Business

Seme Customs Earns N8.39bn In Exports …Surpasses 2023 Revenue Target

Published

2 years ago

November 17, 2023

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Seme Command, says it has it facilitated a total of 41,867.88 metric tons of export products worth N8.2billion from January to October 2023.
It also recorded a total of N3.050billion revenue within the period under review, exceeding the allotted 2023 target of N1.96billion by N1.084billion, representing 55.1 percent increase.
The Customs Area Controller (CAC), Seme-Krake Border Command, Comptroller Timi Bomodi, disclosed this in a statement issued by the Public Relations Officer of the Command, Hussein Abdulahi, who attributed the successes recorded by the command to strategies adopted by the leadership of the Command to checkmate revenue loopholes, in partnership with stakeholders to ensure compliance.
Bomodi also handed over seized cannabis to the representative of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
He said, “Upon my assumption of duty on the 18th of September, 2023, I pledged to adopt sustainable ways and means of dealing with smuggling, while the focus will be on using administrative and strategic levels to block revenue leakages.
“I also promised to encourage compliant traders and our host Communities along the corridor bearing in mind the challenges of the Joint Border Post as one that is still adjusting to the reality of the border closure.
“We have kept faith within government as talks are ongoing at the highest level to regularize the situation.
“The Command under my watch has made notable impacts in our key performance indicators which are revenue collection, anti-smuggling operations, and facilitation of legitimate trade.
“The Command continues to sustain tempo in harnessing all revenue components to achieve desired goals. The target for the Command for the year 2023 is N1.96billion only.
“As at the end of October 2023, the Command has collected N3,050, 100, 912.28 only. The revenue figure collected exceeded the allotted target of N1,966,000,000 by N1,084,100,912.28 only, which represents a 55.1% increase.
“Under Export, the Command facilitated a total of 41,867.88 Metric Tons involving 1048 trucks of export products with Free On Board (FOB) of N8,299,767,340.57..
“The Nigeria Export Supervision Scheme (NESS) paid was N41,504, 608.45, only. The surcharge paid for the period under review was N40,531,580.00, only”.
On anti-smuggling operations, Bomodi recalled the headline seizures of 168 live Parrot birds and a Hawk, which are prohibited under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which Nigeria is a signatory.
He disclosed that between September and October, the Command’s operatives intercepted 1,756 jerrycans of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) equivalent to 52,680 liters or about 2 petroleum tankers, and 3,805 units of 50kg bags of rice equivalent to 7 trailer loads of foreign parboiled rice.
Other seizures within the period, he said, include; 1,379 of general merchandise goods, 40 parcels of Cannabis Sativa, 2 used vehicles, 3 live porcupines with a Duty Paid Value of N326million.
He added that six suspects were arrested in connection with the seizures.
Bomodi continued that the seized cannabis sativa and suspects will be handed over to NDLEA for further investigation.
He expressed appreciation to the Comptroller General of Customs for his support to the Command and the Seme Badagry Community for their cooperation.

By: Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos

Business

PENGASSAN Tasks Multinationals On Workers’ Salary Increase

Published

10 hours ago

December 8, 2025

The Tide

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has asked companies in the oil and gas sector to undertake urgent review of salaries of their workers in view of the prevailing harsh economic conditions in the country.

Also, the pensioners of Chevron Nigeria, under the aegis PenCoN, have lauded the President of PENGASSAN, Comrade Festus Osifo and his executive on their unrelenting efforts toward addressing pension abnormalities faced by retired workers in the oil and gas industry.

The association also appealed to the federal government to take necessary measures to check banditry and terrorist activities in parts of the country.

PENGASSAN President, Osifo who addressed journalists shortly after the National Executive Council meeting of the association in Abuja, at the weekend, said that though a lot of success has been recorded in negotiating salary reviews for its members, there are still organisations that have failed to lift their workers from the present harsh economic situation.

He said within this period, PENGASSAN has signed numerous Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) which has brought smiles to the faces of its teeming members.

“This is because we recognise that our job, literally, is how to protect the job of our members, and how to enhance their pay,” he said.

Osifo said that operators in the oil and gas sectors always go for the best qualified professionals to carry out their operations.

“So, the same way they recruit the best, we also challenge them to provide the best condition of service and provide the best remuneration.

“Yes, today, a lot of companies will have achieved successes, but there are still few that we are still discussing at their CBAs, that we are not yet there.

“We still use this opportunity to call on these companies that are still foot dragging, that are still holding back, even with the massive devaluation that has occurred in our country, that still don’t want to fix the remuneration of our members.

“We are calling on them to do the needful, because for us in PENGASSAN we will push without holding back. We will push, using everything in our arsenal, to ensure that the needful is done,” he said.

Osifo spoke of the dispute with the Dangote Refinery group, saying there are still pending issues to be resolved.

“Gentlemen of the press, during the networking session, we also looked at the issues that are plaguing some of our branches, and you know that recently, we had some challenges in Dangote Refinery and PetroChemicals Ltd.

“And within this period, since our last National Industrial Action, we have been engaging them in a lot of conversations, but the issues are not fully resolved. There are still a lot of pending issues.

“Yes, the NEC decided that, yes, let us still consummate that process by pushing those issues, by engaging in dialogue to resolve the issues, and by also engaging all our social partners and stakeholders to get the issues resolved,” he said.

Business

SEC Unveils Digital Regulatory Hub To Boost Oversight Across Financial Markets

Published

10 hours ago

December 8, 2025

The Tide

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has launched the Regulatory Hub, a new centralized digital platform designed to streamline collaboration, strengthen oversight, and improve transparency across Nigeria’s financial and capital market ecosystem.

The Commission disclosed this in a statement posted on its website.

According to the commission, the platform connects key regulatory and security institutions including the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), and Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), enabling them to exchange information securely and in real time.

The launch of this regulatory hub comes ahead of the implementation of new tax laws in January 2026, with agencies such as the FIRS spreading its tentacles across sector to monitor compliance.

According to the SEC Director-General, Emomotimi Agama, the launch marks a significant step toward modernizing Nigeria’s regulatory framework through technology.

“The Regulatory Hub is a major step in our commitment to leverage technology for stronger regulatory synergy. By connecting regulators on one platform, we are building resilience, enhancing market integrity, and promoting investor confidence,” he said.

The SEC said the platform would help reduce bottlenecks in regulatory processes and facilitate faster, more informed decision-making across agencies.

Reinforcing the DG’s comments, the Executive Commissioner, Operations, Bola Ajomale, highlighted the operational benefits of the new system.

“The platform will significantly improve the timeliness and quality of regulatory decision-making. It provides a single window for regulators to share data, respond to requests, and collaborate seamlessly in safeguarding our financial and capital markets,” he said.

The commission believes the Regulatory Hub would support its broader mandate to strengthen investor protection, enhance market stability, and harmonize regulatory activities across the financial sector.

It urged stakeholders to initiate interest by emailing the Commission, adding that once registered, participants would be able to access the Hub and take advantage of its features.

Business

NAFDAC Decries Circulation Of Prohibited Food Items In markets …….Orders Vendors’ Immediate Cessation Of Dealings With Products

Published

10 hours ago

December 8, 2025

The Tide

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised an alarm over the growing circulation of banned food products across markets in the country.

The agency, in a Press Release dated 6 December 2025, warned that these items including pasta, noodles, sugar and tomato paste are expressly listed on the Federal Government’s Customs Prohibition List and are illegal to import.

NAFDAC stated that the sale and distribution of such prohibited items violate national trade laws, compromise the integrity of Nigeria’s food control system, and pose significant public health risks, as they have not undergone the agency’s mandatory safety and quality evaluations.

Importers, market traders, and supermarket operators have therefore, been directed to immediately cease all dealings in these items and to notify their supply chain partners to halt transactions involving prohibited products.

The agency emphasized that failure to comply will attract strict enforcement measures, including seizure and destruction of goods, suspension or revocation of operational licences, and prosecution under relevant laws.

The statement said “The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised an alarm over the growing incidence of smuggling, sale, and distribution of regulated food products such as pasta, noodles, sugar, and tomato paste currently found in markets across the country.

“These products are expressly listed on the Federal Government’s Customs Prohibition List and are not permitted for importation”.

NAFDAC also called on other government bodies, including the Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Immigration Service(NIS) Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigeria Shippers Council, and the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS), to collaborate in enforcing the ban on these unsafe products.

By: Lady Godknows Ogbulu