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Tag: NCS

  • Presidency, govs row over NEC, Council of State meetings

    Presidency, govs row over NEC, Council of State meetings

    •Abati: Jonathan has not violated any law

    A fresh disagreement is brewing between the Presidency and the 36 State governors on the state of the nation.

    The point of disagreement is the refusal of the central authorities to convene a meeting of the Council of State to address some pressing national issues and the irregularity of the meetings of the National Economic Council (NEC).

    The last NEC meeting took place last September 2013 instead of the adopted monthly system.

    The governors believe that President Goodluck Jonathan has relegated them and statutory bodies as recognized by the 1999 Constitution to the background, relying more on his Economic Management Team (EMT).

    But the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati said his principal has not committed any constitutional breach.

    He said there is no fixed time or frequency in the Constitution for NCS and NEC to meet.

    It was gathered that the governors are unhappy with the Presidency for its refusal to convene a meeting of the Council of State to advise the President on the myriad of socio-political problems facing the country.

    These include the political tension in the country; growing intolerance among political parties; the ongoing mutual suspicion between the President and some governors; the proposed National Conference and the extension of the State of Emergency in three states in the North-East.

    The rest are: the crisis in Rivers State; fresh security challenges in Plateau, Borno, and Yobe with attacks on military formations; disagreement between the President and ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo on the state of the nation; proposed constitution amendment; the state of the economy, especially accruing revenue from oil and global challenges in the industry, and preparations for the 2015 poll which may dominate the third and fourth quarters of the year.

    Investigation revealed that although the President has been consulting with past leaders and governors individually as the need arises over the last one year, the governors believe a Council of State session would have been better.

    It was learnt that some members of the Council of State and governors have had to depend on their colleagues to seek clarifications on some policy matters.

    Sources said that the crisis in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) and the attendant gain by the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) are partly responsible for the non-convening of the statutory meetings.

    The Presidency fears that the polarization of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) may affect the deliberations of the Council of State and NEC along partisan interests hence the non-convening of the meetings.

    A governor, who spoke in confidence, said: “We are not comfortable that the President has been relying more on his Economic Management Team (EMT) than constitutional bodies.

    “For instance, I think there was only a Council of State meeting in March 2013. It means the President did not table some burning national issues before elders and governors for their input.

    “Yet, the EMT is unknown to the nation’s constitution. It is only a group designed to be a vehicle for policy direction for the Federal Government.

    “And in the last four months, there was no NEC meeting. By implications, we were kept in the dark on vital issues like the 2014 Budget.”

    Another governor said: “We have a lot of national issues begging for attention, we should not wait for the international community to talk to us before we convene the Council of State session.

    “You can see that the US has issued a statement on the killing of women and children in Plateau State. Do we need more reminders from outsiders before we sit as a team to address this challenge?”

    A third governor said he was worried about the situation in Rivers State.

    He said: “The Rivers crisis is a threat to the nation’s democracy; it is what the Council of State could wade in. We should not behave as if we are running elected dictatorship in the country.”

    However, when contacted Abati, said, “No part of the laws on the Council of State or NEC has been violated by the President and Vice-President Namadi Sambo.

    “The time and frequency of such meetings are not defined in the constitution. When the President deems it fit, he would invite them. If the government holds it twice or quarterly in a year, he will be in order. They should not jump the gun.

    “Section 5 of the Third Schedule (Part 1 ) to the 1999 Constitution deals with the Council of State. It makes it clear that it is an advisory council. So, members of the council can address the President when requested to do so. Even at that, I think the Council of State met twice in 2013.

    On the NEC meeting, Abati said: “The Council sat nine times in 2013. If you compare the number of NEC meetings with previous administrations, it is a record which no one has beaten.

    “Those four months you are talking about (when NEC was not held) coincided with public holidays and festive periods. Also, some governors had official schedule outside the country.”

  • Funds stall work on ECOWAS road transit

    Funds stall work on ECOWAS road transit

    The federal government yesterday said work is yet to commence on the Inter-State Road Transit (ISRT) initiated by Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) due to lack of funds.

    The project, according to the Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Farouk Umar, has been delayed for a long time despite the trade volume of Nigeria within the West Africa sub-region.

    Farouk, who disclosed this on Saturday in Abuja at the 14th ECOWAS/ISRT National Guarantors General Assembly, stated that the Ministry of Transport was concerned and desirous of the take-off of the scheme, adding that between 2012 and 2013, the ministry has had meetings with the Nigeria Custom Service (NCS), ECOWAS and the representatives of NEXIM where the issues delaying its take-off were extensively discussed.

    The minister, who was represented by Mr. Richard Egbe, said that the ministry is supporting the facilitating committee which seemed to be driving it and also identifying challenges hindering the operations of the Inter-State Road Transit (ISRT) and the way out by way of meeting with relevant government agencies.

    Earlier, the Managing Director, Nigeria Export Import Bank (NEXIM), Mr. Robert Orya, who was represented by Mr. Ifeayi Nwade, said ISRT was also designed to eliminate the time-wasting escort system and checks the diversion of goods consigned for a specific destination.

  • Delay as Customs server breaks down

    The frequent breakdown of the server of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) at the Lagos and Onne ports, Rivers State, is causing delay in cargo clearance.

    Agents and importers said they were facing difficulties in transacting businesses within specified periods.

    The clearing agents fingered the Tin Can Island Port Complex (TCIPC) and the Ports Terminal Multi-services Limited (PTML) terminals in Lagos, as the worst hit by the epileptic service by Webb Fontaine.

    Agents and importers complained bitterly about the incessant failure of the Customs’ internet server, describing its frequent breakdown as an act of sabotage by the service provider.

    Freight forwarders operating in Lagos could not carry out their business due to the failure of the server. The challenge, which has been ascribed to human failure, is affecting the capture of information and release of cargoes.

    A clearing agent, Segun Ogunsanu, said the server was down for a day while importers accumulated demurrage and storage charges on their consignments.

    Likewise, at Onne Port, epileptic Customs server is hindering cargo clearance procedures, the agents, said.

  • Customs to recover over N27b from pre-arrival assessment

    Customs to recover over N27b from pre-arrival assessment

    The Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Abdullahi Dikko, has stated that it is set to generate over N27billion revenue with the implementation of the new regime called the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR).

    According to him, under the past regime of Risk Assessment Report (RAR), Customs generated N20billion revenue from the 20,000 queries that were issued to service providers for non-compliance.

    He broke this news to journalists during the unveilling of the PAAR at the weekend in Abuja.

    He said, “I want to inform you that from 2010 to 2012, while service providers were providing services without adhering to RAR, we had issued up to 20,000 queries and out of that, we recovered N20billion. But I can tell you that there were some that escaped Customs because of the volume of work. But now, we are on and if we add an additional N27billion to what we have collected, I can assure Nigerians that the money we are going to recover will be more than that.”

    Dikko noted that the federal government has directed NCS to fully take over the Destination Inspection Process from the service providers.

    He added that the implication of this new directive is that NCS will now fully takeover the import and export procedures of the country.

    The Customs boss said that the officers and men of the service have been undergoing training over the years in preparation for this take-over, adding that the organisation was fully prepared to assume the responsibility.

    Upon the take-off, he said that the service will be charged with the responsibility of managing all areas of the inspection processes which include processing of the electronic form M, issuance of the PAAR to replace the RAR formally issued by the service providers.

    According to Dikko, with the new regime, all the documentary checks could be concluded before the goods arrive in Nigeria.

    One major advantage of PAAR, the Customs boss noted, is that it enhances the conclusion of transaction within six hours instead of the previous three days under the RAR regime.

    Dikko explained that “this new regime we are starting today promises better management of our revenue generation, operations, enhanced trade facilitation and better collaboration with other agencies of government to enhance national security.”

     

  • NCS seeks MTN’s partnership to develop ICT sector

    The Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) has sought the partnership of MTN Nigeria to tackle the myriad of problems besetting the nation’s information communication technology (ICT) sector.

    President of the group, Prof David Adewumi, represented by his deputy, Prof Adesola Aderounmu during the group’s visit to MTN Corporate Headquarters, in Ikoyi,Lagos, said the body has identified with the telco adoption of innovative, technology-driven solutions both internally and externally.

    “The GSM revolution in which MTN played and still plays a major role has created jobs in significant numbers as well as a value chain of suppliers, while providing the backbone for other major areas of the Nigerian economy,” NCS president said.

    He lamented that in spite of the progress recorded so far, the technology sector still faces major challenges of low broadband penetration, multiple taxation, power challenge, insecurity, inadequate local capacity and low awareness of innovation opportunities.

    “The need to accelerate the pace of ICT development in Nigeria and ensure long-term sustainability of the sector is imperative. We are here to extend our hand of fellowship to MTN to achieve our development goals and attain the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Partnering strategically with NCS could identify and support innovations efforts, build capacities and help realise the huge potential in the fledgling local content market,” he added.

    According to him, with the antecedent of the telco in the deployment of technology solutions, NCS believes the time has come for MTN to take a leadership role and fully join NCS and share experience in enriching the larger technology community.

    MTN Corporate Services Executive Akinwale Goodluck, who led other management officials to welcome the NCS delegation thanked the group for visiting MTN, commending them for their efforts at developing the ICT sector.

    Goodluck said local content was important to telcos, adding that it has made significant strides in that area.

    He said MTN has contributed immensely to the development of the economy through payment of taxes and investing heavily in corporate social responsibility which cut across every strata of the economy, from health to education and others.

  • Customs destroys 1,225 cartons of poultry

    Customs destroys 1,225 cartons of poultry

    The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Western Marine Command (WMC), Lagos, yesterday destroyed 1,225 cartons of contaminated poultry foods sized from smugglers.

    The Area Controller (CAC), Comptroller Audu Zaka, assisted by a representative of the National Agency for Food, and Drug Administration NAFDAC, Mr Adamu Isiaku and some other senior officers of the Command, supervised the destruction.

    Zaka said 55 bags of rice and 1,225 cartons of frozen poultry were seized in three days, adding that the total Duty Paid Value (DPV) of the intercepted items was N8, 576,844.50

    The consignments, he said, were smuggled into the country through Benin Republic to Awode Apa on the Nigerian side to Kese where the smugglers wanted to cross the Novo Creek to Ilasa in Ogun State.

    The feat, he said, was made possible because of the synergy with the Central Intelligence Unit (CIU) of the Command and the Comptroller-General’s Task Force.

    “The excellent information sharing between the command and the CIU is helping the command in its anti-smuggling functions. We monitored this consignment right from the border up to the point we intercepted them at Kese”, he said.

    Zaka said on October 31 and November 4, the Command intercepted 950 and 210 cartons of frozen poultry products, adding that the DPV was put at N6.175 million and N1.365 million.

  • ICT marginalisation threat to economic development, says NCS

    ICT marginalisation threat to economic development, says NCS

    The Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) has warned that the country may miss the Federal Government’s Vision 20:2020 objectives and that of the Millennium Development Goals (MGDs) set by the United Nations Organisation (UNO) if the government fails to change its attitude to the information communication technology (ICT) sector.

    Its President, Prof David Adewumi, said in Lagos at the weekend that the body was concerned with the marginalisation of the ICT sector by successive administrations in the country, warning that the development portended grave dangers to the attainment of the goals set down by the government.

    The don also said since Africa lost out in the industrial revolution, it would be disastrous if the continent loses out again in the ongoing digital revolution.

    He said: “We are concerned about the marginalisation of IT today in the country. The IT industry is the driving force and contributor to behind the digital economy. “Nigeria is not fully harnessing the growth opportunity of the IT sector. The academia, manufacturing sector, government and other stakeholders must take advantage of the enormous opportunities available in IT to drive growth and development.

    “Local content needs to be enforced practically and those working and providing services in IT in Nigeria should be encouraged and supported in providing the much needed innovative solutions for job creation, security, governance, health and other challenges besetting the nation.”

    According to him, it is not possible for the nation to achieve the Vision 20:2020 goals of the government and the MDGs of the UN if jobs cannot be created massively and have a sound educational system that are run with digital minds, adding that what is on ground now are “analogue mindset and action.”

    He expressed the readiness of the group to embark on research and development (R&D), IT-enabled employment generation, promotion of excellence and professionalism in the industry. He added that the body will keep on drumming the importance of local content in the industry until the government listens.

    “It is imperative that the Presidential Advisory Committee on National Dialogue fully faces this reality. The National Dialogue must grasp the need to incorporate and prioritise the role of IT sector if Nigerian is to be a key player among the comity of nations and fulfill the promises and expectations of the 21 century,” he added.

  • Customs seek timely cargo clearance

    Customs seek timely cargo clearance

    Customs Consultative Committee (CCC), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Office of the Comptroller General, has charged the trading public in the maritime sector to comply with rules and regulations in order to enjoy the Pre-arrival Assessment Report (PAAR), initiative being embarked upon NCS.

    Speaking through its secretary, Jude Maduka, at a recently held discussion forum with the Agriculture Union traders at the International Building Materials Market, Orile, Lagos, the committee informed that while fully in operation the initiative would afford importers the opportunity of clearing their cargos within 24 hours of arrival at the sea ports.

    Maduka however, emphasised “compliance with rules and regulations” as the only clause

    That could guarantee the smooth sail of this proactive initiative. “Learn to do it right, lend your voice without hiding items from vessels to destination,” he added.

    Echoing similar sentiments, a member of the committee, Comrade Christopher Okpala, hinted that they were an interface between the NCS and the trading public in the maritime sector that might not be able to reach NCS directly with complaints.

    In his own remark, the Committee, Chairman, Progressive Auto Dealers Forum, Comrade Chinedu Ukatu, stressed that: “Clearing of vehicles in the border is a great challenge that the committee was mandated to help in addressing and bringing to the notice of the Customs challenges faced by importers in the cargo clearance process by removing bottlenecks in trade facilitation as well as ensuring that importers give honest declarations, and pay requisite duties on their consignments.”

  • Customs ready for implementation of Pre-Arrival Report

    Customs ready for implementation of Pre-Arrival Report

    The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) is gearing up for the implementation of the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR), which will replace the Risk Assessment Record (RAR) being operated at the ports.

    The Customs said the Ministry of Finance had approved the pilot scheme of the PAAR, which, will prepare it to takeover from service providers. The service providers carry out destination inspection at the ports on contract and their contract will end in December.

    Customs Public Relations Officer Wale Adeniyi said the test-run of PAAR would soon begin. He urged ports’stakeholders to bear with the agency during the test running.

    Adeniyi, who represented the Comptroller-General of Customs, Alhaji Dikko Inde Abdullahi, at the maritime reporters’ colloquium, said the Customs would soon plant the port where to test-run the scheme.

    He said: “During the test-run, we will run the information communication technology (ICT) platform parallel with what the service providers are doing now. It is going to be a parallel service so that we will implement the ethics associated with the switching off of (RAR) and the switching on of (PAAR)”

    The purpose of the test-run, he said, was to achieve a seamless transmission, within six months.

    Adeniyi said the Customs was set to take over destination inspection from the service providers after seven years, adding that stakeholders should expect some hiccups during the test-run.

    He noted that in 2005 when RAR started with the service providers, as established as the system was, there were some hiccups but as time progressed, people started getting used to it.

    The seven years’ contract of the three firms providing scanner services and generating RAR in the Destination Inspection scheme ended last December and their service was extended by six months, which ended in June. It was further extended by another six months, which will end by December.

    To ensure efficiency, the Customs is training its personnel at the facility of Smith Detection in France, makers of the scanner machines, being used by the service providers.

    The ICT platform would generate PAAR six hours before the arrival of the cargo as against the six days it currently takes the service providers to generate the RAR for processing cargo clearance. All activities in PAAR are to be carried out by Nigerians, the Customs said.

    Adeniyi said: “We are not just ready we are far ahead of the service providers with regards to the currency of our technology.”

    He dismissed as baseless the fear that the agency would revert to 100 percent physical examination of cargoes when the service providers leave because of alleged incompetence of its officers and men in operating and maintaining the scanners.

    To show its preparedness to take over from the service providers, the Customs unveiled the gigantic ICT platform, named Nigerian Trade Portal to reporters in Abuja, and demonstrated its operation.

    The equipment, it said, was capable of completing the processing of trade good documents in six hours before arrival, if the shippers make genuine declaration and issues are resolved with other agencies of government, such as National Agency for Food Administration Drug and Control (NAFDAC) and Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON).

    The multi-million dollar ICT infrastructure located at the ‘Customs Rule Centre,’ headquarters of the agency in Abuja was developed by indigenous ICT experts drawn from over 900 ICT graduates employed by the agency from universities at home and abroad.

    The ICT platform is being funded by the agency for now while all government agencies are connected to the server including the Central Bank of Nigeria. “But when the system transits to the Single window information system, the responsibility of funding will become that of the Federal Government,” Adeniyi said.

  • Apapa Customs rakes in N121b

     

    The Apapa Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service(NCS) boosted the government’s coffer with N121 billion in the first six months of the year.

    The Public Relations Officer, Apapa Area Command, Mr Emmanuel Ekpa, in the command’s half-year performance report, said the amount collected represented only 52 per cent of the total revenue targeted to be generated within the first half of the year.

    Ekpa said: “The command collected over N121 billion as revenue generated into the federation and non-federation accounts between January and June 2013. The amount collected is about 52 per cent of the N234 billion aspired to be collected in the first six months of the year going by the monthly revenue target of N39 billion.”

    A breakdown of the revenue figure shows that the Command collected N20.8 billion in January; N19.8 billion in February; N18.6 billion in March. However, in the month of April, over N20 billion was collected as against N19.7 billion raked in the same period last year. The performance showed an increase in the previous year’s record.

    The Command collected N19.8 billion in May as against N24.6 billion in May 2012. For the month of June, the command collected a total of N21 billion as against the N36.7billion in June of 2012.

    Ekpa said that the inability of the Command to meet its half year target was due to the continuous decline in the volume of importation into the country.