Author: Saint Augustine

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has said that it would close down all the Direct Trader Input (DTI) centres nationwide by January 2016 to allow for the issuance of passwords to customs license agencies. At a stakeholders’ meeting with the Comptroller-General of Customs, Hameed Ali at Apapa, Lagos on Monday, a representative of the DTI operators had raised a concern over the way and manner fraudsters had been infiltrating through their ranks and using an authorised platform to commit fraudulent acts thereby giving them a bad name calling on the Customs to undertake an audit of the DTI operators with…

The leadership of the Concerned Accredited Freight Forwarding Associations (CAFFA) has warned the Customs Area Controller of Apapa Customs Command, Comptroller Eporwei Charles Edike to be wary of the loyalty of his officers and men who work with him. This warning which was contained in a press release issued recently by CAFFA in Lagos is coming on the heel of a media report where the National Coordinator of Save Nigeria Freight Forwarders, Importers and Exporters Coalition (SNIFFIEC), Dr. Osita Patrick Chukwu was quoted to have called on Comptroller Edike to order the arrest of the leadership CAFFA for daring to…

The Deputy Director/Head Public Relations, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Hajia Lami Tumaka has said that there was never a time the Acting Director-General of NIMASA, Mr. Haruna Baba Jauro came out to defend Tompolo’s maritime security contract as widely reported in some sections of the media. Hajia Tumaka who made this known in a press release she issued on Tuesday in Lagos stated that the Acting Director-General was quoted out of context urging the general public to ignore such reports. She explained that Mr. Haruna did not at any point during the working visit to the Chief…

The Independent National Electoral Commission has said it has recruited 13,052 ad hoc staff that will assist in the conduct of the governorship election holding in Kogi State on Nov. 21. The Secretary in the INEC state office, Mailafia Adison, who disclosed this on Monday in Lokoja, said the ad hoc staff included 12, 536 poll officials and 255 supervisory presiding officers. According to him, others are 239 registration collation officers, 21 registration area collation officers and one state returning officer. He said all the ad hoc staff were picked after a thorough screening to ascertain their suitability for the…

The Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode has expressed sadness over the murder of the Lekki Free Trade Zone Managing Director, Mr. Tajudeen Disu killed yesterday as Ibeju-Lekki villagers and mobile police officers clashed in Okunraiye community near Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos. Disu was among persons killed as Ibeju-Lekki villagers and mobile police officers clashed in Okunraiye community near Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos, this morning. The villagers said they were on a peaceful protest against “forceful takeover” of their land by the Lagos state government on behalf of Africa’s richest industrialist, Aliko  Dangote and the Lekki Free Zone Ltd. when policemen attacked them reportedly killing…

… Says days of corruption at Ports are over. The Comptroller General of Customs Col. Hameed Ali (rtd) has said that operators involved in sharp practices will get five year jail term if caught cutting corners adding that days of corruption are gone in customs formalities. Ali who gave the warning yesterday at a familiarization stakeholders’ meeting held at Apapa Lagos also stressed the need for freight agents to shun corruption and follow the rules of engagement. According to him, any agents caught in the act of corruption through under devaluation, under declaration and bribery amongst others would result to complexity in…

A major player in the Nigerian e-commerce industry, Konga is set to offer in just 4 hours 80% discount on all the products listed on its site. Nigeria’s largest online mall, Konga has just announced that all the products listed on its site across all categories will attract up to 80% discount tommorrow. The promo, which will run online for just 4 hours, is a build up to this year’s Yakata Sales Promo, Konga’s version of the global Black Friday sales. Tagged,” Mega Monday Madness Sales”, the promo will give millions of online shoppers opportunity to order for their favourite…

The Chairman, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) Tincan Island Chapter, Chief Azubuike Ekweozor has described as false the allegation leveled against him by an anonymous member of NAGAFF in the media. A maritime industry based newspaper (not Primetime Reporters) had on Tuesday reported that an anonymous member of the association has alleged that the association in Tincan Island Chapter had been so quite without any activity going on in the chapter as the Chairman, Chief Ekweozor had no idea on how to steer the ship of NAGAFF in the chapter. The source according to the newspaper further…

…Seeks Cooperation for resettlement of IDPs The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Buratai has commended the Management of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) for its efforts in combating piracy and other criminal activities on Nigeria’s water ways. General Buratai who said this, when the Ag. Director General of NIMASA, Mr. Haruna Baba Jauro paid a working visit to the Army Head Quarters also assured NIMASA of the cooperation of the Army in curbing criminal activities especially in the creeks where barges and other water crafts are used to commit crimes like crude oil theft and…

The Chairman, Association of Igbo Maritime Practitioners in Nigeria (AIMPN), Mr. Uchechukwu Aniezechukwu has decried the huge profits declared annually by the shipping companies and terminal operators operating at the Nigerian Maritime sector saying that the development had never reflected on the industry as a whole. Aniezechukwu who made this known in chat with newsmen in Lagos on Thursday argued that there was hardly any nation of the world where the profit margin of the multinational companies doing business in it would not reflect on the lives of the people. He further argued that whereas the shipping companies and terminal…