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DC Timi Bomodi The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has disclosed that the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) valuation system has recorded huge success since its introduction. The National Public Relations Officer of the service, Deputy Comptroller Timi Bomodi stated this yesterday in Abuja. He stated that the system had been able to drastically reduce false information on imported vehicles. According to him, “the VIN valuation has been successful because it is no longer easy to play around with information; “Before the introduction of the system, it was easy for people to manipulate the process because they were making manual declarations about vehicles" " For instance, if they were bringing in 2020 model of vehicles, they might be able to manoeuvre and say they were bringing in 2010 model because they knew they would pay less". He said with the system currently in place, every piece of information about a vehicle gets revealed once entered into the system. Continuing, t...

The Minister of Transportation, Engr. Mu’azu Sambo, has disclosed that the Federal Government will soon harmonize taxes paid by jetty operators to address double taxation  and promote Ease of  Doing Business in the country.  Mu'azu disclosed this yesterday in Abuja during a meeting with the Technical Sub-Committee of the Presidential Standing Committee on Private Jetties (PSCPJ), led by its Chairman, Engr. Joseph Ororo. The minister noted that operators are more often made to pay multiple registration fees by different regulatory agencies such as the National Inland Waterways and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency.  Speaking on the Committee’s mandate of licensing jetties and closure of illegal platforms, the Minister appreciated their exploits while advising that their inspections should not be restricted to timelines but should include unscheduled visits to jetties to ensure compliance with extant laws and regulations.  Earlier, the Chairma...

The Honourable Minister of Transportation, Mu'azu Jaji Sambo, has identified transportation as the only catalyst for rapid national development.   The Minister stated this at the ongoing 2022 Ministerial Retreat taking place in Uyo, Akwa Ibom, State, with the theme: "Developing Capacity and Strategy to Deliver the National Development Plan (NDP) for the Transportation Sector". In his speech, the minister observed that the Transportation Sector has contributed to the socio-economic needs of Nigerians and promoted the overall sustainable development of the nation, adding that, the provision of transportation infrastructure is and will always be work in progress for any nation that desires rapid development. Sambo, further disclosed that he knows  that a lot needs to be done in the sector that the government developed the "National Development Plans (Medium-Term Development Plans 2021-2025 and a Long-Term Plan called the Nigeria Agenda 2050) which the Ministry domestica...

The Federal Government has given assurances that it is working assiduously to ensure that soon, Inland waterways will be developed enough to move cargoes by barges to their ports of destination.  The Minister of Transportation, Mu'azu Jaji Sambo gave the assurance during an interview session with Journalists at the on-going 2022 Ministerial Retreat in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.  "We want to make sure that Inland waterways transportation is developed in such a way that movement of containers and other cargoes by barges from Lagos through the intra-coastal routes to hinterlands will become the new normal". Sambo said    According to the Minister, to make that possible, it will involve clearing the waterways and fortunately, the Ministry has found a company that is ready to do that sometime in November, this year.  "We have a dream in the Ministry  to move containers from Marina in Lagos to Onitsha in Anambra State and even to Baru in Niger State and  that wil...

T he Honourable Minister Of Transportation, Muazu Jaji Sambo has called for harmonious working relationship among governing boards within the ministry for  uttermost respect for delegated authorities and responsibilities,  noting that a harmonious working relationship was important between the ministry and its agencies on one hand and with the legislative arm of Government on the other hand. According to the minister, this is important as provided in the Constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria, which every public office holder have sworn to uphold and accord all necessary respect and corporations at all times within recognized boundaries. Engr. Sambo made this remarks at the Federal Ministry of Transportation Ministerial Retreat holding in Akwa Ibom State. In his words, "A harmonious relationship brings synergy at all levels. We should ignore rivalry and always have at the back of our mind that we are all working for a collective goal which is the progress and developm...

The Transportation sector will be generating about 21million  full-time jobs and lift 35 Million people out of poverty by 2025. .  This was stated by the honourable minister of Transportation, Engr. Muazu Jaji Sambo at the  2022 Federal Ministry of Transport Ministerial Retreat at the Ibom Icon Hotel, Akwa-Ibom. The Minister in his speech said the transportation sector was setting the stage for achieving the government’s commitment of lifting 100 Million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years.  Sambo said infrastructural gaps that exist in the sector necessitated the development of the National Development Plans; Medium-Term Development Plans 2021-2025 and a Long-Term Plan called the Nigeria Agenda 2050. "This is to invest massively in infrastructure, ensure macroeconomic stability, enhance the investment environment, improve living conditions and implement climate change mitigation. "This will generate 21 Million full-time jobs and lift 35 Million people out of povert...

The flagship of the Nigerian Customs Service, the Apapa Command,  has disclosed that it made a total of N790,630,406,980.96 as revenue between January and September, 2022. This shows an exponential improvement of N181.5 billion as against N609 billion collected in the corresponding months January -September 2021, representing a 29.8% increment. Also, the command in its anti-smuggling operations recorded 145 seizures of various items in clear breach of sections 46 and 47 of Customs and Excise Management Act, CEMA CAP C45 LFN 2004, with a duty paid value (DPV) of N12,496,672,122.00 during the period under review. The seized items include unregistered medicament such as tramadol and codeine, processed/unprocessed wood, used clothing, ladies/men’s footwear, foreign parboiled rice, tomato paste, vegetable oil and other sundry items that falls under import/export prohibition list. The Customs Area Controller (CAC) Apapa Command, Comptroller Yusuf Malanta Ibrahim stated that the seizures ...

  ..   Plans acquisition of VIS to track vessels in illegal operations The Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mohammed Bello Koko, has disclosed that the authority generated the sum of of N259bn in nine months. Bello Koko who spoke during a Ministerial Press Briefing in Abuja last week said the months were between January and September. The organisation had announced generation of N172.286 billion as at June this year. The MD also said that the authority has concluded plans to acquire the vehicle information system (VIS), which is a technology used in monitoring movement of vessels. He explained that the security device will help NPA in tracking ships engaged in illegal activities and which often switch off their Automatic identification systems (AIS) for obvious reasons. Bello Koko said that security monitoring device was important, adding that already some African countries use the system.

Th e Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Barr Emmanuel Jime, has said that the council as the ports economic regulator will monitor closely the operations of the Lekki Deep Seaport to ensure that it achieves world standard when it finally begins operation. Jime said the expectation of the council was one of quality service delivery for the benefit of shippers as the case in global ports. The Executive Secretary said this when he was speaking as a guest of the ‘The Shipper’, a TVC Continental television programme, Jime said it was the duty of ports economic regulator to ensure that the deep seaport lives up to expectations in quality services to shippers. The ES said he has no doubt that the Lekki seaport will be efficient in all areas of its operations since it will automate its services. He also said that the take-off of the seaport will go a long way in decongesting the Lagos seaport, adding that this will reduce pressure on every port in the country.

"Nigeria has become Importer, Exporter and great user of hard drugs" these were the words of  Comptroller Abubakar Umar, the Customs Area Controller (CAC) of the  Western Marine Command of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) when he was giving a breakdown of the Cannabis Sativa seized by his command recently. Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Comptroller Umar said a total seized Cannabis Sativa (Marijuana) weighing about 16,663kg and estimated at a street value of N2,061,000,000; was intercepted  while on their way into the country from Ghana along the waterways. While frowning at this importation, the CAC said; “Importation like this won’t help our country’s development; We all know the harms that Cannabis Sativa pose to our youths. It is illegal to ship such contraband into Nigeria and we will continue to thwart the efforts of unscrupulous importers who derive joy in bringing in such substance into the country”. The command boss who handed over the seized cannabis to ...