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Customs Honours Officer For Outstanding Performance

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The just concluded Comptroller General of Customs Conference in Katsina state was regarded as one of the best in terms of organization and high profile by  participants.

The conference which was held at the Umaru Musa Yar’adua University was attended by two former presidents, Alhaji Shehu Shagari and Chief Olusegun Obasanjo while President Goodluck Jonathan was represented by the Vice President, Namadi Sambo, Speaker of the House of the Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal and former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar were  among others in attendance.

The highpoints of the event was the awards of honours to merited officers of the service both serving and retired.

Among the award winning officers was Assistant Superintendent of Customs 1 Ape Fagga G.D, who was honoured by the customs management with a silver medal for realsing over N 1 billon revenue by raising Demand Notices (DN).

Demand Notice is issued on imports which were either undervalued, misclassified or underpaid.

It is only an expert and trained officer on classification and valuation that can detect and raise demand notices for such undervalued goods. This is the reason why Fagga was the only officer honoured for such uncommon feats.

Born on the 25th January 1966, in Obi LGA of Nassarawa State, Fagga attended St. John Bosco College, Domain Nassarawa state as well as the Federal polytechnic, Mobi Adamawa state and graduated with both National Diploma and Higher National diploma in Business administration. He joined the Nigeria Customs Service in October, 1989 as a customs assistant: Fagga continued to improve himself as he did his post Graduate Diploma (PGD) at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi in Financial management before obtaining his Master Degree in Financial management from Lagos state University in 2005. With his educational qualifications, he was upgraded from the rank of Inspector of Customs to Assistant superintendent of Customs II in 2006.

In 2010, he was promoted to Assistant Superintendent of Customs 1.

Fagga is regarded as a brain box of Customs laws and procedures, with smart takes on classification and valuation. He is very dedicated and hardworking officer who discovered various fraudulent attempts perpetrated by importers and their agents.

At the PTML command, the fear of Fagga is the beginning of wisdom for agents of fraudulent antics, as he fished them out and made them pay for their sins. He is an expert on physical examination of goods and giving correct reports. He is also a guru on preparation and issuance of unquestionable Demand Notices (DN) on underpaid and undervalued goods. It is on record that Fagga has raised, such DN of not less than N 1 billion for the PTML command. He served at various commands across the country including Adamawa, Nassarawa, Tincan Island Port, Lilypond, Enforcement and Drugs and EI & I in the Customs Headquarter.

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Maritime

Lagos Announces 15-day Closure Of Marine Bridge For Maintenance Repairs 

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The Lagos State Government has announced that the Marine Bridge in Ijora, Apapa Local Government Area, will be closed for 15 days to allow for essential maintenance works.
The State Commissioner for Transportation, Oluwaseun Osiyemi,
disclosed this in a Statement posted on his official X account.
Motorists are advised to plan ahead and be patient while the Federal Ministry of Works, in coordination with Lagos State, carries out essential bridge maintenance.
“The Lagos State Government wishes to inform the general public that the Marine Bridge in Ijora, Apapa Local Government Area, will be closed for 15 days to allow for essential maintenance works,” the statement read in part.
It added, “Motorists are advised to be patient, as the closure is part of the traffic management plan for maintenance works on the underlying bearings of some sections of the Marine Bridge by the Federal Ministry of Works (Office of the Federal Controller, Lagos).”
The statement further explained that the maintenance project will be carried out in two phases. Phase I, running from Saturday, 11th October to Saturday, 18th October 2025, will cover the area from the foot of Marine Bridge along Lawani Oguntayo Road near UBA, inbound toward Apapa and Costain.
During this period, motorists traveling from Ijora Olopa to Apapa will be diverted via the Ijora Causeway Access Ramp near Omni Retail Company, continue to Ijora 7up, turn left onto the Lilypond Access Ramp, and proceed on their journeys.
Phase II, from Sunday, 19th October to Saturday, 25th October 2025, will focus on the stretch between Ijora Badia and Lilypond Access Ramp, inbound toward Apapa.
Motorists from Ijora Olopa heading to Apapa and Costain would be diverted about 50 meters before the work zone into a contraflow with Constant traffic, rejoining the main carriageway after 500 meters.
Those traveling from Apapa toward Costain, Lagos Island, or Ijora Olopa would maintain through traffic but will also be redirected into a contraflow near the work zone for roughly 500 meters before resuming normal access.
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Maritime

NRC Generates ?1.95bn Revenue In Q1 2025, Records 37% Growth – Says NBS

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The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) says the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has generated ?1.95 billion in passenger revenue in the first quarter (Q1) of 2025
The Bureau said the amount represent a 37.36 percent increase from the ?1.42 billion recorded in the same period of 2024.
The data, released in the NBS Rail Transportation Report on October 5, showed steady growth in rail patronage across the country. Between January and March 2025,
NBS said that a total of 929,553 passengers travelled by train, marking a 37.65 percent rise compared to 675,293 passengers transported in Q1 2024.
Similarly, the volume of goods and cargo conveyed by rail climbed to 181,520 tons in Q1 2025, up from 160,650 tons in the corresponding period of 2024.
The Bureau said Revenue from freight operations also increased by 8.19 percent to ?657.03 million, compared to ?607.32 million in the same quarter of the previous year.
The report further revealed a sharp rise in other receipts — which include income from services such as leasing, station fees, and sundry charges — amounting to ?115.68 million, a 355.39 percent jump from ?25.40 million in Q1 2024.
For comparison, the NBS noted that in Q4 2024, the rail system transported 1,037,113 passengers, reflecting a 54.29 percent increase from 672,198 in Q4 2023.
The report said that Passenger revenue during that quarter stood at ?1.92 billion, up from ?1.07 billion in Q4 2023.
However, freight revenue in Q4 2024 declined slightly by 7.46 percent, from ?423.22 million in Q4 2023 to ?391.64 million, while ?8.93 million was realized from transporting 1,260 tons of goods through pipelines in the same period.
Meanwhile, other receipts for Q4 2024 rose to ?434.44 million, representing a 10.34 percent increase from ?393.72 million recorded in Q4 2023.
According to the NBS, the consistent rise in passenger traffic and earnings reflects growing public confidence in Nigeria’s rail transport system, driven by continuous investments in rail infrastructure and service expansion by the NRC.
By: Chinedu Wosu
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Maritime

NSC Says Credible And Enforceable Laws Are Backbone Of Port Regulation 

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The Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer CEO, Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Dr. Akutah Pius has said that credible and enforceable laws are crucial for effective port regulation in Nigeria.
Pius stated this in his Paper Presentation at the 2025 League of Maritime Editors’ summit held in Lagos.
Represented at the summit by its Director, Regulatory Services Department Mrs, Margaret Ogbonna, Pius highlighted the importance of aligning competitive laws with institutional capacity to drive benefits like competition, investment, and predictability.
He stressed the need to pass the Port Economic Regulatory Agency Bill (NPERA) into law to enhance transparency, competition, and dispute resolution in the maritime sector.
The Shippers boss who noted that strong laws are essential stated however that their effectiveness depends on proper implementation and stakeholder buy-in.
“Without effective implementation, laws can’t serve their purpose. Regulation requires full stakeholder buy-in.”, he said.
Highlight of the event was the presentation of the Maritime Chief Executive Officer CEO Year award for his outstanding contributions to the maritime industry and economic growth by the 2025 League of Maritime Editors Summit.
By: Chinedu Wosu
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