Author: Saint Augustine

Our attention has been drawn to the somewhat comic and disappointing search for relevance by Mr. Ken Emeakayi, a member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, with his Open Letter released to select journalists at a Press Briefing in Awka on August 17, 2015. In describing Mr. Emeakayi as a member of Anambra state PDP, we are of course only being charitable as it is not even clear if Emeakayi has not been expelled from the party by one or more of the numerous factions of the party currently at each other’s throats. Emeakayi and his sponsors…

…Says “You cannot fight what God has destined to be” The reinstated Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mallam Habib Abdullahi has officially taken over the leadership position of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) more than three months after he was previously sacked by the former President Goodluck Jonathan from  the position. At the ceremonial handover yesterday in Lagos, Abdullahi called on staff of the authority to ensure that all hands were on deck to ensure that the authority moved forward. The reinstated Managing Director maintained that destiny cannot be change by anyone even as he thanked President…

The Shippers Association of Lagos State (SALS) has identified the high cost of doing business in the Nigerian ports as one of the major problems confronting the Nigerian shipper which needed to be frontally tackled by the government. Speaking at a press briefing yesterday in Lagos, the President of SALS, Rev. Jonathan Nicol regretted that the Nigerian port was the most expensive port in the world adding that the trend was not a good one for the nation. Nicol pointed out that the government policy had to change so that the Nigerian port could compete favourably with other ports in…

…As ANLCA refrain from endorsing a candidate   Ahead of the retirement of the outgoing Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Alhaji Dikko Inde Abdullahi today, the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has said that it has forwarded a list of three nominees to President Muhammadu Buhari for consideration as Dikko’s successor. It will be recalled that Dikko had on the 3rd of August, 2015 notified the President of his intention to voluntarily retire from the service today so as to give room for the younger ones to take over from him and continue to improve…

It began like a rumour as the news that the outgoing Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs Service, Alhaji Dr. Dikko Inde Abdullahi has written and notified President Muhammadu Buhari in a letter dated 3rd August, 2015 of his intention to voluntarily retire from the Service on the 18th 0f August, 2015 filtered into the Nigeria’s Maritime industry. But what came in with the initial doubt about whether or not the information was true started gathering momentum and gradually became a dominant issue in every discourse in the maritime industry. The information became more confusing when the Nigeria Customs Service could not…

The immediate past Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on Sunday described as untrue allegation that a substantial part($600m) of the $1bn Chinese loan obtained for railway projects, was diverted. Okonjo-Iweala, in a statement by her Media Adviser, Mr. Paul Nwabuikwu, also explained that contrary to the allegation, the Kano-Lagos rail project was not part of the project listed for funding from the Chinese loan. President Muhammadu Buhari had last Monday queried the Ministry of Finance for alleged diversion of foreign loans obtained for rail projects by the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan. Specifically, the President was seeking clarification…

The National President, National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA), Mr. Lucky Amiwero has called for proper investigation of the Nigeria Customs Service on the state of Destination inspection Scheme, the 1% Free-on-Board (FOB) collection, the movement of collection with other headings not approved and a total reform of the Service with a professional as the head for effective service delivery. Amiwero who made this known in a letter he addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari dated 25thJuly, 2015 and entitled,” The complete collapse of the Destination Inspection Scheme (DIS) after the handover to Nigeria Customs Service and…

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) said it had made seizure worth N45, 470,441 (Forty-Five Million, Four Hundred and Seventy Thousand, Four Hundred and Forty-one Naira) in the week five of the Operation “Hawk Descend”, According to the National Public Relations Officer of the NCS, Mr. Wale Adeniyi, the Duty Paid Value (DPV) of the seized goods was the highest recorded since the launch of the operation last month. A breakdown of the seizures showed that Ogun Command made a total seizure of 6, 565 cartons with the DPV of N2, 937, 441. 00, Federal Operations Unit(FOU) Zone A, Ikeja made…

A new Public Relations Officer had been appointed for the Seme Border Command of the Nigeria Customs Service. He is Superintendent of Customs (SC) Selechang Taupyen who hails from Lantang North Local Government Area of Plateau State. Taupyen holds a National Diploma (COAL), Higher National Diploma (ABU), Post Graduate Diploma (ATBU) and Masters of Science Degree (MSC). He joined the Nigeria Customs Service in the year 1992 and served at various Customs Area Commands    and was the Customs Public Relations Officer for Adamawa/Taraba Command from 2009-2012. Mr. Taupyen took over from Mr. Ajao Afiz who is now to deputize…

The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has said that the Nigeria Customs Service had granted its members its (customs) operating license urging members to take advantage of the development to secure compliance in cargo clearance out of the customs ports and approved borders stations. The Chairman Board of Trustees of NAGAFF, Mr. Chidiebere Enelamah who disclosed this in a press release he issued in Lagos recently, a copy of which was made available to Primetime Reporters, said that the development was part of the efforts NAGAFF and the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria…