The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nigeria Customs Service

  • Customs donates 10, 653 bags of rice, other items to Benin IDPs

    The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), on Monday donated a total of 10,653 (50Kg) bags of rice and other relief materials to the Uhogua Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp in Benin.

    The Chairman, National Logistics Committee (NLC), Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs, Mr. Abdulkadir Azarema, said this while donating the items to the IDPs in Benin.

    Azarema said President Muhammadu Buhari, concerned about the suffering of Nigerians caused by insurgency, directed retired Col. Hameed Ali, the Customs boss, to transfer all seized perishable items to IDPs.

    According to Azarema, the NCS has been discharging the presidential directive since February 2016.

    “I am, therefore, happy to announce that we are here for the fifth phase to hand over the following items.

    “Rice 10,653 (50Kg) bags, 33 cartoons of ricci tomato plaste (400mg), 1,232 cartoons of ricci tomatoes plaste (70mg), 210 pieces of 5 litres gallon of vegetable oil and 40 pieces of 2 litres bottle of vegetable oil.

    “Others are 5,822 cartoons of small lucozade boost drink, 993 cartoons of Eva soap, 4 cartoons of liquid soap, 11 cartoons of solid soap, 329 bales of second hand clothing and 2,159 pairs of shoes.

    “We urge camp officials to ensure judicious use of these relief materials for all the affected people,” Azarema said.
    He explained that the committee had as members NCS, the Army, Police, Civil Defense, FRSC, NAFDAC, NTA and NAN.

    Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo, thanked President Buhari for the kind gesture towards victims of insurgency in the country.

    Obaseki said the State Government would ensure that the donated materials were given to the Intended beneficiaries.

    The Coordinator of the Camp, Mr. Solomon Folorunsho, thanked the Federal Government, State Government and NCS for supporting the Uhogua IDPs.

    Folorunsho said there were presently 3,000 IDPs in the camp, including children, women and men.

    He said some of the children from the camps were in different universities across the country while some were presently preparing for the West African Examination Council (WAEC) examination.

    Folorunsho said, “We know that the responsibilities in your hands are not easy because you have thousands of people that you have to carter for, not only here but all over the Northeast.

    “That in the mist of all things you still remembered us, we are very grateful. We want to assure you that in this place we always judiciously use everything that you bring for them (IDPs).

    “Our first cardinal point is transparency in this camp, like one of you noticed when you came that they (IDPs) are all growing and I want to say that they are doing very well in school.

    “We will make you proud, you are going to begin to see that your efforts here are not in vain,” Folorunsho said. (NAN)

  • Angry youths burn customs vehicle over 5 bags of rice

    Irate youths on Thursday burnt down a Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) patrol vehicle at Uya-Oro junction in Oron Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom.

    The angry youths staged the protest when some NCS personnel attempted to clamp down on a vehicle allegedly carrying five bags of imported rice.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that while the NCS vehicle was chasing a car with the contraband (rice), the car ran into commercial cyclists carrying three passengers.

    A witness, who pleaded anonymity, said one of the three passengers died, living others injured.

    He said the accident happened at about 3 p.m.

    The angry youths later went berserk after a failed attempt of the customs personnel to arrest the car carrying the five bags of alleged imported rice.

    Reacting to the issue, the Akwa Ibom Police Public Relations Officer, DSP MacDon Achebe, confirmed the incident.

    He said that a customs vehicle tried to stop a car carrying contraband and the driver refused to stop.

    “The customs personnel shot at the car and in an attempt to escape, it ran into a commercial cyclist,” Achebe said.

  • VAT proceeds drop N3.58bn in Q1 2018

    Earnings from Value Added Tax (VAT) generated by the federal government through the Nigeria Customs Service (NSC) on imported items dropped by N3.58 billion in the first quarter of 2018, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) stated in a recent data.

    According to a release by the NBS tagged, ‘Sectorial Distribution of Value Added Tax’ on its website at the weekend, the VAT on imports, which was N53.57bn in Q4 2017, reduced by 7.73 per cent to N50bn.

    But, when compared to the amount generated in Q1 2017, it rose by 6.68 per cent from N46.41bn.

    The federal government had announced its plan to commence the implementation of the 2017 Revised Import and Export Guidelines which mandates both imports and exports to being palletised in containers in January 1, 2018.

    This, according to Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun, is in line with global standards and part of the government’s policies to enhance the ease of doing business in the country.

    However, the total amount generated through VAT increased to N269.79 billion naira in Q1 2018 as against N254.10 billion generated in previous quarter and N221.38 billion in the period in 2017.

    The amount, according to NBS, represents 6.17 per cent increase on Quarter-to-Quarter (QoQ) basis and 21.87 per cent increase on Year-on-Year (YoY) basis.

    Other Manufacturing, Professional Services, Commercial and Trading, States Ministries and Parastatals and Breweries, Bottling and Beverages in the local non-import VAT generated the highest amount of VAT of N30.14bn, N16.58bn, N14.94bn, N11.88bn and N8.88bn respectively.

    On the other hand, Minning, Pharmaceuticals, Soaps and Toiletries, Textile and Garment Industry, Publishing, Printing, Paper Packaging and Agricultural and Plantations also in the local non-import VAT recorded the least amount of VAT of N46.25m, N243.44m, N285.43m, N339.61m and N372.57m respectively.

    The foreign non-import VAT rose by 23.87 per cent QoQ and 103.60 per cent YoY to N98.40bn.

  • Customs generates N4.3b in Kano and Jigawa

    The Kano/Jigawa Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has generated N4, 303, 703, 254.69 in the first quarter of this year.

    The command generated N3, 694, 512, 211.71 during the same period last year.

    Addressing journalists in his office on Saturday, the Area Comptroller for the Command, Yusuf Abba-Kassim, said “this feat recorded by the Command in the first quarter revenue generation was due to stringent measures taken by the management team to block all loopholes. We also intensified our efforts in the fight against smuggling and underpayment of tariff and other customs duties by importers.

    “Over 41 seizures were made during the period while duty paid value was N170, 030, 479.00.”

    Abba-Kassim said 7, 062 bags of rice, 219 cartons of foreign spaghetti, 51 bags of foreign sugar, 24 cartons of foreign soap, 30 jerry-cans of foreign vegetable oil, 14 bales of second-hand clothes and seven units of used vehicles  were all impounded during the period.

  • Invest in infrastructure, human capacity, LCCI urges Customs

    The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has urged the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to invest in infrastructure and build its officers’ capacity to enable them function properly.

    Making the call in Lagos, during the week, its Director-General, Mr. Muda Yusuf, noted that the absence of needed facilities such as scanners at the ports had not only worsened cargo clearance, but affected officers’ efficiency.

    He said without the provision of adequate logistics, it would be difficult for officers to check smugglers’ activities and effectively police the borders. He noted that the task of policing the borders was very challenging due to its porous state.

    “Customs should build capacity with regards to infrastructure that they need. One example is the issue of scanners. Things like that slow down their operation. It affects their efficiency because they need some of these facilities to function properly.

    “So, there is need to invest in the totality of the ICT infrastructure and the physical environment in which they operate,” the LCCI chief said.

    He also pointed out the need for human capacity development, noting that some of these technologies need some specialised skills and unless people are properly trained to be able to man some of these things, there will be challenges.

    “We also need capacity in the area of logistics. Manning the borders, checking smugglers is huge logistics and unless Customs also have the right kind of support in terms of logistics, it will affect them. If the capacity for logistics is there, they will be able to cover more areas,” Yusuf said.

    He added that the Customs management should also address the issue of officers’ welfare to stem corrupt practices in the Service. “Welfare is important for enforcement because the temptation is higher if the remuneration is weak,”he said.

  • Customs FOU intercepts N1.03bn contraband – Controller

    Customs FOU intercepts N1.03bn contraband – Controller

    The Federal Operatons Unit (FOU) of the Nigeria Customs Service on Wednesday said it intercepted contraband with a Duty Paid Value of N1.03 billion in February.

    Customs FOU Controller, Mohammed Uba, told newsmen in Lagos that among the contraband were 18 assorted vehicles, including a Rolls Royce.

    Uba said that some of the vehicles were intercepted along Ijebu Ode – Sagamu Expressway while others were evacuated from a car mart located in Lekki, Lagos.

    Umar said that the customs also seized 2001 kg of Pangolin Shells and 218 pieces of Elephant Tusks, worth about N500 million, from an apartment at Allen Avenue, Ikeja, Lagos.

    “The Convention of International Trade in Endangered species (CITES 1973) entails that Customs Administration globally protects wildlife by intercepting illegal trade on such animals.

    “It further prevents the killing of endangered species since the tusks are only available after the killing of the elephant and pangolin,” he said.

    He added that the seized pangolin and
    tusks have been handed over to Nigeria Environmental Standards and Regulatory Enforcement Agency ( NESREA ) for further investigation.

    According to him, 17 suspects, including a Chinese national, were arrested in connection with the 90
    seizures during the month.

    “Within the period under review, we also recovered N67.94 million from Demand Notices raised on goods intercepted while attempting to beat the system through transfer of value and under declaration,” he said.

    Other items seized included seven trailers loaded with 4201 bags of imported rice, 2,619 cartons of frozen poultry products, 1,105 jerry cans of vegetable oil, 2,637 pieces of used tyres and 1,333 bales of used clothes.

    The customs controller urged the media to continue to sensitise the public on the effects of smuggling on the nation’s economy.

    NAN

  • Buhari, security chiefs meet in Aso Rock 

    Buhari, security chiefs meet in Aso Rock 

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday met behind closed doors with security chiefs at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    The meeting started around 11.a.m. as most heads of the security agencies arrived the seat of power before 11.a.m.

    The meeting is an enlarged one also involving agencies such as Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Fire Service.

    The meeting was still in progress at the time of filing this report

    Details Later…

  • Tin Can Customs generates N29.4bn in January

    Tin Can Customs generates N29.4bn in January

    The Tin Can Island Customs Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) generated N29.4 billion in January 2018, up from N19.8 billion generated in the corresponding period of 2017.

    The Public Relations Officer of the command, Mr Uche Ejesieme, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Thursday.

    “For January 2017, we actually had N19,834,314,976 but in January 2018, we realised something very remarkable and spectacular and that figure is N29,452,828,367.07 kobo.

    “The Customs administration we have over the past two years in Tin Can have actually created a clear paradigm from what it used to be in the past.

    “The controllers are the people who have penchants for success. They have penchants for turning things around.”

    He said that the new Customs Area Controller of the Command, Comptroller Abdullahi Baba-Musa, had tasked officers to ensure they recover all revenues for government.

    “As the controller came on board, he started fine-tuning his methodologies.

    “First and foremost, identifying all grey areas; identifying areas of revenue leakages, engaging stakeholders in an interactive forum from time to time.

    “Setting up a training centre where we trained not just our officers on the rudiments of the job as is expected in terms of global best practices.

    “We also ensure that we train the stakeholders including the media, to be sure that they key into the change mantra and ideology of the Customs Comptroller-General.

    “So all of these factors actually led to the success we that we recorded,“ he said.

    Ejesieme urged the Federal Government to assist in repairing the port access road leading to the Tin Can Port to enable the command record more success in revenue generation.

    He said that the annual target of the command for 2018 is N354.6 billion, saying that the monthly target stood at N29.5 billion. (NAN)

  • ‘Customs strike force to block revenue leakages’

    The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) yesterday established a Customs Strike Force Team to block revenue leakages.

    The new team came into existence following the dissolution of the Customs Compliance Team.

    NCS Public Relations Officer, Joseph Attah, who announced the development yesterday at the Headquaters in Abuja, said the   force is to further sanitise and strengthen the services’ anti-smuggling operation to key into the demands of the executive order on the ease of doing business.

    He said: “The Customs Compliance Team has been dissolved by the Nigeria Customs and in its place, a new team to be code named (the Customs Strike Force  Team has been put together.

    The team, in his words, “will not erect checkpoints on Nigeria’s highways. The team is not expected to be roaming about on the highways unnecessarily, except on credible intelligence information from surveillance operatives.”

    Attah said there are surveillance operatives that are to operate covertly upon suspicion of smuggling, and carry out their due diligence before informing the strike force in the Zonal Offices or in the Customs Training Colleges to act, saying the team would to return to its base as soon as it was done with every operation.

    He said under the arrangement, the team is to ensure that their operation does hinder the free flow of goods on the highways.

    Attah named Deputy Comptroller of Customs, U.A. Abubakar, as the the National Coordinator of the strike force, stating  that the team is divided into four sub-teams  based in the four Customs zones in Lagos, Kaduna, Bauchi, and Port Harcourt.

    The zonal offices and the nearest training colleges are places they could chose to base in.

    The spokesman, who said that the team has the power to check the Customs officers and their activities, stressing that the “strike force is empowered to enter into any Command system on suspicion of imminent fraudulent activities with the view of blocking all revenue leakages in the system.