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Seme Customs Blocks Border Routes

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7 years ago

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Against the bid to use the vast Seme Border to ply their illicit trade preparatory to Easter bumper sales, smugglers got a raw deal from men of the Nigeria Custom Service (NCS), Seme Border Command, who routed all the formers antics to use the axis to smuggle in essential trade commodities.
The Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Muhammed Aliyu, who has been nick-named “Mr. do the right thing” for his onslaught against prohibited items, insisted that he cannot stop seizing contrabands and non-compliant goods that do not adhere to the law of the land thereby undermining the policies of the Federal Government of Nigeria which Customs stands to enforce at the border.
In his narrative, the Controller stated that the Command seized over six hundred (600x50kg) bags of rice with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of over N10 million on the 26th of March, 2018 after destroying a total of over 2800x50kg bags of expired rice the same day with a total DPV of over N49 million. Another seized truck with Reg. No XE-634-MUS disguised to be empty was arrested based on intelligence and discovered to be carrying about 1514 cartons of imported Tin-tomato with a DPV of N8.2 million on the 24th March 2018.
Commenting on the daily seizures that have become a recurring decimal and a routine in the Command, the Customs Area Controller said that a visit to the warehouse of the Command which is almost filled up to the brim attest to the fact that the Nigeria Customs Service, Seme Command is not resting on its oars with the responsibility of generating revenue, facilitating legitimate trade, suppression of smuggling and protecting the territorial integrity of Nigeria through due diligence in the use of the effective and operational fixed scanner machine at the border command.
Restating his resolute stand, the Customs Area Controller noted that he is not ready to shy away from his responsibility as far as deliberate perpetrators remain recalcitrant violators of the federal government policies.
The Customs Area Controller warned that seizure will continue to be the hallmark of the command and his enforcement officers will continue to do the needful against the unrepentant smugglers.
However, the customs helmsman stressed that all his achievements is attributed to the mutual consultation and cooperation with the host communities who do share intelligence with the Command, and the cooperation of the sister security agencies who synergise and collaborate with the Nigeria Customs Service for effective border management.

 

NKpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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9 hours ago

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September 22, 2025

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Kenya made it a clean sweep at the Berlin Marathon with Sabastian Sawe winning the men’s race and Rosemary Wanjiru triumphing in the women’s.

Sawe finished in two hours, two minutes and 16 seconds to make it three wins in his first three marathons.

The 30-year-old, who was victorious at this year’s London Marathon, set a sizzling pace as he left the field behind and ran much of the race surrounded only by his pacesetters.

Japan’s Akasaki Akira came second after a powerful latter half of the race, finishing almost four minutes behind Sawe, while Ethiopia’s Chimdessa Debele followed in third.

“I did my best and I am happy for this performance,” said Sawe.

“I am so happy for this year. I felt well but you cannot change the weather. Next year will be better.”

Sawe had Kelvin Kiptum’s 2023 world record of 2:00:35 in his sights when he reached halfway in 1:00:12, but faded towards the end.

In the women’s race, Wanjiru sped away from the lead pack after 25 kilometers before finishing in 2:21:05.

Ethiopia’s Dera Dida followed three seconds behind Wanjiru, with Azmera Gebru, also of Ethiopia, coming third in 2:21:29.

Wanjiru’s time was 12 minutes slower than compatriot Ruth Chepng’etich’s world record of 2:09:56, which she set in Chicago in 2024.

 

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NIS Ends Decentralised Passport Production After 62 Years

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9 hours ago

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September 22, 2025

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The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has officially ended passport production at multiple centres, transitioning to a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made the disclosure during an inspection of the Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja, last Thursday.
He stated that since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now, marking a major reform milestone.
“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He explained that old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, but the new system had a capacity of 4,500 to 5,000 passports every day.
“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, describing it as a game-changer for passport processing in Nigeria.
“We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week.
“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians,” the minister said.
He noted that centralisation, in line with global standards, would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide.
Tunji-Ojo described the development as a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform.
According to him, the centralised production system aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for improved service delivery.
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FG To Roll Out Digital Public Infrastructure, Data Exchange, Next Year 

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9 hours ago

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September 22, 2025

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The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has announced plans to roll out Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and the Nigerian Data Exchange (NGDX) platforms across key sectors of the economy, starting in early 2026.
Director of E-Government and Digital Economy at NITDA, Dr. Salisu Kaka, made the disclosure in Abuja during a stakeholder review session of the DPI and NGDX drafts at the Digital Public Infrastructure Live Event.
The forum, themed “Advancing Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure through Standards, Data Exchange and e-Government Transformation,” brought together regulators, state governments, and private sector stakeholders to harmonise inputs for building inclusive, secure, and interoperable systems for governance and service delivery.
According to Kaka, Nigeria already has several foundational elements in place, including national identity systems and digital payment platforms.
What remains is the establishment of the data exchange framework, which he said would be finalised by the end of 2025.
“Before the end of this year and by next year we will be fully ready with the foundational element, and we start dropping the use cases across sectors,” Kaka explained.
He stressed that the federal government recognises the autonomy of states urging them to align with national standards.
“If the states can model and reflect what happens at the national level, then we can have a 360-degree view of the whole data exchange across the country and drive all-of-government processes,” he added.
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