The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Ban

  • Coyle backs Hope Akpan against extended ban

    Blackburn manager  Owen Coyle said a three-game ban handed Hope Akpan should be enough punishment for him as the Nigeria midfielder faces an extended suspension following his red card at Sheffield Wednesday.

    The coach said Akpan did not push the referee as it was said.

    Akpan was sent off for raising his hands towards referee Scott Duncan as he protested against his late equaliser at Hillsborough being ruled out for handball.

    He has been charged with violent conduct by the Football Association (FA) and began a three-match man when Manchester United visited Ewood Park in the FA Cup yesterday, but that could be extended.

    Coyle, who stressed that no-one at the club condones laying hands on an official.

    “I thought a three game ban was sufficient,” he said.

    “Nobody can ever condone touching a referee but never at any time did Hope Akpan push, or shove, as people have intimated, the referee.

    “Hope placed his arms on the referee, which he shouldn’t have done, but he never pushed him.

    “It’s hard to take given the events of the other night, but the situation has arisen after a decision which was given against us after scoring a perfectly good goal.

    “It does rub salt in to the wounds, but I must stress, no-one is condoning touching a referee.”

  • Forex ban on 41 items stays, says CBN

    Forex ban on 41 items stays, says CBN

    The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has rejected calls by the Organised Private Sector (OPS) to reverse its foreign exchange (forex) ban on 41 goods, which the country can produce.

    The CBN said it would continue to support the real sector rather than lift the ban.

    CBN’s Acting Director, Corporate Communications, Mr. Isaac Okoroafor, said despite criticisms, CBN would not drop the policy nor bow to  “self-serving” interests.

    “We have observed with great concern the continued and unwarranted attack on our policies by a group of Nigerians, whose real interests, findings have shown, are anything near altruistic, but rather self-serving and unpatriotic,” Okoroafor said.

    He said while the CBN respected Nigerians’ or stakeholders’ views, it found it curious that some interests have remained persistent in misinforming the public, with the aim of discrediting the genuine management of the economy.

    Okoroafor said this could create  distrust and panic within the financial system. “Indeed, self-centered individuals, who have failed to assail our patriotic position, have resorted to the sponsorship of serial propaganda to misinform and mislead the public on the objectives of our policies,” he said.

    He said some unpatriotic elements were pushing for a reversal of the policy aimed at conserving forex, stimulating agriculture and manufacturing, and promoting exports.

    Okoroafor blamed the economic challenges on the past practice of frittering away huge oil earnings.

    “Our decisions on forex management are prompted by the challenge posed by the level of depletion of the country’s reserves, arising from issues, such as drastic reduction in oil earnings, speculative attacks and round tripping,” he explained.

    According to him, the pressure on the foreign reserves has persisted due to huge reduction in monthly foreign earnings, which fell from over $3.2 billion monthly in 2013 to below $500 million last year, when the demand for the US dollar, particularly by importers, continued to rise.

    Despite the challenges, the CBN has continued to ensure that there is liquidity and transparency in the forex market, while checking inflation, and promoting productivity in critical sectors of the economy, Okoroafor said.

    However, the Organised Private Sector (OPS) members are not swayed by CBN’s position. Describing the policy as worrisome, they insisted that the apex bank’s unorthodox forex allocation system would continue to hamper  growth.

    The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Direc-tor-General, Mr. Muda Yusuf, said, in Lagos, that it was worrisome that the CBN had remained silent on some forex-related issues that were affecting the economy.

    He listed them to include acute illiquidity,  inflow impediments and too tight regulations on movement of funds.

    Others, he said, were the effects of the forex policy on non-oil exports, its disincentive to foreign direct investments and the negative impact of the policy on portfolio inflows.

    “Others are adverse effects on remittances by airlines, foreign investors’ dividends and profits; adverse effects on Diaspora remittances and the effects on investors’ confidence,” Yusuf said.

  • Trump adamant as world leaders criticise travel ban

    Trump adamant as world leaders criticise travel ban

    Merkel, May condemn order

    16 Attorneys-Gen: it’s unconstitutional

    World leaders kicked at the weekend against United States President Donald Trump’s controversial immigration order.

    There were outrage around the world and protests in many United States airports.

    It was chaotic at major airports across the world as airlines adjusted their crew members to avoid running foul of the order.

    United States Republican senators  John McCain and Linsey Graham drove home the deep implications of the order on United States security in their condemnation of the order, which bans citizens of seven majority Muslim countries in Africa and Asia —Somalia, Sudan, Libya, Iran, Iraq, Yemen and Syria — from visiting the U.S..

    It also puts a four-month hold on allowing refugees into the U.S.

    Sixteen Attorneys General in the U.S. have also declared the order as unconstitutional.

    In a joint statement, 16 attorneys general, from states including California, New York and Pennsylvania, said they would “use all of the tools of our offices to fight this unconstitutional order” and, until it was struck down, would “work to ensure that as few people as possible suffer from the chaotic situation that it has created”.

    British Prime Minister Theresa May said Britain did not agree with “this kind of approach”.

    May had been criticised by lawmakers in her ruling Conservative Party for not condemning Trump’s decision.

    Her spokesman said: “Immigration policy in the United States is a matter for the government of the United States, just the same as immigration policy for this country should be set by our government.”

    “But we do not agree with this kind of approach and it is not one we will be taking. We are studying this new executive order to see what it means and what the legal effects are, and in particular what the consequences are for UK nationals.”

    Mrs May has told Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Amber Rudd to contact their U.S. counterparts and make representations about the order barring refugees and visa holders from the seven countries.

    Johnson tweeted it was “divisive and wrong” to stigmatise people on the basis of nationality.

    Mrs May has come under fire for not condemning the order earlier.

    A Conservative Member of British Parliament, Nadhim Zahawi, who was born in Iraq, is among those who have said they would not be able to travel to the U.S. while the temporary ban – 90 days – is in place.

    British Olympic champion Sir Mo Farah, who was born in Somalia and lives in the U.S., has also said it is “deeply troubling” that he may have to tell his children he cannot go home.

    The prime minister has had a conference call with Mr Johnson and Ms Rudd and instructed them to make representations to their opposite numbers in the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security, aimed at protecting the rights of British nationals.

    German Chancellor Angela Merkel also spoke out against the U.S. immigration ban.

    A spokesman said the German leader believes the measure is wrong.

    The German chancellor said the fight against terrorism “does not justify putting people from specific background or faiths under general suspicion”, her spokesman has told Germany’s Spiegel newspaper.

    Germany’s dpa news agency quoted Mrs Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert saying yesterday that “she is convinced that even the necessary, resolute fight against terrorism doesn’t justify putting people of a particular origin or particular faith under general suspicion.”

    Merkel and Trump spoke by phone on Saturday for the first time since his inauguration.

    Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted that his government remained committed to welcoming ”those fleeing persecution, terror and war”.

    Trudeau has taken a stand on social media against the temporary US ban on refugees and immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries.

    Mr Trudeau underscored his government’s commitment to bringing in “those fleeing persecution, terror & war”.

    The US Department of Homeland Security said the entry ban would also apply to dual nationals of the seven countries.

    However, Mr Trudeau’s office says Canadian dual nationals are exempt.

    “We have been assured that Canadian citizens travelling on Canadian passports will be dealt with in the usual process,” a spokeswoman for Mr Trudeau said in an emailed statement.

    Trump’s National Security Adviser Mike Flynn “confirmed that holders of Canadian passports, including dual citizens, will not be affected by the ban,” the statement said.

    Canada’s Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen is a dual national who arrived as a Somali refugee.

    Senator John McCain (R-AZ) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) released the following a statement yesterday on the President’s executive order on immigration:

    “Our government has a responsibility to defend our borders, but we must do so in a way that makes us safer and upholds all that is decent and exceptional about our nation.

    “It is clear from the confusion at our airports across the nation that President Trump’s executive order was not properly vetted. We are particularly concerned by reports that this order went into effect with little to no consultation with the Departments of State, Defence, Justice, and Homeland Security.

    “Such a hasty process risks harmful results. We should not stop green-card holders from returning to the country they call home. We should not stop those who have served as interpreters for our military and diplomats from seeking refuge in the country they risked their lives to help.

    “And we should not turn our backs on those refugees who have been shown through extensive vetting to pose no demonstrable threat to our nation, and who have suffered unspeakable horrors, most of them women and children.

    “Ultimately, we fear this executive order will become a self-inflicted wound in the fight against terrorism. At this very moment, American troops are fighting side-by-side with our Iraqi partners to defeat Isil. But this executive order bans Iraqi pilots from coming to military bases in Arizona to fight our common enemies.

    “Our most important allies in the fight against ISIL are the vast majority of Muslims who reject its apocalyptic ideology of hatred. This executive order sends a signal, intended or not, that America does not want Muslims coming into our country.

    “That is why we fear this executive order may do more to help terrorist recruitment than improve our security.”

    A US judge has issued a temporary halt to the deportation of visa holders or refugees stranded at airports after President Trump’s ban order.

    The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a case in response to the order issued on Friday.

    The White House said 109 people were detained, and around two dozen travellers were still being held.

    Thousands of people gathered at U.S. airports to protest against the move.

    Defending his move, Mr Trump early yesterday tweeted: “Our country needs strong borders and extreme vetting, NOW.” He told reporters on Saturday that the executive order was “working out very nicely. You see it at the airports, you see it all over”.

    His Chief of Staff Reince Priebus denied that the introduction of the ban had been chaotic. He said that, of the 325,000 people entering the U.S. on Saturday, 109 were detained.

    “Most of those people were moved out,” he told NBC’s Meet the Press programme. “We’ve got a couple of dozen more than remain and I would suspect that as long as they’re not awful people that they will move through before another half a day today.”

    The ruling from federal Judge Ann Donnelly, in New York, prevented the removal from the U.S. of people with approved refugee applications, valid visas, and “other individuals… legally authorised to enter the United States”.

    The emergency ruling also said there was a risk of “substantial and irreparable injury” to those affected.

    Her ruling is not on the constitutionality of Mr Trump’s executive order.

    The department of homeland security said it would continue to enforce the measures.

    Ali worked for three years as an interpreter for the U.S. Army and gained admittance to the U.S. through a Special Immigrant Visa, reserved for Iraqi and Afghan nationals who face threats of violence for working for Americans during the conflicts there.

    He now has a green card, and returned to Iraq for his father’s funeral, only to be delayed for hours for questioning at Dulles.

    “We are not terrorists. We are not bad people,” said Ali. “It’s so hard. I hope they will change their minds on this position.”

    The court case was brought early on Saturday on behalf of two Iraqi men detained at JFK Airport in New York. One worked for the US military in Iraq, while the other is married to a former US military contract employee.

    Both have now been released. Another court hearing is set for February.

    Lee Gelernt, deputy legal director of the Immigrants Rights Project, who argued the case in court, said that some people had been threatened with being “put back on a plane” later on Saturday.

    Mr Gelernt also said the judge had ordered the government to provide a list of names of those detained under the order.

    Judges elsewhere in the US have also ruled on the issue:

    In Boston, a judge decided two Iranian nationals, professors at the University of Massachusetts, should be released from detention at Logan International Airport.

    An order issued in Virginia banned, for seven days, the deportation of green card holders held at Dulles Airport and ordered the authorities to allow access to lawyers

    A Seattle judge issued an emergency stay of removal from the US for two people

    Criticism of Mr Trump’s decision has been growing louder outside the US.

    Iran and Iraq are threatening a reciprocal ban on US citizens entering the country.

    Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany said “even the necessary, determined fight against terrorism does not justify placing people of a certain origin or belief under general suspicion”.

    Emirates airline has changed pilot and flight attendant rosters on flights to the U.S. as a result of the order.

    However, it said that U.S. flights continue to operate as scheduled.

    According to the International Air Transport Association, “the decision caught airlines off guard.’’

    The ban applies to pilots and flight attendants from the seven countries, even though all flight crew who are not U.S. citizens already needed a special visa to enter the country.

    Another Emirates spokesperson said the impact of the ban on operations would be minimal.

    The airline employs over 23,000 flight attendants and about four thousand pilots from around the world, including the U.S., Europe and the Middle East.

    Etihad said on its website that dual citizens could travel to the U.S. using their non-banned passport.

    Qatar Airways declined to comment on the impact of the ban on flight operations.

    Although, on Saturday, it issued a statement on its website that passengers would need a green card or diplomatic visa to enter the U.S. Emirates and Etihad issued similar statements

    In Paris, Air France joined the airlines turning passengers away.

    An Air France spokesman said: ”The passengers arrived on flights to Paris where they were due to transfer to fights to the US. Air France took them in charge and flew them back to the airports where their trips had originated.

    “This concerned less than 10 people in total who had arrived on various different flights. The flights were not from the countries on the (Trump) list but the passengers were citizens of the countries on the list.”

    The spokesman said that henceforth passengers from countries on the list with tickets for the US from or via Paris would not be allowed board flights in whatever airport in whichever country.

    He said he didn’t know how many had already reserved tickets for flights to the US who would now not be allowed to travel.

    He added that Air France would henceforth alert passengers to the new restrictions.

    Dutch airline KLM said it had refused carriage to the United States to seven passengers from predominately Muslim countries subject to a temporary immigration ban imposed by the Trump administration.

    A spokeswoman for KLM, part of the Franco-Dutch Air France KLM group, declined to specify which countries the passengers came from or where they were flying from.

    “Worldwide, we had seven passengers whom we had to inform that there was no point in us taking them to the U.S.,” said spokeswoman Manel Vrijenhoek. “There is still some lack of clarity about whom this ban affects.”

  • ‘Ban on vehicle import through land border ’ll cost 3m jobs’ 

    About three million people would lose their jobs following the Federal Government’s ban on the importation of fairly–used vehicles through the land borders, the Association of Motor Dealers of Nigeria, has said.

    Making this known in Gusau, the Zamfara State capital, its National Organising and Social Secretary, Alhaji Bashir Idris-Ataka, warned that the policy would further worsen Nigeria’s unemployment problem.

    Na’ala Motors Company Managing Director, Gusau, Idris-Ataka, said those likely to lose their jobs as a result of the policy include dealers, middlemen and drivers. “We are appealing to the government to look at the policy again and change it  to  a better alternative, considering its effect on the economy,” he said.

    Idris-Ataka advised the government to reduce the customs duty charges, saying the high charges were responsible for the high cost of fairly used vehicles being imported into the country.

    His words: “We have met with the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service and the House of Representatives Committee on Customs Service. And we have laid our complaints before them. We are hoping it will yield positive results”

    Idris-Ataka said that government should look into the complaints carefully and see the problems that the policy may cause and provide possible solutions to them.

    He described the association as a law-abiding one that had been contributing immensely to the economy by providing employment opportunities to millions of Nigerians.

    “We are ever ready to cooperate with government at all levels to improve the socio-economic development of the country. We also contribute to the nation’s income, as we pay revenue to government at all levels. We are, therefore, appealing to government to listen to our complaints,” the auto dealer said.

  • ‘Ban on vehicle importation through land borders ’ll not succeed’

    The Federal Government should reconsider its policy banning importation of vehicles through the land borders, as the policy will not be successful, the National President, National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA) Mr. Lucky Amiwero has said.

    Speaking on a radio programme in Lagos, he said there was need for the government to properly look into the implementation of the policy as, according to him, “it lacks some ingredients that will make a successful regime”.

    Amiwero said the government should extend the deadline for importers whose vehicles are currently trapped at the border posts, pointing out that the notice it gave on the new policy was too short.

    According to him, many importers had placed orders before the directive was announced.

    The NCMDLCA chief also said the government’s action was against international convention, which places high consideration for grace period when a major policy is to be taken.

    “The implementation should be properly looked into because it lacks some ingredients that will make a successful regime. The policy is a major decision, but the time is very short.

    “All the border posts are entry points, so, the government must give enough time if it wants to implement any policy. That is not how it is done internationally,” Amiwero stated.

    He urged the government to extend the deadline because “we are not in a military era”.

    “The cars cannot just remain there; they are Nigeria’s assets. These vehicles are not smuggled, but were imported legally as authorised by the government under the Federal Government import regime,” he said.

    Their importation, he said, was done after the import duty was assessed and paid into Federal Government’s account legally. “So, they (importers) should be made to pay duty and clear these vehicles,” he added.

    Amiwero pointed out that vessels coming from China and other places can take six months before arriving, noting that the policy will be a threat to Customs officers except the government tackles the issue of tariff on vehicles, as the rate of smuggling will increase.

    He called on the government to set up a committee to holistically look at the auto policy and review it as it had not impacted positively on Nigerians. “The government should make sure the ban will not create revenue for other countries by reviewing its tariff and also look at the auto policy holistically and review it,” he said.

    Amiwero expressed doubt if a common Nigeria could buy those vehicles that are said to be manufactured in Nigeria. “They must tackle the issue at our ports where duties are collected. It is going to be a threat to Customs officers and we are going to lose a lot of revenue if we don’t put in the right perspective,” he said.

  • Rethink ban of cars import through land borders

    SIR: I have read patiently and read with rapt attention the reason being put forward by the promoters and supporters of the recent ban of cars import through the land borders. However, up till this hour, I am not convinced of the reasons given to justify that awkward policy.

    Government all over the world utilises the principles of market segmentation in their dealings with the citizens, so that the policies would be tailored-made to suit the various strata of the citizenry. Why on earth would a sensible government come up with a one-size-fit-all policy when the environment in which the policy is expected to be implemented is segmented?

    How would a car dealer that can afford to import only one unit of car through the Maigatari border in Jigawa State be made to ship the car through Lagos Port covering thousands of kilometres when his market is in Jigawa/Kano axis? What about the risk involved?

    What happened to those small scale traders who go about their businesses in the Kamba, Illela, MaiAdua, Mubi and other border communities which relied mostly on those car importers and their workers for survival? Is the government saying they should all pack up their businesses?

    What this policy is saying in a simple term is that, an agency of government that is saddled with the responsibilities of collecting import duties have failed in the discharge of its responsibilities. And coming up with this policy is not the panacea to the problem; rather, it would compound the problem since thousands of people would certainly lose their jobs.

    Can’t government utilize information technology to tackle the problem of smuggling? What happened to the inter-agency collaboration that is being put in place? What about the capacity building for the Customs personnel? These are some of the things that need to be done, instead of subjecting the poor masses to avoidable hardship.

    I am happy that the National Assembly has intervened by asking the executive arm to suspend that policy. That is a good development, because President Muhammadu Buhari, Hamid Ali, Kemi Adeosun cannot claim to know better or feel the pulse of the people than the over 400 parliamentarians who were drawn from their various field of human endeavour.

     

    • Mohammed Auta,

    Jalingo, Taraba State.

  • 10,000 vehicles trapped as ban takes effect

    • Senate kicks against implementation

    Within 10 days of the enforcement of ban on importation of vehicles through land boarders by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), about 10,000 vehicles are already trapped at the borders.

    The NCS, in a  statement yesterday, said vehicles properly imported through the same route between January 2014 and December last year were 209,691 with N38,551,569,751.00 paid as duty.

    Meanwhile, the Senate yesterday resolved to ask the NCS to suspend further action on the policy.

    The resolution followed a motion by Senator Barau Jibrin (Kano North) and five others.

    Jibrin in his lead debate drew the attention of the Senate to the policy of the Federal Government to stop the importation of vehicles into the country through the nation’s land borders.

    He noted that it was reported that the ban would lead to the loss of about 500,000 jobs by the people engaged in the business of vehicles importation and handling services in the border areas and around the country.

    Jibrin said he believed that the economy of border villages and towns that depended on the activities of vehicles importation shall be adversely affected to the detriment of the country

    But the NCS, in a statement explained that it seized 5,998 smuggled vehicles within the  period with duty value of N10,271,734,415.36.

    The statement which was endorsed by Ag. Public Relations, Mr. Joseph Attah on behlaf of Customs Comptroller-General, Col. Hameed Ali (rtd), reads: “Curiously, Nigerians are being told that over 10,000 vehicles are already trapped 10 days into the enforcement of the policy when statistics shows vehicles properly imported through the land borders from January 2014 – 31 December 2016 was only 209,691 with N38,551,569,751.00 paid as duty. Smuggled vehicles seized within the same period was 5,998 with duty paid value of N10,271,734,415.36.”

  • Vehicles trapped at borders as ban on imports takes off

    Vehicles trapped at borders as ban on imports takes off

    •NCS: vehicles, rice imports prohibited through land
    boarders

    THE Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has started the implementation of the policy banning importation of vehicles through the land borders with many vehicles trapped at the borders.
    The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Seme Chapter, Lagos State confirmed yesterday that many vehicles were trapped at the border posts.
    A statement yesterday by the Customs Deputy Public Relations Officer, Mr. Joseph Attah, quoted the Comptroller-General Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (rtd), as reiterating the Federal Government ban on importation of rice and vehicles through the land borders.
    He urged officers and men of the service to ensure maximum collection of revenue and strict implementation of government’s fiscal policy.
    The Public Relations Officer of the NCS, Seme Command, Mr. Selechang Taupyen, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Badagry that the service had to comply with government’s fiscal policy.
    Taupyen said the command’s officials had been placed at strategic places to curb any form of smuggling of cars.
    The Federal Government had on December 5 placed a ban on importation of used and new vehicles through land borders with effect from January 1, 2017.
    “The Federal Government has directed that importation of cars through the land borders should be banned and we are the agency that would enforce it. So, we have started with that.
    “The border is close to the point of importation of cars and the command has placed its men and escorts at strategic places to ensure that there is no smuggling of cars through the border.
    “We also have a good working relationship and synergy with other security agencies, who assist us in enforcing this policy because we all work for the same government.
    “We advise the public to abide by the government policy and if they must purchase a car, then it should come through the seaport as any vehicle that tries to come through the land border would be seized and confiscated.
    “Violators of the law would face the full wrath of the law,’’ he said.
    Taupyen added that the policy was meant to encourage local production of vehicles.
    “The public must look at the long term benefit of this policy as this would help in encouraging local production of vehicles and it would boost the economy,” he said.
    The Chairman of ANLCA, Alhaji Bisiriyu Danu, said as at Friday, December 30, 2016, the Customs authorities asked the agents to stop payment of Customs duty on vehicles by 5p.m.
    Danu said the association was not aware of any circular counter to the ban.
    He said so many vehicles uncleared by Customs agents were as at yesterday morning trapped at the ports of neighbouring countries.
    The Customs agent said the association went into dialogue with some government representatives to grant a three-month grace period.
    Danu said the grace period would enable ships carrying vehicles to berth for clearance before implementation of the ban.
    The Customs agent said the ban would render many car dealers around Badagry and environs idle and this could be a dangerous trend.
    A major stakeholder in Seme, Chief Sam Maduike, pleaded with the Federal Government to lift the ban.
    “The policy is going to bring untold hardship to the masses as the average Nigerians cannot afford to buy a brand new car,” he said.
    The President of the National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents, Mr. Lucky Amiwero, told NAN that the Federal Government should inaugurate a committee to look critically into the implications of the ban on vehicle imports.
    He said government should also look at the risk of the ban to the lives of Customs officers because there would be increase in smuggling.
    Amiwero said a question that should also be asked is: “Are Nigerian Ports friendly to accept vehicles?”
    He urged government to address the high cost of doing business in Nigerian ports.
    The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) yesterday said it supported the ban.
    Its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Stanley Ezenga, told NAN that the association’s support was borne out of the economic benefits that the policy would bring to the nation.

    Customs re-deploys senior officers

    THE Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) yesterday re-deployed eight Assistant Comptrollers-General and 238 Deputy Comptrollers-General of Customs.
    In a statement made available to reporters in Abuja, its Deputy Public Relations Officer, Mr. Joseph Attah, noted that the action was designed to strengthen operations and reposition the service to meet the challenges of the new year.
    The statement said: “In a bid to strengthen operations and reposition the service to meet the challenges of the new year, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (rtd), has approved the redeployment of eight Assistant Comptrollers-General and 238 Deputy Comptrollers of Customs.”
    With the redeployment, which takes immediate effect, the following Assistant Comptrollers-General: ACG Charles Edike has been moved from Zone A to Human Resource Development (HRD),     ACG Ahmed Mohammed deployed from HRD to Zone B, ACG Aminu Dangaladima moved from Zone B to Enforcement.
    Also, ACG Francis Dosumu was been deployed from Enforcement to Zone D, ACG Augustine Chidi moved from Zone D to Excise, Free Trade Zone and Industrial Incentives (Ex,FTZ, & I I),  ACG Monday Abueh moved from Ex ,FTZ, & I I to Zone A,  ACG Umar Sanusi from HQ to Zone C,  ACG Abdulkadir Azerema from Zone C to HQ.”
    The statement added that the redeployment of Deputy Comptrollers of Customs affected the Service Public Relations Officer, DC Wale Adeniyi, who is now posted to Apapa Customs Area Command, Lagos.

  • Reps to Buhari: suspend ban on cars importation via land borders

    Reps to Buhari: suspend ban on cars importation via land borders

    The House of Representatives yesterday advised President Muhammadu Buhari to suspend the ban on importation of new and used cars through land borders.

    The ban that was announced on  December 5 by the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) was due to take effect from January 1, next year.

    The lawmakers however said the policy was too harsh as it is bound to pile more economic  miseries on the majority of Nigerians that are already groaning under the prevailing economic recession.

    The decision of the lawmakers followed the adoption of a motion by Abdulahi Salame (APC, Sokoto) who noted that the percentage of Nigerians who can afford cars has declined drastically following the decline in the value of the naira, inflation, unemployment and high cost of living that have bedeviled Nigeria where over 80 per cent of the population live below $200 a day.

    He said: “With its powers under Section 18 of the Customs and Excise Management Act, the government can restrict the movement of goods into and out of Nigeria by land or inland waters and to appoint customs stations, but similar exercise of such powers on rice importation through the land borders in April 2016, has led to untold hardships on Nigerians as a bag of rice now sells for between N20,000 and N23,000  as against N8,000 few months ago.

    “We are also aware that the government has not put in place alternative measures to ensure that Nigerians will have access to cars since it is cheaper to buy cars from neighbouring countries and still generate revenue by ensuring that our borders are secured to prevent smuggling and also that there will not be job losses.

    “Some of those making these policies have failed to patronise made-in-Nigeria goods, especially Nigerian assembled vehicles which are, in any case unaffordable to over 80 per cent of Nigerians who can only afford fairly used imported cars.

    “It is of concern that despite the pitiable state of most Nigerians occasioned by unemployment, lack of funds for survival and high cost of living which has sent many to their early graves, the government is adopting a policy that will further increase the sufferings of the masses at this critical time the country is in recession.

    “It is eqaully worrisome that the ban will cause more harm than good as it will certainly lead to increase in smuggling, deprive poor Nigerians of access to acquiring vehicles, skyrocket the price of cars cleared at wharf, increase inflation and further mount pressure on the already weak naira and lead to idleness, insecurity and criminality at the border posts.”

    Lawmakers that spoke in favour of the motion noted that it is the masses that would be affected more by the new policy.

    According to them, the reason put forward about  payment of duties was not enough to punish the entire country because non-payment of duties was carried out with the active connivance of security officials at the borders.

  • After ban, Vector’s Lafiaji album out this Yuletide

    After ban, Vector’s Lafiaji album out this Yuletide

    Nigerian rapper, Vector tha Viper is set to wow music lovers with his much anticipated third studio album entitled, Lafiaji.

    Planned for release on December 20, the singer sent out posts via his social media handles saying; “Everyone Will Raise That L this December In Lagos! Africa To The World! Lagos Island To The World!! Anticipate @vectorthaviper Album Drop. #ADifferentDecember#LagosIsland #team_yb #Viper #Lafiaji -#regrann”

    Vector who was, on January 31, 2014 restrained from recording, releasing and distributing any song or music work by presiding judge J.T Tsoho of Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, for a breach of contract with erstwhile record label, YSG, is presently off the hook.

    “Lafiaji will be released on December 20, 2016. Seven days later, on December 27, a concert will be held, tagged “Lafiaji Experience”. It will showcase and also be a first-hand listening of all the songs from the album,” Vector said.

    Born Olanrewaju Ogunmefun, the indigene of Ogun State attended Command Children School and Ijebu-Ode Grammar School before moving to Saint Gregory’s College, Victoria Island, Lagos. He started his journey into Hip-hop in 1994. He released his debut studio album, ‘State of Surprise’ in 2010 and ‘The Second Coming’ in 2012.