Business
NASS Endorses Pensioners’ Verification In Lagos
The National Assembly on Thursday endorsed the verification of civil service pensioners being conducted by the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) in Lagos.
According to a statement signed by the spokesman for PTAD, Mr Ema Okondo, on Thursday in Lagos, the Senate Committee on Establishment and Pension and the House of Representatives Committee on Pensions are satisfied with the exercise taking place in five centres.
It said that the Senate committee led by its chairman, Sen. Emmanuel Paulker, was on a visit to verification centres in Alausa, Ketu and Yaba.
It said that the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Pensions, Rep. Hassan Shekarau, was in the company of the senate committee which was taken round by the Executive Secretary of PTAD, Mr Sharon Ikeazor.
It said that the National Assembly members interacted with the pensioners and PTAD staff conducting the exercise.
“Paulker and Shekarau hailed PTAD and expressed delight that the verification was held in a conducive environment, and that pensioners were treated well.
“Paulker expressed support for the directorate in the execution of its mandate for pensioners under the Defined Benefit Scheme (DBS),” it said.
According to the statement, the committee was on Friday inspected the two other verification centres in Agege and Amuwo Odofin areas of Lagos.
According to the statement, a total of 21,295 pensioners are expected to be verified in the five centres.
The exercise which began on September 18 will end on Sept. 29.
Meanwhile the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) has said it has deployed five ambulances and 50 wheelchairs to verification centres in Lagos to tackle any emergency.
The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of PTAD, Mr Ema Okondo told newsmen that the machinery was put on ground to ensure that the sick and infirm were perfectly taken care of at the centres.
According to Okondo, no emergency had been recorded since the exercise commence.
“We urged pensioners not to exercise fear and show up for the verification. The agency has put in place necessary facilities to support our retirees.
“The verification is done to assess the documents of the pensioners for monthly pension payment without delay.” he said
Okondo also said a total of 21,295 pensioners were expected to be verified in five centres in Lagos namely; Alausa, Yaba, Ketu, Amuwo Odofin and Agege.
“Also, 108 staff of the agency had been deployed to the five verification centres”, he said.
He said it was the second phase of the exercise in the South West zone since the one which was conducted in Osun, Ondo and Ekiti in August.
“It comes after similar exercises in the four zones involving 64,825 pensioners who were not pay rolled for years but now verified and being paid with arrears”, he said
Okondo, however said the agency was facing a challenge of some pensioners that are not under the Defined Benefit Schemes (DBS) turning up for the verification.
“Only pensioners of states with federal share employed before March 3, 1976 and retired before March 2011 are to participate in the verification.
“Also pure federal retirees before June 30, 2007 are benefactors” he said.
The Tide source reports that PTAD is an agency under Federal Ministry of Finance established in August 2013 to manage pensions under DBS for Federal pensioners who retired
on or before June 30, 2007.
For officers and men of the Western Marine Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), the battle is not over until smuggling is over.
In the wake of Wednesday May, 8, 2024, the ever vigilant officers, acting on a tip-off, intercepted 177 sacks and 61 kegs of 25 litres containing petroleum products, valued at about N8.750,000million.
The items were intercepted along Isalu Creek, Badagry Waterway en-route Benin Republic.
While briefing newsmen, the Command’s Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Paul Bamisaiye, said: “This seizure is most economically significant to the Command at this period of scarcity of Petroleum Products, especially Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) in our cities, and shows the anticipatory posture in our response to economic saboteurs.
“At about 2:330hrs on Wednesday 8th May 2024, while on joint patrol by teams in the Command, credible intelligence was received of the movement of 2 boats laden with what was suspected to be petroleum products concealed in sacks. Upon receipt of the information, the team moved into Isalu creeks, Badagry waterway.
“On sighting the approach of the Officers, the smugglers took to their heels through the shore of the Creek. The loaded boats were then towed to the station at Badagry where preliminary examination was conducted and transferred to Western Marine Command Headquarters, Ibafon, Apapa, Lagos.
“Careful examination at the Command Headquarters revealed that the arrest was found to contain One Hundred and Seventy Seven (177) Sacks and Sixty One (61) Kegs of 25 Litres Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) containing Twelve Thousand Five Hundred (12,500) Liters with a total Duty Paid Value standing at Eight Million Seven Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (N8,750,000) only”.
Bamisaiye noted that the action of the smugglers is a contravention of Section 245 & 254 of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023 which the service, through Western Marine Command, is responsible for enforcing.
“The Command, under the leadership of Compt. PK Bamisaiye, is poised more than ever to rid the waterways of all acts of smuggling and economy sabotage for the benefit of the growth of economy of Nigeria”, he said
Bamisaiye said so far, no suspect was arrested in the Command’s anti-smuggling operations.
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
Petroleum products being sought by motorists have disappeared from virtually all filling stations within Lagos and its environs, but are now booming in business in retail outlets.
Investigations by our correspondent revealed that while the product could not be got at some of the petrol service stations, activities are in top gear in the local retail outlets where the price has gone beyond the reach of users.
It was also gathered that in some filling stations supplied with the products, preference are often given to retail outlet operators by petrol attendants against the consuming public.
A source, directly involved in the business, said some petrol dealers are cashing on the irregular supply to divert the products to retail outlets where they could easily make their gains.
It was also gathered that some sales representatives in the service of major oil marketing firms indulged in the diversion exercise because of their personal interest.
At the retail outlets a liter goes for N950,00 against the normal N760,to N800 at some stations.
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
The Nigeria Customs Service Board (NCSB) has confirmed the appointment of five Deputy Comptroller-Generals (DCGs) and eight Assistant Comptrollers-General (ACGs) of Customs during its 59th regular meeting.
The meeting, chaired by the Honorable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, was held at the Nigeria Customs Service Headquarters in Abuja last Tuesday.
National Public Relations Officer of the Service, Chief Superintendent of Customs, Abdullahi Maiwada, who disclosed this in a statement yesterday, gave details of the confirmed appointments as: O.O. Peters (DCG /Commander, Training and Doctrine Command (rtd); B.M. Jibo (DCG Enforcement Inspection & Investigation); and B.U. Nwanfor (DCG Excise, Free Trade Zone & Industrial Incentives).
Others are: S.A. Bomia (DCG, Commander Training and Doctrine Command); and C.K. Niagwan (DCG, Tariff & Trade).
The Assistant Comptrollers General (ACGs) are: B. Imam (ACG Board); A.A.S. Oloyede (ACG, Trade & Tariff); S.K. Dangaldima (ACG/Zonal Coordinator, Zone ‘B’); A. Abdul Azeez (ACG/Zonal Coordinator, Zone ‘D’); S.A. Yusuf (ACG, Human Resource Development); N.P. Umoh (ACG, Training and Doctrine Command); C.O. Obih (ACG/Zonal Coordinator, Zone ‘C’); and S. Chiroma (ACG, Strategic Research and Policy).
The new appointments, according to the statement, were made to fill the vacancies created by some senior officers who recently retired from the Service, noting that the principles of federal character, seniority and merit guided the appointments approved by the board.
“These appointments are a testament to the officers’ exemplary services and dedication to the Nigeria Customs Service. The NCSB remains committed to providing strategic leadership to ensure effective and efficient service delivery for optimum performance”, he said.
While thanking the retired members of the management for their meritorious services, the Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, congratulated the newly confirmed officers and charged them to redouble their efforts to ensure the service attains greater heights in its mandates of revenue generation, suppression of smuggling, and trade facilitation amongst others.
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
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