Author: Saint Augustine

…to commence January 1, 2015     Weeks of intense lobbying over the effective date of implementation of the new automotive policy have paid-off as the Federal Government has granted an extension of the commencement date to January 1, 2015, which was to have commenced on July 1, 2014. The new date is the aftermath of the lobbying machinery of different stakeholders which included freight forwarding associations, logistics organizations and importers. The various lobbies were said to have been coordinated by a non-government organization; the Maritime Advocacy and Action Group (MAAG). By the new development, vehicles imported into the country will continue…

Worried by the huge revenue the country loses to the existing waiver regime and tax holiday presently operated in the country, the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has resolved to meet with top management of the Nigeria customs service to put a stop to the high rate of revenue losses through the indiscriminate waivers and tax holidays. Speaking when officials of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Council, NIPC, visited him in his office, the Chairman of RMAFC, Elias Mbam said his agency had resolved to meet with top management of the Nigeria customs service NCS officials and those of the…

There are strong indications that the newly launched Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) have started disappointing passengers as it frequently developed fault.   The DMU that was launched by the Vice President, Arc. Namadi Sambo early this month, which  moves passengers to and fro Lagos on a daily basis for whooping N750 has been experiencing numerous problems that it has start disappointing and delaying customers.   According to one of the commuters who spoke to Our Correspondent, Kamradeen Agbaje said the DMU developed fault at Itoki on Thursday on its way to ijoko, Ogun state.…

As the Federal government gets set to introduce the 35 percent levy on the imported used vehicles in the country on July 1, stakeholders in the Maritime industry have expressed fear over the possible effect of the development on their businesses and on the economy at large. Recall that the Nigerian Customs Service on July 5,2014 commenced the implementation of the 35 percent duty on  fairly used vehicles imported into the country, an action that did not go down well with importers and agents thus sparking off series of protests in Lagos. With the introduction of the 35 percent levy…

The Nigeria Customs Service recently directed the valuation unit to take over value related function previously carried out by the query and Amendment Seat of the service. Primetime Reporters gathered that the directive was contained in circular No.015/2014 released and signed on behalf of the Comptroller-General of Custom, Dikko Inde Abdullahi by the Deputy Comptroller-General in-charge of Tariff and Trade (T&T) of the service, Aliu, G.T. It further directed all Area Controllers to disengage the Query and Amendment Set in their various commands from performing the function with immediate effect. The circular reads,” to further enhance the revenue profile of…

The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) and the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) on Friday denied involvement of their respective associations and their members in the allegation of the collection of the suspended transaction fee at the nation’s ports. The denial from the two associations came on the heels of  reports credited to a Maritime industry based newspaper alleging that the two associations blatantly defied the regulatory agencies’ orders to all the freight forwarding associations to suspend collection of the said fee until further notice. The medium which named the Ports and terminals where this…

The Senior Pastor, Fire and Power Ministries, Aboru in Lagos state, Rev. Ezekiel Arimobi has said that the church would soon build a school where it intends to train children of the church and that of the Aboru community free of charge. Rev. Arimobi who was speaking on Sunday in a service to mark the mid-year thanksgiving of the church at the church’s premises in Lagos also said that the church would also build a hospital where members of the church as well as people of the community would assess free medical treatment even as he said that the church…

One month after the coming into effect of the new automotive policy of the federal government which saw the duty rate jerked up from the usual 10 percent in 2013 to 35 percent in 2014, activities at the Ports and Terminal Multiservices Limited (PTML) command of the Nigeria Customs Service may have been slowed down. A visit at the command by our correspondent revealed that the command’s car park where imported used vehicles are parked for clearing was littered with vehicles of different kinds most of them, buses and delivery vans. At the shipping companies unit which used to be…

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has called on the stakeholders who have major roles to play in the realization of the improved living and working conditions for seafarers and Manning Agents to cooperate with it to ensure the success of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006. Speaking at a special session with the Ship Owners, Manning Agents, Seafarers Employers and Seafarers to mark the commencement of the convention in Nigeria in Lagos on Tuesday, the Executive Director Maritime Labour and Cabotage Services NIMASA, Mr. Callistus Obi said that NIMASA would continue to solicit for a continued cooperation…

…Says NIMASA lacks accrediting powers Following allegations leveled against private maritime schools in Nigeria; foremost private maritime school, Stars Maritime Academy (SMA) has said that the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) is not an academic accrediting body in Nigeria educational system saying that  the agency it  has no right to accredits private maritime schools. The foremost private maritime also said that master marine has no right to say that apart from MAN Oron private schools are illegitimate even as it threatened to sue organizations and individuals about its existence. Rector of the academic Dr. Reuben Ovai in a…