Author: Saint Augustine

Following weeks of argument over who pays the one percent commission as proposed by the Licensed Customs Agents, the President, Shippers’ Association of Lagos State (SAL), Rev. Jonathan Nicol has said that the Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) provided that one percent of every duty collected by the freight agents be paid to them. It will be recalled that in his inaugural speech after his re-election as the National President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Prince Olayiwola Shittu has promised his members that he would pursue and get the federal government to pay the Licensed…

REV. JONATHAN NICOL is a Nigerian born into the family of Bowei of Patani in Delta State in Nigeria. There after relocated with his Parents to the then Midwest region shortly before the Nigerian Civil war in the sixties. Having attended and concluded his post Primary Education in Delta and Lagos State, Nigeria he worked briefly in Lagos with the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA). He studied Personnel and Industrial Relations. While studying abroad, he derived an interest in shipping and transportation; this gave birth to Harlem International Limited. Our Icon, Rev. Nicol is currently among the five maritime gladiators…

…Commissions ANLCA National secretariat The Vice President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Architect Namadi Sambo has called for the amendment of the Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) to provide for stiffer penalties for non compliant traders who under-declare their imports as well as smugglers whose activities were bent on short changing the government in order to discourage others from undertaking such ignoble act. Sambo who was speaking as the Special Guest of Honour at the 60th anniversary celebration and the commissioning of the ultra-modern permanent National Secretariat of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) in Lagos on Friday,…

The Comptroller General of Customs, Alhaji Dr. Dikko inde Abdullahi has pleaded with the stakeholders in the maritime sector of the economy to show patience and understanding with the Service as it battle to tackle the challenges still noticeable with the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) introduced by the Service about nine months ago. Dikko who was speaking in a message at the 60th anniversary and the commissioning of the Ultra-modern permanent National Secretariat of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) in Lagos on Friday recalled that just as the erstwhile Service Providers were unwilling to go, one should…

By Joe Sanni The idea of a permanent National Secretariat was first muted two years into the first tenure of Prince Olayiwola Shittu – led NECOM, when the issue of the two plots of land in the Abule Ado area of Amuwo Odofin – Lagos – was being discussed – and moreso, because of the actualization and fulfillment of all his campaign promises as at then. The land was acquired during the period of interregnum in the association, when the Board of Trustees, chaired by Chief Henry Njoku, administered the association, because of the absence of a National Executive Committee.…

Contrary to the claims by the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Alhaji Dr. Dikko Inde Abdullahi that the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) when fully operational would become a final document for clearance of goods at the ports, the Service (NCS) has said that PAAR could best seen as advisory document at the moment. The National Public Relations Officer of NCS, Mr. Wale Adeniyi who disclosed this in an interview monitored by Primetime Reporters identified dishonest attitude of importers who under-declare their imports in a bid to short change the government and the lack of technical know- how…

The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Barr. Hassan Bello has blamed the problems bedeviling the nation’s seaport on inadequate training for the freight forwarders who he said played an important role in the international trade. Bello who was speaking in his in Lagos office recently when the officials of the Nigerian Institute of Freight Forwarders and Customs Brokers (NIFFCB) paid him a courtesy stated that a good chunk of the problems at the nation’s seaports would be solved if freight forwarders were well trained and conduct themselves professionally. He stated that because of the important role freight…

The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Mr Ziakede Patrick Akpobolokemi has said that a stable democracy, which is only possible with credible elections, required an equally strong economy to enable the citizens fulfill their individual and collective aspirations. Akpobolokemi who stated this in his goodwill message to the 10th All Nigerian Editors Conference, which ended in Katsina state at the weekend, expressed optimism that the Nigerian economy was growing in leaps and bounds as demonstrated by increasing volume of trade and foreign direct investment adding that it would experience further growth given the consciousness…

While the commuters using the Oshodi/Apapa expressway, especially as it affects the Mile 2 end to the Apapa port may have had some sought of relief as the traffic situation on the road seemed to have improved in the recent time, one will be forced to ask if the situation will continue to be like this or will it later deteriorate to what it used to be about three months ago. For about one month now, movement from Mile 2 to Apapa had improved as one can now access the Apapa port from Mile 2 within a record time as…

The Marine Engineering and Naval Architecture (MENA) Division of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) has expressed its sadness over the lack of interests in its activities shown by the government agencies operating in the maritime sector. The Chairman of the MENA Division, Engr. Navy Capt. Dominic Onabanjo who made this known in a welcome address he delivered to mark the 2014 Conference and Annual General Meeting of the Division in Lagos recently regretted that the Division as important as it was to the Maritime industry was yet to enjoy the required support from the various government agencies in the…