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ANLCA Raises Alarm Over Foreign Dominance Of Business

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3 years ago

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The Association of  Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has lamented that foreigners have taken over 90 per cent of freight forwarding jobs in Nigeria.
Acting President of the Association, Kayode Farinto, who disclosed this to newsmen at the National Executive Council meeting of the Association in Lagos, said it had drafted a bill through its legal adviser on the need to indigenise Nigeria Customs Service brokerage.
Farinto noted that the nucleus of freight forwarding should be left to Nigerians, not foreigners.
“Foreigners have taken over 90 per cent of our jobs by practising door-to-door services or allowing non-functional Nigerians to be Directors in their companies.
“We have got lawyers and put up a bill on the need to indigenise Customs’ brokerage, which is a nucleus of freight forwarding, to be left for Nigerians alone”, he said.
Farinto, who accused Egyptians, Lebanese, and Chinese of taking over the freight forwarding industry in Nigeria, also said that NCS was giving these nationals preference over Nigerians.
“The issue of foreigners taking over clearing jobs is a keg of gunpowder and if nothing is done about it, we will all have ourselves to blame. We are, however, setting up a committee which will give a proper guideline.” he said.
Speaking on the recently introduced 15 per cent National Automotive Council (NAC) levy on imported vehicles, he said the Council for the Regulations of Freight Forwarding had directed the registrar to engage the Federal Ministry of Finance on the issue.
According to him, the mandate given to the registrar was to ensure the suspension of the NAC levy.
“The Acts No 6 of 2014 is very explicit on the introduction of NAC levy on fully-built Imported vehicles. We woke up to see that the Federal Government had migrated to the Economic Community of West African States Tariff, which states that the duty for raw materials should be 5 per cent; semi-finished products, 10 per cent, while used vehicles should attract 20 per cent.
”We are not unaware of the provision, which empowers member nations to introduce Import Adjustment Tax but this ought to be for commodities, products manufactured locally. This tax is meant to protect local manufacturers.
”The question, which is yet to be answered is whether the Nigerian government is manufacturing used vehicles locally.
“The spiral effect of this levy is unprecedented as cost of clearing of used vehicles has skyrocketed  and its spiral effect will begin to manifest in the next quarter of 2022,” he said.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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2 days 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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2 days 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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2 days 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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