Maritime

Customs Releases 40 Trucks Of Seized Woods

Published

10 years ago

April 29, 2016

The Association of Mari
time Truck Owners (AMARTO) said on Tuesday, that the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) had ordered the release of 40 trucks of unprocessed woods impounded from its members.
The Chairman of AMARTO, Chief Remi Ogungbemi, told newsmen in Lagos that the trucks were impounded by the Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone ‘A’ in Ikeja.
He said that the trucks were seized between October 2015 and February 2016 on their way to the ports, carrying unprocessed woods classified under the Customs Export Prohibition List.
The AMARTO boss said that the association was introducing an indemnity form for its members in order to exonerate them whenever they are accosted by Customs.
“This is to be done in collaboration with the Association of Woods Exports and Processing and the Nigeria Customs Service,” he said.
Ogungbemi said that some shippers and clearing agents were the causes of problems faced by truckers because most of them failed to declare correctly what they were carrying for either export or import.
The AMARTO boss expressed gratitude to the Comptroller-General of Customs, Retired Col. Hameed Ali, and other customs officers at the headquarters in Abuja for their magnanimity in releasing the seized trucks.
He said that owners of the trucks and their businesses had been stranded since the trucks were impounded.
“More than 40 trucks were impounded, some were seized at FOU, Tin-Can Island and Apapa but majority of the trucks are at FOU Ikeja.
“Tomorrow we would go to Ikeja to take inventory and take stock of the trucks there and process their release. This will require us hiring a crane to put the containers down,’’ Ogungbemi said.
He explained that the management of Customs intervened, adding that after findings and investigations, they discovered that truck drivers were not the shippers and that the drivers were not involved.
“Out of their (NCS) magnanimity, Customs ordered the release of the trucks.
“Our members are suffering and falling victims because an unscrupulous shipper will not tell Customs what they are exporting or importing.
“I am highly impressed that the management of Customs deemed it fit to send somebody from Abuja. The person came to brief and educated us on what and what we should be carrying,” the AMARTO boss said..
Speaking on the introduction of indemnity form for truckers, Ogungbemi said the form was free.
“Our members would not know which one is legitimate and which one is illegitimate.
“This is why we have come up with an indemnity form which will contain all the information about the agent, the importer, the loading point and the agency name,’’ the AMARTO boss said.
According to him, this is to ensure that if our trucks are accosted, through the form, the authority will know all the information about the cargo”
“Most times, truck drivers do not know their importers or the agents of the cargoes but with the indemnity form they will know all information about the cargo they carry.
“We want to indemnify our members and this is why we are embarking on the use of forms.
“We will go further to seek audience with the management of Nigeria Customs Service to approve and authorise the form so that it would become a condition by which all trucks would be allowed into the port to load or discharge cargoes.
“Shippers should declare correctly what is going out or coming into the country. They are the people giving us all these problems and not the Customs.
“If all shippers can be honest, there would be no need for Customs to arrest our members,’’ The Tide source further quotes him as saying.

Maritime

NCS Holds Free Medical Outreach For 2,000 Daura Residents

Published

10 hours ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has held its 7th Retreat Medical Outreach in Daura, Katsina State,

Customs said the Free medical outreach is aimed at providing free healthcare services to residents of the area.

Speaking during the event, Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs, Ahmad Tijjani-Abe, said the programme would provide general medical consultations, dental care, eye and ear care, as well as minor surgical operations for beneficiaries.

Tijjani-Abe said medical teams deployed for the exercise would also provide free medications to patients attending the outreach.

He added that the service would visit schools within the area to deworm students and distribute health kits and mosquito nets to help prevent malaria among children.

Also Speaking, Dr Ethelbert Ikechukwu, Medical Team Leader of the outreach said the exercise was part of the initiative of the Comptroller-General of Customs, which had been carried out in different parts of the country over the years.

According to him, the programme is designed to support communities where customs personnel operate by offering free medical consultations and medications to residents.

Ikechukwu further explained that patients whose conditions could not be fully managed at the outreach centre would be referred to appropriate medical facilities for further treatment.

Ikechukwu urged members of the public to take advantage of the exercise, noting that the medical teams comprised highly qualified healthcare professionals.

The outreach targets about 2,000 patients across various areas of medical care.

Maritime

Lagos Records Major Gains In Road, Rail, Water Transport —Osiyemi

Published

10 hours ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

The Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Mr Oluwaseun Osiyemi, says the Babajide Sanwo-Olu led administration has made significant progress in developing road, rail and water transportation infrastructure across the state.

Osiyemi made this known during the 2026 Ministerial Press Briefing in Lagos to commemorate the third year of Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s second term in office.

He said the government remained committed to providing residents with an integrated multimodal transportation system that is seamless, safe, affordable, sustainable and inclusive.

According to him, the administration will continue to engage residents and invest in transport infrastructure to enhance mobility and support socio-economic development.

“Our promise to Lagos residents is to continue to provide and plan the best transportation system for all, in a manner that will boost the socio-economic development of the people and the state,” he said.

Osiyemi said the state was upgrading public transport infrastructure, including Bus Rapid Transit corridors and terminals, Quality Bus Corridors, rail projects and waterways facilities.

He said the Bus Rapid Transit BRT infrastructure from Doyin-Orile to Mile 2 along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway was 84 per cent completed, while the Iyana Ipaja Bus Terminal had reached 28 per cent completion.

According to him, the projects will improve mobility, reduce traffic congestion, enhance affordability and safety, and stimulate economic development.

Osiyemi said the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority was implementing several Quality Bus Corridor projects to improve mass transit efficiency and reduce travel time.

He listed the ongoing corridors as Mile 2, Alapere-Ketu, Ojuelegba, Cele and Abule Egba.

He said the projects feature dedicated and regulated bus lanes, modern shelters and terminals, improved pedestrian walkways and crossings, as well as traffic signal and junction improvements.

On rail transportation, the Commissioner said Phase II of the Lagos Rail Mass Transit Blue Line would extend the corridor from Mile 2 to Okokomaiko, with track construction, station development and power installation ongoing.

He said the 37-kilometre Red Line rail project from Marina through Oyingbo to Agbado was being strengthened with the procurement of 24 new coaches arranged in three sets of eight-coach trains.

According to him, each train set will carry more than 500 passengers.

He added that a feasibility study was ongoing for Phase II of the Red Line from Oyingbo to National Theatre to connect with the Blue Line.

Osiyemi said the 68-kilometre Green Line rail project would connect Marina to the Lekki Free Trade Zone through Victoria Island, Lekki, Ajah and Sangotedo, with about 17 stations.

He said the state had signed a Memorandum of Understanding MOU with China Harbour Engineering Company for the project.

According to him, the Green Line is designed to transport 35,000 passengers per hour, while the Federal Executive Council has approved funding for Phase I.

On water transportation, Osiyemi said the Lagos Ferry Services was nearing completion of a boat maintenance and dry dock facility at the Mile 2 Ferry Terminal.

He said boat trailers were also being constructed to facilitate dry-docking and repairs.

The commissioner added that solar-powered portable office cabins were being installed at Ijede, Ebute-Ero and Liverpool jetties to improve working conditions for staff.

He said the CMS Pontoon Jetty had also been upgraded to enhance passenger boarding and disembarkation.

By: CHINEDU WOSU

Maritime

Customs Harps On Human-led AI Governance –As Customs Digital Reforms Generate N230Bn

Published

10 hours ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Adewale Adeniyi, has called for a human-centred approach to digital transformation, warning that the success of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies will ultimately depend on ethics, leadership, and institutional accountability.

Adeniyi made the remarks while delivering the keynote address at the 4th Biennial International Conference organised by the Faculty of Communication and Information Sciences of University of Ilorin in collaboration with the Faculty of Philology, RUDN University.

The conference, themed “Disruptive Technology: Human and Artificial Intelligence in the Digital Economy,” brought together communication scholars, technology experts, researchers, policymakers, and heads of government agencies to examine the growing influence of artificial intelligence, digital innovation, and emerging technologies on governance, trade, education, and economic development.

Addressing participants at the University of Ilorin Main Auditorium last week , meAdeniyi argued that while artificial intelligence is reshaping institutions and economies globally, technology must remain accountable to society and aligned with public interest objectives.

“The digital age is, in the end, a human story, and the real test of our generation is not how powerful our machines become, but how wisely our societies choose to use them,” he said.

He noted that the world had already moved beyond the stage of anticipating disruption, stressing that digital payments, e-commerce platforms, artificial intelligence systems, and smart technologies had fundamentally altered global economic and governance structures.

According to him, the responsibility of public institutions is not merely to adopt new technologies, but to ensure that innovation strengthens transparency, efficiency, and public trust rather than weakening accountability mechanisms.

Drawing from the ongoing modernisation reforms within the Nigeria Customs Service, Adeniyi highlighted the deployment of the B’Odogwu Unified Customs Management System as a major milestone in the Service’s digital transformation agenda.

He disclosed that the platform generated more than ?230 billion at the PTML Command within its first eight months of deployment, while significantly improving cargo processing timelines and inter-agency coordination.

According to the Customs boss, compliant traders now complete cargo clearance procedures in less than eight hours under the digital platform, representing a major improvement in trade facilitation efficiency.

“The partnership, not the rivalry, between human and artificial intelligence is where the real value lies,” Adeniyi stated.

He maintained that while artificial intelligence can enhance operational efficiency, risk management, and data-driven decision-making, human expertise and institutional leadership remain indispensable in governance and enforcement operations.

“Technology changes processes; leadership and expertise still deliver the results,” he added.

The CGC further advocated deeper collaboration between universities, research institutions, and government agencies to develop practical, locally relevant solutions to emerging governance and digital economy challenges.

He urged academic institutions to move beyond theoretical scholarship and become active contributors to innovation, policy development, and institutional reform.

Adeniyi identified several areas where academia could support Customs modernisation efforts, including artificial intelligence-driven risk targeting systems, digital compliance mechanisms, governance of cross-border data flows, and public trust communication strategies.

He also challenged African governments to develop indigenous digital governance frameworks that reflect the continent’s legal systems, economic realities, and development priorities rather than relying solely on imported regulatory models.

The conference also provided a platform for high-level engagements between the Customs leadership, scholars, traditional rulers, communication professionals, and heads of government agencies on opportunities for collaboration in digital research, innovation, community development and capacity.

By: Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos