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EFCC’s Account Has Less Than N2m – Secretary

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12 years ago

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday in Abuja said it urgently needs capital injection for its continued operations.

The Secretary of the Board of EFCC, Mr Emmanuel Aremo, said this at the public hearing on the Bill seeking to establish the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Agency.

Aremo said the poor financial position of EFCC was made known to the Senate committee on Drugs, Narcotics and Financial Crimes during an oversight visit.

He added that EFCC had been so cash-strapped to the extent that it had less than N2 million in its account.

“If we can pay salary this month, that is all. That is the position under which we operate”, Aremo said.

Aremo kicked against the bill seeking to establish the NFIA.

He argued that the Financial Intelligence Unit in the EFCC was discharging its responsibility efficiently without complaints from financial institutions.

Aremo said if granted autonomy, the FIU would become exposed to desperate politicians capable of securing court injunctions to frustrate its operations.

“All the FIU needs is adequate funding to continue its work. This NFIA bill is unnecessary and should be jettisoned”, he said.

The Director, Legal Services, Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr Amusa Ogundana, who represented the CBN Governor, said the apex bank supported the establishment of NFIA.

Ogundana, however, suggested that some portions of the NFIA Bill should be deleted because it imposed supervisory and regulatory functions on the agency.

“CBN is wholeheartedly in support of having this bill sail through.

“We believe it will strengthen the administrative and operational performance of the agency”, he said.

However, the Representative of the National Drug Law and Enforcement Agency, Mr Joseph Sunday, said that FIU lacked legal status.

Sunday, NDLEA’s Director of Prosecution Services, said they supported the bill because it would empower FIU to effectively disseminate financial intelligence to law enforcement agencies.

Mrs Blessing Egbefor, representing the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, said the bill, when passed into law, would strengthen the fight against financial crimes.

“NAPTIP supports the bill, so that the FIU can discharge its administrative and operational functions with greater autonomy”, she said.

The Nigeria Police Force, the National Intelligence Agency, Department of State Services and the ICPC were among other agencies that supported the bill.

Earlier, Chairman, Senate Committee on Drugs, Narcotics and Financial Crimes, Sen. Victor Lar, urged the stakeholders to ensure that their inputs were in the national interest.

“In the National Assembly, we are driven only by national interest and considerations. Not individual and parochial interests.

“You should make contributions that would serve the national interest,” he said.

The bill seeks to establish a national agency that would receive information from financial institutions for the purpose of turning such information into financial intelligence.

The agency would then analyse, assess and disseminate the financial intelligence reports to all law enforcement agencies.

The agency is expected to institutionalise best practices in financial intelligence management in Nigeria

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NPA Assures On Staff Welfare 

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1 week ago

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June 27, 2025

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The Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, has said the management will continue to accompany its port infrastructure  and equipment  modernization drive  with the development of the welfare of its personnel.
Dantsoho made the disclosure recently while responding to the commendation by the Maritime Workers Union (MWUN) and the senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government-Owned Companies (SSASGOC) on the  clearing  of the age-long problem of employee stagnation, when the union paid him a courtesy visit at the Authority’s headquarters in Lagos.
A Statement by NPA’s General Manager Corporate & Strategic Communications, Mr. Ikechukwu Onyemekara, quoted Dantsoho as saying,  “our Port infrastructure and equipment modernization drive will go hand-in-hand with continuous staff welfare improvement”.
The NPA MD disclosed that human capital development constitutes the key strategy for creating and sustaining superior performance under his watch, adding that “talent development constitutes a critical success factor for the actualization of the big hairy audacious goals we have set for ourselves especially in the area of Port competitiveness.
“The only way we can meet and indeed exceed stakeholders’ expectations is to deepen the competencies of our human resources assets and boosting their morale.”
Speaking further, Dantsoho commended the Honourable Minister of Marine & Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, for approving the strategic proposal of the Dantsoho-led Management team that solved the over a decade-long problem of lack of promotion that had fuelled industrial disharmony.
“I must specially appreciate our amiable Minister for graciously approving the multi-pronged stratagem we deployed that cleared all outstanding cases of employee stagnation by conducting examinations in one fell swoop and instituted timelines to forestall a recurrence of such anomaly”, he sad.
Speaking on behalf of the joint maritime labour unions, the President  of Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations & Government-Owned Companies (SSASCGOC), Comrade Bodunde stated, “In addition to clearance of the backlog of stagnated promotions, we also wish to express our appreciation for the increase in productivity bonuses, provision of end-of-year welfare packages for staff, and the revision of the Financial Guide to the Condition of Service, which now addresses our members’ concerns about inflationary pressures.”
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
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ANLCA Chieftain Emerges FELCBA’s VP

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1 week ago

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June 27, 2025

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National Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Elder Olumide Fakanlu, has been elected Vice President of the Federation of ECOWAS Licensed Customs Brokers Association (FELCBA).
The election took place during the FELCBA Congress, held from Tuesday, June 17th to Thursday, June 19th, 2025, in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Fakanlu’s emergence as Vice President marks a significant achievement for Nigeria within the regional customs brokerage community.
Apart from Fakanlu, Secretary of the Seme Chapter of ANLCA, Austin Nwosu, was also elected, securing the role of Secretary of Relations with Institutions.
The Nigerian delegation played an active role in the congress, with Michael Ebeatu nominated as a member of the electoral officer team, ensuring a fair and transparent election process.
The three-day congress concluded with delegates undertaking a visit to the Sierra Leone Port, offering insights into the host nation’s maritime operations, followed by a recreational trip to the Tokeh Beach.
The newly elected executives are expected to lead FELCBA in its efforts to harmonize customs brokerage practices, promote trade facilitation, and advocate for the interests of licensed customs brokers across the ECOWAS sub-region.
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
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NSC, Police Boost Partnership On Port Enforcement 

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1 week ago

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June 27, 2025

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In a bid to enhance more enforcement in the nation’s Port, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has reaffirmed its commitment to stronger inter-agency collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
The Council said the collaboration is aimed at enhancing stronger enforcement, compliance and improve operational efficiency across Nigeria’s ports.
Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of  NSC, Dr. Pius Akutah, made this known during a visit to the  Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, at the Force Headquarters, Abuja.
The visit, which he said, focused on strengthening institutional synergy, comes in the wake of growing responsibilities for the NSC under the newly created Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.
Akutah emphasized the critical role of security agencies in supporting port operations and ensuring regulatory compliance.
He called for the posting of police officers to assist the Council’s monitoring and enforcement teams at key port locations including Lagos, Warri, Onne, Port Harcourt, and Calabar.
“The posting will complement the activities of our revived task teams and enhance our ability to enforce standards across the maritime logistics chain”, he said.
Earlier, the Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Egbetokun, assured the Council of the Force’s readiness to continue supporting the growth of the maritime sector.
The IGP acknowledged that compliance enforcement is essential to the successful implementation of Nigeria’s Blue Economy objectives.
“The NSC and NPF are expected to deepen collaboration in the months ahead, with a shared focus on building a secure, efficient, and competitive port environment”, to the IGP emphasized.
Chinedu Wosu
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