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Tag: NCS

  • Tackle skilled manpower challenge, NCS urges Fed Govt

    Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) President, Prof. Adesola Aderounmu, has urged the Federal Government to raise modern manpower that could  drive the economy.

    He lamented that nearly 90 per cent of technologies used in the country is imported despite the huge knowledge infrastructure of 162 legally recognised universities, 125 polytechnics and over 500 agencies.

    “It is sad that after 58 years of independence, Nigeria has failed to come up with neither a globally recognised company nor product originating from Nigerian indigenous technology because the national economy had not been technology-driven,” he said.

    Giving a keynote address at the first International Conference on ICT for National Development and its sustainability organised by the Faculty of Communication and Information Sciences, University of Ilorin, to mark its 10th anniversary, Aderounmu urged the Federal Government to develop the ICT sector through the establishment of research centres, technology parks and incubation centres across the country.

    He added that the provision of reliable and affordable infrastructure and provision of fiscal incentives for indigenous software developers would also spur the development of the sector.

    Speaking on: “Leveraging ICT for National development and its sustainability”, Aderoumu, a Professor of Computer Science at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), IIe-Ife, lamented that the  economy has not fully embraced technology as its driving force.

    He suggested that the government could develop the sector through the creation of a special fund to assist start-ups as well as grow developers, enactment of a law that mandates MDAs to patronise indigenous software while mandating the immediate implementation of the approved scheme of service for IT professionals.

    While recommending that priority should be given to registered IT professional in the award of IT contracts, Aderounmu urged the academia to promote productive collaborations both internal and external and create learning opportunities for the students.

    He don said: “The system of mentoring, apprenticeship and tutelage, which existed in the past should be re-introduced and strengthened. Split-site arrangements should be encouraged to enable young researchers to be acquainted with new trends, globally. Spend a considerable portion of its yearly budget on global promotion activities.”

  • Tackle skilled manpower challenge, NCS urges Fed Govt

    Nigeria Computer Society (NCS)President, Prof. Adesola Aderounmu, has urged the Federal Government to raise modern manpower that could sustainably drive the nation’s economy.

    He lamented that nearly 90 per cent of technologies used in the country are imported despite the huge knowledge infrastructure of 162 legally recognised universities, 125 polytechnics and more than 500 agencies.

    “It is sad that after 58 years of independence, Nigeria had failed to come up with neither a globally recognised company nor product originating from Nigerian indigenous technology because the national economy had not been technology-driven,” he said.

    Giving a Keynote Address at the first International Conference on ICT for National Development and its Sustainability organised by the Faculty of Communication and Information Sciences, University of Ilorin, to mark its 10th anniversary, Aderounmu urged the Federal Government to develop the ICT sector through the establishment of research centres, technology parks and incubation centres across the country. He added that the provision of reliable and affordable infrastructure and provision of fiscal incentives for indigenous software developers would also spur the development of the sector.

    Speaking on: “Leveraging ICT for National Development and its Sustainability”, Aderoumu, who is a Professor of Computer Science at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ife, Nigeria, lamented that the country’s economy has not fully embraced technology as its driving force.

    He further suggested that the government could develop the sector through the creation of a special fund to assist start-ups as well as grow existing developers, enactment of a law that mandates MDAs to patronise indigenous software while mandating the immediate implementation of the approved scheme of service for IT professionals.

    While recommending that priority should be given to registered IT professional in the award of IT contracts in the country, Aderounmu equally tasked the academia to promote productive collaborations and partnerships both internal and external and create learning opportunities for the students.

    He said: “The system of mentoring, apprenticeship and tutelage, which existed in the past should be re-introduced and strengthened. Split-site arrangements should be encouraged to enable young researchers to be acquainted with new trends, globally. Spend a considerable portion of its yearly budget on global promotion activities”

    Speaking earlier, Vice-Chancellor, University of Ilorin, Prof. Sulyman Age Abdulkareem, assured participants that the university would do everything possible to ensure that conferences are successfully held in the institution.

    He submitted that conferences are crucial to the students’ development and growth as it gives them exposure and cross-fertilisation of ideas, adding that students should be invited in large numbers to attend conferences.

  • NCS: New platform for 48-hour cargo clearance coming

    NCS: New platform for 48-hour cargo clearance coming

    The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Tin Can Island Command, is set to introduce a new electronic information system, to ensure that cargoes are cleared from the port within 48 hours.

    According to the command, Time Release Studies (TRS) will comprise data and electronic information that will enable stakeholders track the movement of their Single Goods Declaration (SGD) forms from the date of submission to when the cargo  exited the Customs system.

    The Controller, its  Public Relations Officer, Mr. Uche Ejesieme, said, ordered the issuance of TRS to provide information about daily movement of SGD forms to ensure that there were no bottlenecks and bureaucracies in the clearance system.

    He described it as a trade facilitation tool, which will further exonerate the Customs from any delay experienced by importers and clearing agents taking delivery.

    He said the TRS was introduced by the new Customs Area Controller, Comptroller, Mr. Musa Baba, adding that the command has been given a target of N354 billion for the year.  Last year’s target was N310 billion.

    The image maker said the command was expected to collect N29.5billion monthly instead of N25.8 billion it collected last year. “The annual target for 2018 at Tin Can Island is N354.6 billion, monthly is N29.5 billion. This is higher than the target of 2017, which stood at N310 billion with a monthly collection of N25.8 billion.

    “Don’t forget that the controller just assumed office few days ago, but as soon as he came onboard, he called for an emergency meeting of all sectional heads, officers in charge of terminals, releasing officers, CIU, and valuation, these are very key officers.

    “He already has a template for the realisation of the figure. He mentioned it to everybody, and he is also planning to ensure that he shares the target to some of these terminals and to ensure that terminals on daily basis must submit their collections and interventions,’’ Ejesieme said.

    He continued: “There are people already on the system working hard to monitor all transactions, when they see infractions they flag it. There will be close monitoring of all transactions.

    “The controller has also directed that there should be time release studies. This will provide information about daily movement of single goods declaration forms to ensure that there are no hiccups, bottlenecks and bureaucracies.

    ‘’He has also told us that he wants practical facilitation of legitimate trade. It is not enough for you to say you are facilitating trade, but the public must see you facilitating trade,’’ Ejesieme said.

    He urged all releasing officers to  go for value check before releasing any consignment. There would be sanctions this time around if any infraction is noticed,” the image maker added.

     

  • NCS faults NITDA on registration, licensing of IT contractors

    The umbrella body of information communication technology (ICT) practitioners in the country, the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) yesterday faulted attempt by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) to register and licence all IT contractors in the country.

    The group said it is not within the mandate of its Director-General, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, to do so because the agency is to promote the development of the industry through well thought-out policy and programmes.

    NCS President, Prof Adesola  Aderounmu, said NITDA will be usurping the powers and functions of the Computer Professionals Registration Council of Nigeria (CPN).

    He said: “Our position is that this is not part of NITDA’s mandate because as the name suggests, this agency is to plan, promote and develop regulatory framework and guidelines as stated in NITDA Act 2007, section 6a.

    “The Computer Professionals Registration Council of Nigeria (CPN) Act 49 of 1993 is saddled with the mandate to register, license, supervise and control the profession as stated in CPN Act Section 1 (2).”

    Prof Aderounmu lamented that the statement of the NITDA chief suggesting that it wants to register and licence ICT contractors was capable of confusing the general public and create an uncoordinated approach to policy issues as contained in the Acts of Parliament.

    “NCS is of the belief that NITDA’s mandate is to ensure seamless cooperation and interaction towards the use of IT as a development tool for the country.

    NCS commends the approach and wisdom of the Presidential Executive Order 005 of President Muhammadu Buhari which emphasises professionalism.  The Public Procurement Act 2007 with particular reference to section 19 if properly implemented will promote best practices professionally. On a related note CPN Act section 22, states that failure to engage professional practitioners is an offence in Nigeria punishable under the Act,” he said.

    The NCS chief advised NITDA in its advocacy capacity not to embark on registering and licensing of IT Contractors and service providers activities but instead concentrate on developmental issues which can be jointly achieved collaboratively. “CPN is the only agency with the mandate to register and license IT professionals and contractors in Nigeria,” he said.

  • Customs plan policy to mop up arms

    Customs plan policy to mop up arms

    …targets N1.5tr this year

     

    The Comptroller-General, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Col. Hammed Ali (rtd) on Friday said that the service would soon come up with a policy to mop up arms that were circulating in the Nigeria’s publics.

    The policy, according to him, would be not only to checkmate the influx of weapons into the country, but also to control the coming of other illicit items.

    He made the disclosure to stakeholders at the 2018 International Customs Day in Gwagwalada, Abuja. The theme of the ceremony was “A secure business environment for economic development.”

    Ali revealed that managing boarders had become the most difficult issue and to tackle the challenge, the West African region formed the “SPC plus, plus” comprising of Nigeria, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon.

    He noted that the “idea was to sit as Customs Services and “look at our boarders and look at how it is managed. The global problem for the Customs is managing boarders, especially for Nigeria, where we have 4,070kilometer of land boarders. There is nowhere in the world that anyone can extensively cover that.

    “We need the collaboration with each and everyone of us. We need to join hands with our neighbours and that is only how we can effectively police our boarders and ensure what we see in Libya and other countries that arms do not find their way into our territory.

    “Already we have enough of it, and I hope we will soon come up with a policy on how to retract these arms that are circulating within our publics. But why we are doing that we thought we should also come up with a comprehensive mechanism to be able checkmate not only weapons arms but all illicit items into our territory.”

    The Customs boss however announced that the service had unofficially banned the importation of rice.

    According to him, the Central Bank of Nigeria, responsible for the issuance of Form N for the importation of rice, had not issued it to any importers since 2017.

    He concluded that any parboiled rice that that was not locally produced in Nigeria must have been smuggled into the country.

    Urging Nigerians to ensure that their cooks and stewards buy locally produced rice, he said that whoever patronized imported rice was encouraging smuggling.

    The Customs boss noted that a country cannot be said to be truly independent if it could feed itself.

    Ali said that “I am very happy to support what Mr. President said in his New Year address, that this year that we would ban the importation of rice completely.

    “As at today, unofficially, rice is banned because since the beginning of 2017, Central Bank which is supposed to issue Form N which is the only permit for importation has not issued any form N to rice importer.

    “So, any parboiled rice you see, which is not our own local rice must have been smuggled in. So, if you go to buy this, then you are encouraging the smugglers and therefore negating the growth of our economy.

    “Any country that cannot feed itself cannot claim to be independent and I think we want to be independent.”

    Speaking, the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun announced that owing to the improvement in revenue collection that the NCS recorded last year, the ministry was working to ensure an increased salary package and condition of service for the personnel.

    The Director of Finance, Mojisola Apata, who represented her noted that the service was making revenue available for the three tiers of government, noting that “we are desirous of a better performance this year. ”

    Ali corroborated that the minister and Mr. President had been working to achieve an improved salary for the service.

    Asked how much revenue, the NCS was targeting to achieve this year, he said that “it is our prayer that we should be able to overshoot what we had done last year. It is our prayer that we should be able to get to N1.5trillion this year.”

    The Comptroller-General said that the NCS had commissioned its own Customs police to police the service, and operate as an internal mechanism to resolve disputes.

    He was grateful to the Chief of Army Staff for allowing the service to use the Nigerian Military police School, Zaria to train his officers. Ali stressed that the NCS would be requesting other arms of military to train the officers for specialization.

  • Motor dealers to see Buhari over duty

    Motor dealers to see Buhari over duty

    Association of Motor Dealers of Nigeria (AMDON)) is considering the option of writing a letter to seek the chance of meeting President Muhammadu Buhari, it was learnt on Friday.

    The Nation gathered from its National President, Prince Ajibola Adedoyin, that members of the association are going to plead with Mr. President to offer the motor dealers another opportunity to submit the vehicles in their car parks for duty payment instead of running the risk of seizure by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) .

    Speaking with our Abuja correspondent on phone yesterday, he said that should the association secure an appointment with Buhari, the delegates would table the requests it made in a press conference at Abuja in November.

    He told The Nation that “We are still trying to follow up to see if we get a good response. It is to take a step further to write the Presidency to see if we will be able to meet him and interact with him and tell him the need to give us that window.

    “This is because at the same time we all know that the same window we are asking for, is for cars that are already in here and it not as if we are just going to bring them.

    “And instead of the chasing about, we are going to coordinate to make sure that our members bring the cars and pay for the duties. Without any stress, the government is going to realize a lot of money from it.”

    The association had in November requested the NCS to among other things realize that the six weeks ultimatum it got to pay duty on already imported vehicles in the car park last year was to short.

    It insisted that the short notice had culminated in the inability of the dealers to meet up with the payment and later resulted in the endless regular onslaught on their business and seizures of their 400 vehicles worth N1.7billion.

    The AMDON urged the Federal Government to reduce the Duty Pay value on vehicles from 35 to 20 per cent.

    The dealers had with one voice condemned the National Automative Policy that its implementation resulted in the issues that they are now grappling to overcome.

    Stressing that the window would aid the NCS in its revenue drive for 2018 budget, he said if government partners with the association, it would ensure that duties are paid for cars that are already in the country.

    He added that “we will also make sure that any other one that is coming in pays the required duty to the government. I can assure you that if this is done, it (Nigeria Customs Service) might even surpass that revenue that it is expecting. ”

    Adedoyin also noted that the partnership would boost employment generation since the dealers, according to him, employ more people than the Federal Government.”

  • One feared dead, others injured in hoodlums, customs clash

    One feared dead, others injured in hoodlums, customs clash

    At least one person has been feared dead, and multiple others severely injured during a fatal clash between Nigerian Customs Service officials and suspected hoodlum gangs.

    Mojeed Olayiwola was allegedly shot when the Nigerian Customs Service officers attached to the Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone A, Ikeja trailed a bus perceived to be used for smuggling operations around Abule Egba.

    It was gathered that the officers acted on intelligence received about the use of buses by criminals to smuggle into the country bags of rice from neighboring Republic of Benin.

    The police source who identified the deceased said he was shot while inside a moving commercial bus by unidentified customs officers.

    But authority in charge of the Federal Operations Unit, Zone A, Ikeja debunked incidence of death, saying the fracas was between suspected smugglers of rice and the custom men who were performing enforcement duties.

    It was also learnt that the driver who was afraid of his consignment being seized drove recklessly from Sango-Ota area of Ogun to Abule-Egba.

    According to witnesses, the driver jumped out of the bus at anintersection at Abule-Egba, to get help from colleagues.

    A member of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Femi Adurogba, who witnessed the incident said that the fleeing driver started calling for help from his members.

    He said as soon as the group sighted the customs vehicle approaching, the smugglers, started hauling stones and other items at the customs men.

    He said: “The custom men opened fire, but someone who was still inside the bus was hit by a bullet. This made the onlookers to charge after the approaching custom vehicles. The group wages war on the custom men, threatening to retaliate the death of one of their own. It was the timely arrival of policemen and soldiers attached to Ops Mesa to dis pass the hoodlums who were spoiling for war.”

    A commercial bus driver, Chukwudi Emerole, alleged that what worsened the situation was an attempted by the hoodlums to prevent the custom men from go away with the vehicle.
    According to him, the driver of the vehicle, in a bid to resist arrest, struggled t disarm one of the custom men.

    He said: “One of them even dared the security men to shoot him as if they can. They were behaving as if bullet can not penetrate them.”

    Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Chike Oti, who confirmed the incident said that the deceased was inside a bus when he was allegedly shot at by a yet to be identified customs officer, stressing that the deceased was not one of the hoodlums who attacked the custom men.

    But in a swift reaction, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) FOU Zone A, Ikeja, Jerry Attah, said that no one died as reported by some online media.

    He said: ” The attention of the Controller Federal Operations Unit, Zone A, has been drawn to reports by some online media to the effect that some Officers of FOU Zone A, shot one unknown smuggler whose bus was conveying smuggled rice at Abule Egba Area of Lagos State. The report is the figment of the reporter’s imagination, which is capable of misleading the general public hence the need to state the true facts as follow:

    ” On the January 17, 2018, at about 5.30am, Operatives of the Federal Operations Unit acting on a tip-off traced one LT Bus Loaded with unspecified bags of smuggled foreign parboiled rice from Sango Area and eventually stopped it at Abule Egba. Before he was finally halted at Abule Egba, the driver started shouting and making inciting comments that attracted mob action against the officers with different dangerous weapons such as broken bottles, stones and cutlasses. Obviously, he had driven to where he could get his associates to help attack the Customs Officers.

    “Given support of the mob, he resisted lawful arrest and the other armed operatives fired shots in the air to disperse the raging mob but to no avail. As a responsible organization, the Officers retracted back to avoid any casualty. We appreciate and thank God that no life was lost as at the time of the confrontation even though two of our Officers sustained injuries. For the avoidance of doubt, the fact that a smuggler has evaded scrutiny either by following unapproved route or compromising any Officer does not guarantee that the smuggled item will not be seized anywhere it is found by patrol officers whose duty is to ensure compliance.”

  • Oyo/Osun Customs Command generates N16.1bn

    Oyo/Osun Customs Command generates N16.1bn

    The Area Comptroller of Oyo/Osun Command of the Nigeria Customs Service ( NCS ), Mr Elisha Chikan, said the command generated N16.1 billion between January and November, 2017.

    Chikan said on Tuesday in Ibadan that the amount was of 19.48 per cent increase over N13 billon generated within the same period in 2016.

    He said that during the period, the command also made 111 seizures, with a duty paid value of the times of N210.19 million.

    “I must commend the effort of the officers and men of the command who worked tirelessly to achieve all these.

    Read also: Customs seizes 300 bags of foreign rice in Sokoto

    “The command has been doing very well in the area of revenue collection which comes purely from excise factories and few imports,” he said.

    The customs boss said that the service had zero tolerance for smuggling because of its grave consequences on the nation’s economy and security hence the command would do everything within its capacity to fight the activity.

    “The NCS of today has no reason not to perform because the Comptroller-General of Customs has provided the services with enabling tools and environment to perform our duties effectively,” he said.

    He warned smugglers and those aiding and abetting them to desist from the act.

    NAN

  • Customs impound contraband valued N1.59bn

    Customs impound contraband valued N1.59bn

    The Federal Operations Unit of the Nigeria Customs Service ( NCS ) intercepted various contraband with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N1.59 billion between the 1st to 30th of November.

    The Customs Area Controller ( CAC ) of the unit, Comptroller Garba Mohammed, said this when he conducted newsmen round Customs’ warehouses in Lagos on Wednesday.

    According to Mohammed, a total of 185 items were intercepted within the period under review.

    “The command intercepted 64 units of various types of vehicles under detention; 13,333 bags of 50kg parboiled rice; 15 parcels of Indian hemp; 205 bales of second-hand clothing and 1,390 cartons of frozen poultry products.

    “We intercepted 1,101 pieces of used tyres; 835 jerry cans of vegetable oil; 17 no. of 20ft containers suspected to be carrying wood under detention and 385 cartons of Tiffany cream biscuits.

    “Also intercepted were: 2,300 cartons of Tiffany chocolate cream fudge and toffee sweet as well as 137 cartons of block engine cylinder,’’ he said.

    The controller said five suspects were apprehended along with the seizures, while one of the suspects had been released on administrative bail.

    Mohammed said some 50kg bags of rice were intercepted and discovered to have been locally-produced.

    He said the bags of rice were intercepted while being re-bagged to deceive Nigerians that the commodity was imported.

    According to him, three bullet-proof jeeps were among the vehicles seized through Customs Intelligence.

    Read also: Customs destroys 700 cartons of seized poultry products – Official

    Report said one of the suspects, Mr Adams Oghenegare, a driver with GPC Truck Transport Company, said he was apprehended by Customs at Otta, along Agbara area of Lagos.

    Oghenegare said he loaded some 50kg bags of rice and used some cartons of Maggi to cover the consignment in order to deceive security agents.

    The controller said that some owners of the 57 vehicles intercepted in Omole Estate, Lagos by officers of the unit had not come forward for identification in order to pay the duty and to release their vehicles.

    Mohammed said smuggled vehicles and rice through the land borders would attract outright seizure following the Federal Government’s directives.

    He said importation of groundnut oil was prohibited through land or sea.

    Mohammed commended the Comptroller-General of customs, Retired Col. Hameed Ali and the entire management team for providing the necessary logistics that brought about this feat.

    He also commended the media for their continued support and for using their medium in sensitising the public on the effects of smuggling on the nation’s economy.

    NAN

  • Nigeria Customs seizes contraband worth N93m

    Nigeria Customs seizes contraband worth N93m

    The Compliance Team of the Nigeria Customs Service ( NCS ) said it has seized contraband with Duty Paid Value ( DPV ) of N93.7 million in the course of its operations.

    The Coordinator of the Compliance Team, Ahmed Azarema, made this known while displaying the seized contraband to news men in Owerri on Tuesday at the Imo/Abia Command of the service.

    Azarema said the compliance team, attached to the office of the Comptroller-General of Customs, confiscated 1,028bags of 20 kg foreign rice with a DPV of N8.22 million concealed with motor spare parts.

    He said 1,258 bags of 50kg of foreign rice with a DPV of N74.8 million and 111 bales of second hand clothing with a DPV of N10.65 million was also seized by the team.

    Read also: Customs destroys smuggled goods

    He said all the items were seized along Aba/Umuahia/Port Harcourt axis adding that two suspects were arrested in connection with the seized goods.

    Azarema observed that because of the Yuletide season, smugglers are more desperate and always want to skim their way through but would always fail because of the dedication and ingenuity of the customs personnel.

    He, therefore, charged Nigerians against ferrying contraband in and across the country, but to engage in legitimate businesses to avoid their goods being confiscated.

    According to the compliance team coordinator, locally produced rice is more nutritious, better and cheaper than foreign rice which are preserved with chemicals.

    He said that patronising locally made goods would help boost the country’s foreign exchange and provide jobs to the teeming unemployed youths in the country.

    Azarema also urged Nigerians to desist from buying foreign rice to encourage the local producers.

    NAN