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Tag: NCS

  • Statistical Association seeks Customs roles in oil import, export

    Statistical Association seeks Customs roles in oil import, export

    •Aregbesola seeks cooperation with NSA

    The Nigerian Statistical Association (NSA) has urged on the Federal Government to involve the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in the monitoring of crude oil export and refined petroleum products importation with a view to ensuring reliable statistical data on the nation’s merchandise.

    This is even as it also called for urgent review of the existing policies guiding the economic activities in the Export Processing Zones (EPZs) such that the export-import trade business in the zones could be accessible to agencies involved in data collation and production for national planning and development.

    Setting this agenda for government at the just ended 39th Annual Conference of the Association in Oshogbo, Osun State, its National President, Dr Mohammed Tumala, said these policy measures were required to get accurate data on Nigeria’s merchandise trade trends on a broader scale and by implication, support statistics-based planning for development.

    Tumala, who described the exclusion of statistics as a core subject in secondary school curriculum as undesirable for the country, said the involvement of the NCS in crude oil lifting and fuel import regime, given the agency’s capacity to do so, would go a long way in minimising the abuses that had characterised the oil and gas industry operations over the years.

    On the current moves to build a credible identity database for Nigerians as well as the  anti-corruption crusade in the country, Tumala said such agenda would only succeed if the relevant agencies had the right data to work  with and also involve professional statisticians in the collation, analysing, production, and application of such statistical data on their investigations.

    He therefore advised security agencies such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to see how they could begin to rely on and adopt proactive data mining approaches to fight financial and other crimes in the country.

    While expressing the readiness of the NSA to partner with the various agencies including the EFCC, Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (CPC), Directorate of State Security Services (DSSS) and the National Identity Management Commission  (NIMC), Tumala said  the group was prepared to help state governments establish their Bureaux of Statistics to support their drive towards effective policy implementation.

    In his opening speech at the Conference, Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, appealed to the association to rise to the challenge of helping the country develop a credible statistical database on key areas of education, health and the economy, among others, with a view to supporting the tiers of government in basing their developmental agenda on statistics-based planning.

  • Oyewole to NCS: develop technology to fight graft, other vices

    Oyewole to NCS: develop technology to fight graft, other vices

    Justice Olubunmi Joseph  Oyewole of the Court of Appeal has  urged members of the Nigerian Computer Society (NCS) to come up with technology-driven solutions to fight graft and other crimes in the country.

    The judge who gave the Investiture Lecture of Prof Sola Adewumi, the 13th national president of NCS, in Lagos at the weekend, said since President Muhammadu Buhari’s election was determined solely by integrity and ability to fight graft, he would enjoin the NCS to create a disciplinary body within the group to correct its erring members.

    He said the accounting profession, legal profession have bodies that punish errant members, adding that NCS should borrow a leaf from that.

    The erudite judge said since crimes are now being committed through the use of technology, he charged Prof Aderounmu and his members to come up with solutions that will help fight crimes in the country.

    He said there is also the need for the nation to acknowledge, celebrate and recognise services done by citizens to the people, adding that if emphasis is shifted to the recognition of individual’s contribution to national development, it will spur people to want to do more.

    Justice Oyewole said: “We need to start respecting service; we need to start creating a new set of values and move away from crass materialism.”

    He challenged the NCS members to deploy their deep intellect to grow the nation.

    He said the NCS should close ranks and get bills that will enhance the prestige of the organisation passed into law, adding that the result will be win-win for all.

    Speaking on the occasion, Prof Aderounmu said the welfare of members of the group is central to his adminstration, adding that the executive arm, together with stakeholders in the industry, will work together to create platforms for capacity building, job and wealth creation.

    He praised President Buhari for appointing Babachir David Lawal, an engineer and member of the NCS as Secretary to the Federal Government.

    “This appointment is a welcome one and a furtherance of our belief that the much awaited era of change is  here. We wish to further bring it to the attention of the Mr President that the IT ministry with other IT agencies in Nigeria, if well harnesed, is able to resolve Nigeria job crises and further create wealth for the nation similar to the IT revolution going on in India. Hence, there is urgent need for the Federal Government, under the able leadership of President Buhari to consider the appointment of seasoned IT professionals to who are registered members of the NCS and Computer Professionals Registration Council of Nigeria (CPN) to head the Ministry of Communications Technology and other IT agencies in the country similar to what is being done in the Ministries of Health and and Justice where a medical practioner and a lawyer are appointed respectively to head. We urge Mr President to give priority to the use of locally registered IT professionals and registered companies to execute IT jobs,” he said.

  • NCS urges Buhari to appoint IT professional as ComTech minister

    •Says square pegs in round holes affects productivity

    Nigeria’s umbrella body for information technology (IT) professionals, the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to appoint a professional with IT pedigree as minister of the Communications Technology  (ComTech) Ministry, lamenting that placing square pegs in round holes over the years by successive governments has been an ill-wind that has not blown any good to the country.

    Its President,   Prof Sola Aderounmu, said on September 6, this year, the administration of President Buhari will be 100 days old  in office, adding that as the nation evaluates the first 100 days with the citizens eagerly awaiting the announcement of his ministerial nominees as the president  promised by during his state visit to the United States (U.S),  the professionals are urging him, as a man of integrity to appoint men and women that share his vision of unblemished public service.

    He said: “As a professional group, we are not unaware of the clamour by Nigerians on the need to nominate men of sound pedigree and untainted integrity to serve as ministers in the current administration. We at the NCS, as a society and the umbrella body for all IT practitioners in Nigeria align ourselves with these general call by the populace that it cannot be business as usual.

    “We also want to unequivocally assert that a major bane in under-performance by some ministers lies in the choice of non-professionals to serve as ministers especially in some key ministries that require some level of technical expertise and understanding industry understanding.

    “We therefore urge the President that in his choice of minister for Communications Technology, consideration should be given to a professional in the field of IT who has clear understanding of the challenges of the industry and ways to move it forward for the greater good of the country. Such a person must not only be a practising IT professional but must possess among other qualifications, membership of local relevant IT bodies, that is, Computer Professionals Registration Council of Nigeria (CPN) and NCS.”

    He lamented that the retrogressive culture of putting square pegs in round holes must end with this administration.

    “Similar to what is being done in Ministries of Health and that of Justice, where medical personnel and lawyers are appointed respectively, we request that Mr. President extends same to the ICT ministry.

    “We wish to bring it to the attention of Mr. President that the Communications Technology Ministry, if well managed, is capable of resolving the job crisis and further create wealth for the nation similar to the ICT revolution going on in India and the rest of Asia,” he said.

     

     

  • Lagos Airport Customs Command generates N22.5b

    Lagos Airport Customs Command generates N22.5b

    The Murtala Muhammed Airport Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) says it made N22.5 billion between January and July.

    Its Comptroller, Mr  Folorunso Adegoke, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Lagos that the highest revenue figure of N5.2 billion was recorded in July.

    NAN reports that the revenue was an improvement over the N18 billion recorded in the corresponding period last year.

    “From Jan. 1, 2014 to July 2015, the figure has been showing a steady rise apart from the drop that we had during the election period.

    “This was because a lot of people thought Nigeria was going to divide and there would not be any Nigeria after the election but thank God, we are still in together.

    “Apart from that time, our revenue has been going up,’’ Adegoke said.

    He noted that the July revenue was the highest since the inception of the command.

    “We had about N5.2 billion. This is the highest that has ever been generated by any comptroller in this command.

    He said necessary checks had been put in place to monitor cargo clearing.

    He said:“The operators have been told that the music has changed, the dancing steps have also changed.’’

    According to him, several meetings had been held between the terminal operators and the customs management to ensure sanity in the system and correct payment of import duty.

  • NCS seizes N197million contraband

    NCS seizes N197million contraband

    The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone “C” Owerri, seized 48 contraband with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N197.38 million in July.

    The Customs Area Comptroller (CAC) of the unit, Mr David Dimka, announced this while addressing reporters on the performance of the unit yesterday in Owerri.

    He said 30 suspects were arrested in connection with the smuggling on the Benin/Asaba Express Way, Owerri/Port-Harcourt Road and Enugu axis.

    He said 20 cases were now pending in the court in respect of the seizures.

    Dimka said apart from the 48 seizures, an under-payment of N24.25 million was also recovered.

    According to him, a breakdown shows that 69 bales of second hand clothes; 39 vehicles; 139 pieces of used tyres; 244 pairs of used foot wears and 60 bags of 50kg rice were seized.

    He expressed displeasure at the increased number of exotic vehicles seized by the unit on daily basis.

    The area comptroller advised members of the public who wished to purchase vehicles to go through the official channels.

    He advised them to always verify from the customs before investing their money.

    Dimka warned that all illegally imported goods would be impounded as ignorance of the law was no excuse.

    He also warned that the NCS would not succumb to “senseless and irrational pleadings for leniency and pardon by individuals caught in the act of smuggling”.

    He said it would amount to compromising the statutory responsibilities of the establishment.

    Dimka decried the upsurge of smuggling of goods in the country in spite of obvious stiff penalties for culprits.

    He assured that the service would never be deterred in its mission to bring the scourge to its barest minimum.

    He lamented the harm being inflicted on the nation’s economy by smugglers, their sponsors and collaborators.

    He warned such unpatriotic individuals to desist from their nefarious activities as the NCS was now better equipped, trained and motivated to tackle smuggling.

    Dimka warned those still indulged in smuggling to be mindful that the shady deal had brought sorrows and grief to those arrested and their families.

    He urged them to turn a new leaf before it was too late.

  • Why PAAR was introduced, by Customs chief

    Why PAAR was introduced, by Customs chief

    COMPTROLLER-GENERAL,  Nigeria Customs Service  (NCS) Alhaji Dikko Abdullahi  yesterday in Singapore told the international business community that the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR), a risk management tool that replaced Risk Assessment Report (RAR) was introduced to boost the economy.

    He added that it was also instill discipline in the service, to facilitate trade, build better business relationship, transform cargo processes and see to the free flow of trade at the nation’s sea ports based on the global trend.

    Represented by a Deputy Comptroller General of Customs, Mr Akinade Adewuyi at the Nigeria-Singapore Business and Investment Forum (NSBIF),  he said the implementation of the initiative has helped to boost the revenue profile of the Federal Government.

    NSBIF was held to boost trade and promote bilateral relation between the two countries.

    The role of the NCS in facilitating trade and promoting business at the nation’s sea ports, air ports and border stations was appreciated by the business community at the forum.

    Speakers at the forum organised by the Nigeria High Commission in collaboration with the Singapore Business Federation (SBF) and International Enterprise (IE) Singapore said they were happy over the succes of PAAR.

    Theme of the second edition of the forum  is Deepening Nigeria-Singapore Bilateral Relation.

  • Custom, transport owners may clash over tariff

    Custom, transport owners may clash over tariff

    The Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) has vowed to resist any further attempt to impound their registered vehicles with the guise of no customs duty by men of the Nigerian Customs Services (NCS).

    Speaking with The Nation in Abuja, the association’s National President, Alhaji Shehu Isiwele Musa noted that Customs personnel have been stopping and apprehending vehicles from his members on the highways even after the Vehicle Inspectorate Office (VIO) have duly registered the vehicles.

    He, however, raised some questions about the propriety of impounding the same vehicles that ordinarily passed through all customs borders in the first place.

    He described the act as part of the corrupt practices that the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration must eradicate.

    The RTEAN boss however advised that the NCS could partner with the VIO to ask the latter to insist that vehicle owners produce their customs duty before registration.

    “That is why I’m asking when the cars passed the borders where was customs? The vehicles are in the markets why not go to the dealers to ask them to get the duty before selling them?

    “Then they leave those ones to embarrass our boys who at times even buy on hire purchase. They have no money to buy cars so they buy hire purchase so that they will be working and pay for it. Unfortunately, Customs will now impound it. So, we want the government to look into this and put a stop to it.”

    As part of his agenda for the new government, Musa advised the administration to reintroduce tollgates for revenue generation, especially now that oil revenue is declining.

    He also suggested that the gates must have automatic vending machines as measures for guarding against diversion of the proceeds into private pocket.

    According to him, government could spend the proceeds on road construction and rehabilitation instead of shopping for funds to fix them.

    He tasked the government on building highway motor parks where tired drivers could stop to pass a night and freshen up before proceeding on his journey to avoid accident from exhaustion.

    He described weighbridge as “a scale that every vehicle must climb before proceeding to load and after loading come for the paper so that when you reach another 50kilometer you also climb the scale. This is to prevent a driver from carrying additional or excess luggage that could burst the vehicles tyres on the way.”

  • NCS urges Buhari on CPN Act implementation

    •Laments exclusion from INEC, others

    The Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to implement the Computer Professionals Registration Council of Nigeria (CPN) Act (4a) in the appointment of IT experts into various boards and parastatals. Besides all boards of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), especially those that depend on IT to  fulfill their mandates, must have at least one IT expert as executive member, the society said.

    The group also lamented the exclusion of its members form government agencies, such as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), adding that it was not good enough for professionalism.

    Its President, Prof David Adewumi, who spoke in Lagos ahead of the group’s 12th International Conference scheduled for Akure, the Ondo State capital, lamented that successive administrations shuned  the CPN Act  in the appointment of key officials into ICT- related fields, project design and implementation.

    He wondered why, for instance, the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) has members who are commissioners in INEC while the NCS has none. He argued that the appointment of NCS member into INEC should not be anything less than that of a commissioner.

    He said NCS believes that in addition to the Cybercrime Act, legislation should be enacted to foster the development of IT and IT-enabled activities and growth of the industry and the profession.

    Adewumi said:  ”The usage of IT in governance and security needs to be improved through more widespread adoption of IT professionalism in the private and public sectors. NCS and its members can play a major role in improving the state of security nationwide, combating terrorism, enhancing public service delivery and accountability and boosting job creation.

    “There should be preferential usage of Nigerian professionals in major and strategic national IT projects and initiatives instead of always importing people, products and solutions and creating jobs in other countries.”

    According to him, local engineers have the expertise to do the job as has been demonstrated over the years, as jobs contracted to the so-called expatriate experts are usually contracted to indigenous engineers who have often acquainted themselves well by doing the job.

    Speaking on the NCS 12th International Conference 2015 which has Information Technology for inclusive development as its theme, Prof. Adewumi said it will provide policy makers, public and private sector, IT practitioners and the academia opportunity to keep up-to-date with technology trends in the global space.

    He said participants will also discover opportunities for the private sector in the process of inclusive development and avenues for public-private partnerships towards realizing the IT objectives within the context of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

    The conference, according him, “will provide opportunities for the delegates to exchange new ideas, establish business or research relations, and find global partners for future collaborations”.

  • Common tariff may affect imports of textiles, furniture

    Common tariff may affect imports of textiles, furniture

    The Federal Government may lift the ban on the importation of textile materials, furniture and other items that are currently on the its Import Prohibition List.

    The ban may be lifted based on the readiness of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to commence the implementation of ECOWAS Common External Tariff (CET) in all air- ports, seaports and land borders across the country.

    CET was adopted by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) member-countries to enhance economic integration in the sub-region.

    NCS Comptroller-General,  Alhaji Dikko Abdullahi gave indications to this move during the launching of CET in Lagos yesterday.

    The Federal Ministry of Finance gave the NCS the directive to start the implementation of CET on April 1, this year.

    Represented by the Assistant Comptroller-General (ACG) Zone ‘A” Victor Gbemudu, Dikko said with the adoption of CET by the ECOWAS countries, most of the items on the List have been removed and that importers are now allowed to pay the tariffs imposed on them.

    “Largely, if you go through the common external tariff, you will notice that many items have been removed from the prohibition list and that is what is being implemented,” he said.

    Dikko also allayed the fears of terminal operators and clearing agents that  bonded cargoes may be diverted to ports of neighboring countries over the implementation of CET and send them out of business. “That is why we have import adjustment tag,” he said.

    Also, the representative of the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and Head of programme SEDIN, Mr Christian Widmann said Germany is in full support of the NCS and the Federal Ministry of Finance in the strive to implement CET in the country.

    He explained that under CET, Customs Union abandoned their individual country tariff structure and adopted a common external tariff on trade in terms of customs duties, import quotas, preferences or other non-tariff barriers to trade.

    He commended the NCS initiative to launch the implementation of the CET across the country so that all stakeholders would be carried along about the details and rationale of the new policy.

    Also, the Head of Trade and Economics Section of the European Union (EU) Delegation to Nigeria, Mr. Filippo Amato said the implementation of CET would help the region to grow and also help in achieving the distribution and redistribution of wealth across the region.

    Meanwhile, the National Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs agents (ANLCA) has urged the Federal Government and NCS  Comptroller-General to ensure that CET is not abused by those that are going to implement the scheme.

    Its national President, Prince Olayiwola Shittu, who was attended the occasion said the role of Nigeria cannot be equated with the role of any other member-country and urged the Federal Government to take steps  that will ensure that the scheme is not abused by importers, customs and othe stakeholder

    Shittu said most of the ECOWAS countries are depending on the Nigerian economy and urged the Federal Government and the NCS to ensure that the country is not turned into a dumping ground.

    Speakers at the forum pointed out that before CET, there have been laws and other protocols which have not been able to promote trade in the region and urged the government to key into it.

  • Customs seizes goods with N41.322b duty paid value

    Customs seizes goods with N41.322b duty paid value

    Between 2009 and last year, a total of 34,485 seizures were  made with duty paid value of N41.322 billion, the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) has said.

    A Deputy Comptroller-General of the NCS Tahir Musa, who made this known yesterday during a meeting between the NCS and textile value chain stakeholders at the NCS Command and Staff College, Gwagwalada, Abuja, said  the figure excludes recent seizures from Kano and the ones that were made over the weekend.

    Presenting a paper titled,  ‘Customs Anti-Smuggling Strategy: Issues and Challenges,’ he said the Federal Government is now paying attention to the revenue generated by the NCS following the global fall in government revenue as a result of the more than 50 per cent drop in oil prices. He said the Customs is next to the oil and gas sector in terms of revenue generation in Nigeria.

    Musa said: “Over this weekend the federal operation in Lagos zone seized more than 10,000 bags of rice on the Badagary boarders. The western marine also detected a vessel that was carrying over 2,000 bags.”

    According to him, the government has a high expectation from the service in order to ensure economic and national growth.

    He said: “A lot is expected of the NCS to ensure the sustenance of economy. One of the prominent role of the NCS is the generation of revenue, which is only second to the revenue generated from oil.”

    He described smuggling as an act of illegal importation or exportation into or out of the country without payment of duty and evasion of prohibition and restriction  order without legal document required for that purpose.

    Musa said smuggling encompasses false declaration, concealments, willful under-payment of customs duty, under-invoicing, over-invoicing, trafficking in prohibited or restricted goods.

    He said owing to the challenges that local manufacturers face, most of the goods are imported into the country by smugglers.

    Musa blamed smuggling on the preference for cheap imported goods, regretting that some companies that were booming in the past have gone down.

    The NCS, he said, has put  strategies in place to curb the menace of smuggling  with  reform measures.

    He said the Customs was able to convince the Federal Government to approve the  purchase of AK-47 and commando riffle to prosecute the anti-smuggling war, adding that no other agency has ever bought arms from the United States (U,S).

    He said:“The NCS has just acquired two high speed patrol boats that have the capacity to carry 30 men on board and has the endurance of two week in the high sea.”