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Stakeholders Present Maritime Roadmap To Buhari

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Martime stakeholders and participants at the Maritime Platform National Discourse held  in Lagos recently have set agenda for the Buhari-Ied federal government by designing a roadmap which would guarantee efficient development of the sector in the next 5 years.
The Maritime Platform National Discourse had its theme as, “Nigerian Maritime Sector In The Next Five Years: Deciding Where We Want To Be”.
In a ten-point communique which was released after the Discourse, maritime operators believed that it is high time the federal government showed real commitment to turn maritime potential into realities by supporting shipping development in the country.
According to the communique, stakeholders resolved that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in line with its monetary policy should in the next four months compel commercial banks to provide at least 10% lending regime for the maritime sector, as it is doing presently with agriculture and industry sectors. By so doing, maritime sector will have a guaranteed funding corridor to finance shipping development.
It stated that the federal government should in the next 3 years establish the much needed maritime bank to fund maritime projects and meet financial requirements of the sector, adding that in the next 5 years, no foreign vessel should be allowed to carry Nigerian crude oil because Nigeria has primordial advantage in domestic trade and
indigenous ship owners must be encouraged to grow their fleets through adequate funding and the disbursement of the CVFF to enable them acquire specialised crude-carrier vessels.
The communique reiterated that NIMASA should collaborate with NCDB, NNPC and PPMC to ensure cohesive enforcement of Cabotage Act by immediately stopping foreign vessels from carrying Nigerian refined petroleum product because Nigeria has about 373 Cabotage vessels which are qualified enough to carry the nation’s refined oil products.This is because according to current statistics, Nigeria consumes 1.8 billion metric tons of oil per month, which means that with only 8 vessels carrying 5000 metric tons each per day, indigenous shipowners currently have sufficient capacity to carry Nigerian refined petroleum products if given the jobs.
It further said maritime stakeholders should henceforth be consulted and fully engaged in all policy-formulation and implementation in the sector.
ment to avoid failure.
Integration of all stakeholders’ interest groups to create a platform for a stronger advocacy in order to get policy makers and approving authorities to understand and implement  our positions, adding that anks through their Research and Development (R&D) departments should design products for financing development of Inland water Transport
(IWT) sufficient to cause a change and repositioning of IWT in the next five years.
It stated that he Volume of Cargoes expected into Nigeria in the next five years will be so high such that the present seaports cannot accommodate them; hence, the Lekki
Deep Seaport; the Badagry Deep Seaports and other proposed Deep Seaports should be completed in the next five year;  and that in the next 5 years, the Single Window initiative by the Nigerian Customs Service should be fully integrated and operational such that human contact in cargo clearance would be completely eliminated through automation of all cargo
clearance processes and procedures. And by so doing, corruption will be drastically reduced if not eradicated in Nigeria cargo clearance system.
“All major Seaports in Nigeria should be connected by Rail transport system in the next 5 years to ensure easy evacuation of goods from the ports by rail. This is particularly important because the expected volume of cargoes into Nigeria by 2020 cannot be evacuated only by road without experiencing unprecedented congestions,” the communique stated.

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Maritime

Fall Off Container Crushes Woman To Death

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Tragedy struck on Friday, when a fully loaded 40ft container fell from a Mack truck and crushed a woman to death along Lagos, Ibadan Expressway.
The Tide gathered  that the Mack truck was on high speed when the incident occurred around NNPC inward Alapere, Ogudu, along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
A statement made available to our correspondent in Lagos by the Director, Public Affairs and Enlightment Department of Lagos State traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Mr. Adebayo Taofiq, said a fully loaded 40ft Mack articulated truck fell on a Nissan car with registration number ABJ 692BG and instantly killed a woman at the rear of the car, while the car driver survived unhurt with the support of LASTMA officials.
Taofiq confirmed that the driver of the Mack articulated truck with his motor-boy ran away immediately the fatal accident occurred.
He said, according to preliminary investigation, the truck while on a high speed lost control as a result of a brake failure and rammed into a moving Nissan car on motion by N.N.P.C inward Alapere, Ogudu, along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Lagos.
The rescue agencies at the scene of the crash were the LASEMA, Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS), Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service and the Police.
Also at the accident scene were the LASTMA General Manager, Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, LASTMA Director of Traffic Incidents, Event Monitoring, Enforcement and Compliance, Mr. Hakeem Adeosun, and the LASTMA rescue team.
General Manager of LASTMA, Mr. Olalekan Bakare Oki, however, warned motoring public, particularly truck drivers, to stop over speeding and ensure their vehicles are properly checked, including the braking system, before embarking on any journey within or outside the State.
The incident attracted passers-by, who thronged the scene lamenting the unfortunate incident, accusing men of the ports task force of negligence.

 

By: Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos

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PTML Customs Posts N66.92bn Revenue In First Quarter 2024

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The Port Terminal Multiservices Limited (PTML) Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has presented an impressive revenue record collection for the first quarter of 2024.
According to the Command, it collected the sum of N66,920,181,586.30 as total revenue for the quarter of 2024, which is N22,198,965,809.55 higher than N44,721,215,776.75 collected between January and March 2023, representing 49.6 percent increase.
The Customs Area Controller (CAC) of the Command , Compt. Saidu Abba Yusuf, who described the increase in revenue collection as a laudable feat , said the Command is more committed towards trade facilitation and support government drive for ease of doing business.
Comptroller Yusuf, who thanked the Comptroller General of Customs (CGC), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, for initiating strategies to achieve faster cargo clearance, reiterared that PTML Command under his watch aims to surpass its record of three hour cargo clearance for compliant traders.
According to Yusuf, the launching of time release study (TRS), which is ongoing, and other deliberate efforts by the Comptroller General have contributed in the expansion of terminal space and promoting ease of doing business in PTML.
He also disclosed that the PTML Command has potentials to achieve two hour cargo clearance and surpass its existing three hours record, if port users compliance level is improved upon.
Comptroller Yusuf, who described PTML as one of the safest and most secure environment for RoRo (Roll On Roll Off) and general cargoes, also advised importets and their agents to take advantage of the incentives available for compliant traders such as fast track, advance ruling and possible migration to the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) status.
He reminded port users in PTML of the robust and time conscious dispute resolution mechanism, which has contributed immensely to the revenue collection, trade facilitation and anti smuggling functions of the Command.
While commending the various government and private sector stakeholders for their cooperation and support towards realisation of government goal of revenue collection and prevention of unlawful activities, Comptroller Yusuf expressed optimism that the Command will surpass its annual target for the year.

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Maritime

Customs Comptroller Lauds Scanning Officers Over Efficiency

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The Customs Area Controller (CAC) of Apapa Customs Command, Comptroller Babajide Jaiyeoba, has commended the officers of the Non Intrusive Inspection Technology Unit (NIITU) for their invaluable contributions to the overall success of the Command.
Comptroller Jaiyeoba, who was on an unscheduled visit to the scanner site, reminded the officers of the importance of team work as a strong basis to sustain the gains of compliance and revenue collection recently recorded by the Command.
According to a statement by the Public Relations Officer, Apapa Command, CSC Abubakar Usman, Comptroller Jaiyeoba thanked Deputy Comptroller, Salamatu Atuluku, the Officer in Charge of scanning site, and encouraged the unit not to be deterred by complaints coming from persons who were made to pay accurate duties to government after issuance of demand notices.
The Customs boss stated that no business person who is made to part with money will be happy with officers that refused compromising the ethics of their job.
He noted that “The main reason for me coming here is to appreciate you. I may not see you, but I have seen your work and I won’t keep quiet about what I have seen about your work. You are doing very well. I just want to encourage you to work as a team. If you don’t work as a team, you give room for outsiders to come in and when they come in, they divide you, and when they divide you, achieving success will be very difficult.
“Do your work without blemish. Once you keep your arm straight, you can stand before anybody. Your work as a Customs Officer is to ensure that you do the correct thing.
“For those of you doing intervention in the form of Demand Notice (DN), there is no body who part with money that will be happy with you. They will want to play intelligent by hiding somewhere. When you fetch them from their hiding place, they become your enemy.
Whatever they write about anybody here will still come down to me and if anybody works well, the onus on me is to defend such a person .
“Just have it at the back of your mind that you owe yourself the duty of doing your work diligently whether anyone comes around as a friend or enemy. It is not enough for you to rest. The reward for hard work is more work. These demands require sacrifice so that you can maintain the status”.

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