will assist compliant businesses to grow and in the long run to build a robust economy. He explained further that such innovations would help manufacturers take delivery of their imported raw materials from the ports to their factories ahead of duty payment and other clearing formalities. While com...

Mr. Dom Onyeka Players in the Maritime industry have continued to seek lasting solution to the protracted crises rocking the leadership of Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), the imbroglio continues to escalate triggering lots of tensions and bitterness amongst members. In this exclusive interview with The PRESTIGE BLENDED MAGAZINE in his Lagos office, the Apapa Chapter Chairman of Association of Nigerian  Licensed Customs Agents- ANLCA, Mr. Dom Onyeka, speaks passionately on the protracted crises rocking the association, its effects on the industry and his expectation for the association in coming days, the veteran Customs Broker, MD/CEO, MUDONS TRUST NIG.LTD and KEZIM SERVICES AND AGENCIES LTD also utilized the robust time to speak on the current state of the Maritime industry. Enjoy the excerpt ! SIR, Maritime Practitioners have been expressing serious concerns about very harsh economic and administrative policies which they say is affecting their business a...

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 read...

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 timin...

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 releva...

  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 ...

  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...

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...