Author: Saint Augustine

In its renewed bid to facilitate trade and promote cross border transit regime between the Nigeria Customs Service and the Customs Administration of Republic of Benin, the Nigeria Customs Service last week handed over 5 Nissan Frontier vehicles to the Benin Republic Customs Administration as logistics support. Speaking during the handing over ceremony at the Seme Border Station, the Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service, Alhaji Dikko Inde Abdullahi said that the gesture was in furtherance of the Service’s quest to reduce the smuggling of vehicles into the country without following the due customs process of clearing at the border…

As countdown to the departure of the outgoing Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Alhaji Dikko Inde Abdullahi enters the 5th day, the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has denied media report tipping it as having endorsed a candidate to succeed Dikko. A maritime industry based weekly newspaper had reported on Monday that ANLCA had endorsed the group choice for South-West Comptroller-General candidature. But in a press release issued on Wednesday by the National Publicity Secretary of ANLCA, Dr. Kayode Farinto and made available to Primetime Reporters, the association described the story as a figment of the imagination…

The Seme Border Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has said that it collected a total of N631, 424,201.09 (Six Hundred and Thirty-One Million, Four Hundred and Twenty-Four Thousand, Two Hundred and One Naira, Nine Kobo) as revenue for the month of July, 2015. In a statement issued on Wednesday by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Mr. Ajao Afiz and made available to Primetime Reporters, the Command further said that it made 36 seizure with Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N20,168,880.00 (Twenty Million, One Hundred and Sixty-eight Thousand, Eight Hundred and Eighty Naira) in the month under review. The…

The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has described the outgoing Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Alhaji Dikko Inde Abdullahi as the Veteran of Customs Reforms in Nigeria. Speaking in a press release issued in Lagos on Tuesday by the Head of Special Duties NAGAFF, Mr. Dipo Olayoku and made available to Primetime Reporters, NAGAFF stated that the shoe he was leaving behind was quite too big in the area of revenue function, anti-smuggling, infrastructure, welfare of officers, capacity building, information technology, innovation in risk management technique, trade facilitation and partnership in Customs operations, trade intelligence gathering…

The Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs, Abdullahi Dikko Inde, has turned in his resignation letter to President Muhammad Buhari indicating he wishes to leave the job on August 18, according to sources in the presidency. Dikko has served out his first four year tenure and has served two years into his unannounced second tenure, and it is unclear why he has decided to go in one week’s time. Our sources however note that several Customs leaders are currently being investigated for corruption and some may be fired or arrested. President Buhari is reportedly looking to fill Dikko’s position with…

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has warned the general public to disregard a recent publication in the social media entitled,” 2014/2015 NIMASA scholarship form finally out” with contact numbers as 08052873989, 07064847811 saying that such advert never emanated from the agency. In a press release issued on Monday by the Deputy Director/Head Public Relations NIMASA, Hajia Lami Tumaka and obtained by Primetime Reporters, the agency stated that it had been inundated with calls by well meaning Nigerians so as to ascertain the authenticity of such advert thus prompting it to state that the information was not from…

President Muhammed Buhari Monday in Abuja called for an explanation from the Ministry of Finance on the foreign loans obtained for rail projects but diverted to other purposes. Speaking at the end of a presentation on the Ministry of Transport by the Permanent Secretary, Alhaji Mohammed Bashar at the Presidential Villa, President Buhari said that it was disappointing to find that foreign loans obtained in line with signed agreements were moved from one project to another. “I hope that due process was followed before such diversions were carried out. Taking money from one project to another has to be done…

Chief Emmanuel Nweke is the Chief Executive Officer of ITC Bonded Terminal, a freight Forwarder and operator in the maritime industry. He bares his mind in this media interaction with newsmen on how inconsistent government policies have been responsible for the dwindling fortunes of the Inland Container Depots (ICDs) in Nigeria and how the terminal operators do not help in any way to alleviate the plight of the ICD operators. He however hinges the hope of ICD revival on the mercy of the new government of President Muhammadu Buhari who he has called upon to revise the policies establishing ICDs…

Contrary to condemnations that trailed the plan by the Federal Government to engage the services of two yet to be named foreign accounting firms to audit the accounts of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and other revenue generating agencies of government, a financial expert, Mr. Johnson Chukwu has applauded the idea. Speaking in an interview with Primetime Reporters yesterday in Lagos, Chukwu stated that the fact that the Federal Government appointed two international accounting firms to audit the accounts of the NNPC and other government agencies did no mean that local firms will not have enough mandate within their…

Anambra State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano has once again made good on a promise made before Ndi Anambra with the distribution of the sum of N10 million as palliatives to the victims of the Ose-Okwodu Market fire incident of April 2014. Speaking during the presentation of cheques to the Ninety-Seven beneficiaries at his Aguleri country home in Anambra East Local Area, governor Obiano said that the gesture was in keeping with his promise to Ndi Anambra to continue to pursue programmes that will impact positively on their lives. The Governor also assured that the government will rebuild the Ose-Okwodu Market,…