Apapa Customs Generates N540b Revenue in Seven Months

ZAINAB JUNAID

Apapa Command of Nigeria Customs Service(NCS) has generated a total of N540,431,401,641 revenue from January to July 2023.

Abubakar Usman, Public Relations Officer of the command disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists on customs/media platform today. 

The statement reads that Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs, Mohammed Auwal, sued for compliance and teamwork while at a farewell session with senior officers of the command.

ACG Mohammed Auwal, who until Friday July 28, 2023 was Customs Area Controller of Apapa Command, charged the officers on teamwork and full compliance as it is the bedrock of port efficiency.

He also appreciated their performance especially on the revenue collected so far as it depicted level of leakage prevention at the port, zero compromise for duty evasion and due diligence in the face of reduced volume of trade.

While thanking the officers and stakeholders for their support, the ACG described the various interventions such as demand notices to recover identified shortfalls in revenue as helpful.

He specifically commended them for the revenue of N119,049,235,263 collected for the month of July 2023, which is presently the highest monthly revenue made by the command. N95b collected in January and August 2022 has been the highest monthly collection so far before the ₦119bn was collected this July.

However, on his new promotion, ACG Mohammed thanked the officers, other government agencies, and members of the Apapa port community for their cooperation throughout his time as Area Controller.

"The job of preventing prohibited items such as arms, ammunition, illicit drugs, and others under the import and export prohibition lists from entering or exiting the country through Apapa port was treated as a collective duty under his watch, he said. 

He described inter-agency synergy and intelligence sharing as the first giant step in defeating criminals who seek to use ports for their unlawful activities.

To him, " Compliance is one word that appeals to both government and private sector stakeholders because we are all governed by rules to which we owe duty to obey."

"Apapa port holds potential to handle the highest volume of trade in West and Central Africa with the possibility of being a trade hub for seamless cargo movement if importers, agents, and freight forwarders comply by making sincere declarations and avoiding smuggling".

ACG Muhammed Auwal was officially decorated with his new ACG rank on Monday, July 31 2023, by the Ag. Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR in Abuja.

NSC, FCCPC Collaborate to enhance CPR Scheme

.... Organise Sensitization Programme 

ZAINAB JUNAID 

As part of the vision to establish and enhance Consumer Protection Regime scheme in the Shipping and Ports sector in Nigeria, Nigerian Shippers Council(NSC) and the Federal Competition & Consumer Protection Commission(FCCPC) have jointly organized a sensitization Programme to achieve this goal. 

The programme which was first in the series of sensitization programmes scheduled to hold in order to enlighten the stakeholders of their rights and responsibilities in the course of carrying out their activities at the port was held at RockView Hotel, Apapa, Lagos on Tuesday 1st August, 2023.

Hon. Emmanuel Jime, Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of NSC, ably represented at the event by Mrs Ada Okam, Director, Human Resources Management Department, while delivering the welcome address said the sensitization exercise is in line with part 5.1.5 of the Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) signed by both NSC and FCCPC on Thursday, 20th of January 2022, which states that parties shall jointly or individually, sensitize and enlighten the consumers and stakeholders on the rights and responsibilities in relation to shipping matters. 

He explained that both parties planned to conduct sensitization exercise at various port and inland locations to get necessary inputs from stakeholders on how the industry can operate seamlessly with little or no infringement on rights of users and providers of Shipping and  Port Services. 

"This is to ensure that all stakeholders are carried along in the process of developing the CPR so as to build trust and confidence before rolling out the scheme," he noted. 

In reference to the MoU signed by the two parties, Jime recalled that on Thursday, 20th of January 2022, the NSC in Abuja at the CFCCPC Headquarters signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Commission to collaborate and work together on specific areas of concern to both agencies in the shipping and ports industry. 

The idea, according to him, was to bring sanity in the conduct of shipping and ports business to ensure harmony, fair trade practices and efficiency in the sector.

He confirmed that with the MoU, both parties is set to achieve an effective collaboration in the protection of providers and consumers of shipping and ports services with a view to establishing a Consumer Protection Regime (CPR) in the shipping and ports sector in Nigeria. 

Going further, this cooperation and collaboration in the discharge of our respective functions will entail: 'The encouragement of competition and consumer protection; prosecution of erring service providers and users on related matters; sharing of information and intelligence, consumer education and awareness as well as enforcement and compliance.

"The CPR when instituted will address infringements by service providers and users in the industry as well as enthrone sanity and fair-trade practices in the system

"As we are all aware, the shipping industry comprises of various players who in the course of daily transactions are bound to trample and infringe on each other's rights. These players have rights that are spelt out in the FCCPC Act to include, among others:

1) The right to be informed about the quality, quantity, potency, standards and charges/rates of services as the case may be so as to protect the consumer against unfair trade practices.

2) The right to be assured wherever possible, access to variety of services at competitive prices

3) The right to seek redress against unfair trade practices or restrictive trade practices or unscrupulous exploitation of consumers of shipping services

4) The right to consumer education, enlightenment and information on services availability

"The sector as at today looks as if there is chaos everywhere. However, when the CPR becomes fully operational, we expect a change of behavior in the conduct of shipping and ports business in Nigeria," he outlined.

He reiterated the commitment of the NSC to participants present at the event that it will continue to remain fair, neutral, unbiased, provide a level playing field in its capacity as the port economic regulator. 'We shall remain open to consultation and will ensure that critical decision in the port and shipping sector are arrived at by consensus opinion of stakeholders,' he maintained.

On his part, the Executive Vice Chairman of FCCPC, Mr. Babatunde Irukera maintained that consumers’rights should be protected and must be paramount in most of the discussions at the event.

Irukera who was represented at the sensitization exercise by Mr. Tam Tamunokobia, Director, Legal Services FCCPC, while commending the Executive Secretary and Council for the collaboration initiative, opined that the collaboration would help reduce the issue of fighting among agencies and consumers would benefit more if there is collaboration among agencies.

“We must ensure that the consumer is protected. The issue of consumers should be uppermost in our minds. Secondly, to that effect, we need to choose a frontier of our cooperation and collaboration.

"On this note I will like to commend the Executive Secretary and the Nigerian Shippers’ Council for collaborating with us. We need to collaborate effectively. I have looked ath the Shippers’ Council Act, I have looked at our Act and in both cases, collaboration is highlighted.

“Where there is effective collaboration, there is no room for fighting, when we collaborate, the consumers will be the beneficiaries," he maintained.

The subject discussed at the event ,however provided avenue for stakeholders at the event to give feedbacks on infringements of rights and possible areas that need improvement if necessary.

Customs Acting CG Decorates Newly Appointed Management Members

 ....Charges them on Diligence and Professionalism

ZAINAB JUNAID

The Acting Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR, has earlier this week decorated six members of his Management Team recently appointed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, and charged them to ensure they redouble their commitment and dedication to the success of the Service.

Speaking at the symbolic Ceremony held at the Customs Headquarters in Abuja recently, the Ag. CGC said the appointments of 3 Deputy Comptrollers-General and 3 Assistant Comptrollers-General was as a result of their diligence in the discharge of their duties and dedication, commitment to service.

He charged them to heighten their devotion and determination to promote the Nigeria Customs Service. 

"The newly promoted Officers know that there are high expectations on them. Therefore I urge them to renew their dedication and commitment to add value to the Nigeria Customs Service.” he said.

Deputy Comptroller General of Customs, Festus Okun, who gave a vote of thanks on behalf of the newly appointed DCGs, expressed appreciation to President Tinubu for the unwavering belief in their capabilities and gave assurance in the deligence discharge of their responsibilities with utmost professionalism.

This is the first time the Ag. Comptroller-General of Customs, CG B0ashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR, decorates members of the Service's Management Team since his appointment on 19th June 2023 by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR.

The President had approved the appointment of Festus Okun, Musa Baba Abdullahi and Albashir Hamisu as Deputy Comptroller Generals (DCGs) and Kamardeen Olum0oh, Auwal Mohammed and Adeogun Alajogun as Assistant Comptroller Generals (ACGs), few weeks after the appointment of the Ag CGC. 

Two Passengers Jumped out of the Helicopter that Crash Land in Lagos

 Two Passengers Jumped out of the Helicopter that Crash Land in Lagos- Eyewitness

...Governor Sanwolu Visits Accident Scene

ZAINAB JUNAID

Two passengers aboard an unidentified helicopter that crash landed along Oba Akran, road, Ikeja, Lagos at exactly 3.50pm on Tuesday afternoon have escaped death as they successfully jumped out of the chopper before it gut fire. 

The chopper, according to an eyewitness, Ahmed Oloye, who spoke with our reporter and also made a CCTV footage of the incident available to our reporter, crash landed along Oba Akran, road and rolled twice before getting into gutter where it gut fire.

Oloye told our reporter that the two passengers onboard survived the crash, after jumping out of the helicopter."The helicopter rolled twice before catching fire and the two pssengers there, jumped out alive. It gut fire when it entered the gutter not inside a building. People are fond of making up storiesoo. Infact, I can show you the CCTV footage of the crash. When the fire increases and started affecting the wire closeby, the filling station staff brought extingusher to snuff out the fire and thats all.

"It's just that the incident occured very close to AP Filling Station and the United Bank For Africa (UBA)," he told our reporter. 

However, in a swift reaction, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, Permanent Secretary, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, said: “We have activated our disaster response plan to the above incident which occurred around 1600hrs.

The casualties have been transfered to haspital for further care

The area has been cordoned off and is being blanketed to prevent a secondary incident. All Emergency Responders are on scene.”

Police spokesman, Benjamin Hundeyin, on his part, confirmed the incident via his Twitter handle on Tuesday, saying the pilot and co-pilot of the helicopter had been evacuated from the crash site and taken to a hospital.

Meanwhile, The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwolu on his way back from Benin Republic with Mr President, arrived at the site of the aircraft crash today on Oba-akran road, Ikeja Lagos. 

He commended the first responders on the rescue of the occupants of the aircraft and specially commended 2 ‘gallant citizens’ that first helped at the scene, Oluwafemi and Opeyemi for their bravery immediately after the impact. Mr Governor says the Nigeria Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB)will commence investigation immediately. This was culled from Jubril Gawat Twitter handle Tuesday evening.

Also, Adeseye Margeret, Director, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service in a release made available to journalists through "The eyewitness news" platform, on August 1, 2023 affirmed that a private training helicopter has crashed at Oba Akran Avenue, Ikeja Lagos on Tuesday and the accident occurred while the chopper was on a training exercise with four male crew members on board (two Nigerians and two white foreigners) before crashing into an old communication pole opposite UBA, inward Ikeja bus stop on Oba Akran Avenue, Ikeja Lagos.

"The impact of the crash resulted into an inferno and was swiftly put out. All four crew members were rescued alive with varying degree of injuries. The motorised escort crew to the helicopter were joined by the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service headquarters and Ikeja to avert secondary occurrence. Danger has completely been averted and operations concluded," she said.