Business

Customs Trains 14,000 Destination Inspection Officers

Published

12 years ago

December 11, 2013

The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko, has said 14,000 officers of the service had been trained to take over Destination Inspection at the ports.

Dikko disclosed this at a news conference in Lagos, after a three-day campaign on the Pre-Arrival Assessment Reports (PAAR) scheme put in place by the service.

He said NCS was ready to take over destination inspection as it had for example trained more than 300 officers to scan and 350 others to process PAAR.

The comptroller-general said also that some other officers had been redeployed to different departments.

“The responsibility of service providers before now is about assessment, classification, goods of origin, risk management and all aspects of the statutory responsibilities of the Nigeria Customs Service.

“We were left with only examination. By implication today, the Federal Government has returned all these statutory functions to the Nigeria Customs Service.

“So, I believe the government measures our preparedness in taking over while we had the visiting World Bank officials almost four times during the period of taking over.

“They certified that the Nigeria Customs Service is fully ready to take over.

“We call on Nigerians for their understanding. You know, the beginning is always difficult and we also call on members of the press to help us inform the Nigerian public about where we were before and where we are going.

“For one thing is the advantage of the Nigeria Customs Service taking over. You are very much aware that the Nigerian government is spending a huge amount of money in foreign currency to pay service providers before now.

“But today, this payment ceased to exist. So, by implication, Nigeria is going to get more revenue. The money that is being paid to these people will now go to the coffers of government.’

The comptroller-general, who said the service providers were operating with 21 scanners, added that the NCS was prepared to provide 50 scanners within the next five years.

He said this would be a consequence to the take-over of destination inspection by the service.

Dikko said the Customs had taken over the available scanners, saying that the service providers were left with maintenance of the scanners for six months before the full take-over.

He said also that the NCS had prosecuted 15 persons suspected to have hacked into the service’s trade hub.

“The Forensic Unit of the Customs has been directed to deal with the internet hackers,’’ the comptroller-general said.

The NCS’s Deputy Comptroller, ICT Operations, Mr. Bashar Yusuf said the introduction of the Trade Hub by the Customs would ease cargo clearance and import processing.

He said the NCS had provided two free internet access for the Balogun Business Association (BBA) at the Lagos Trade Fair Complex, for easy access to the Customs Trade Hub.

Yusuf said the traders would have their cargoes released immediately from the port with the genuine documents processed through PAAR.

“The cargoes would be cleared before arrival, once other government agencies operating at the port confirmed the documents through PAAR,’’ he said.

An Assistant Comptroller-General in the service, Alhaji Abubakar Umar, said NCS had purchased many stand-by generators and also provided internet backup in case of power failure.

Mr Adewale Adeniyi, the National Public Relations Officers of the NCS, said the service had gone through series of campaign programmes for traders in their local languages.

“It was the directive given to officers by the Comptroller-General of Customs that all traders should be addressed in local languages for effective understanding about PAAR.

“The comptroller-general has promised to extend the campaign to the Eastern and Northern states of the country,’’ he said.

L-R: Former Minister of National Planning, Dr Shamsuddeen Usman, Gov. Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State, Acting Governor of Taraba State, Alhaji Umar Garba and former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, at the Second North-East Economic Summit in Gombe, recently.

Business

Boat Mishap Kills Pastor, Wife And Church Members In Brass Water

Published

11 hours ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

A boat accident in Bayelsa state has killed a serving Pastor, Wife and other church members along Brass waterways

The sad incident happened at Odioama in Brass local government area of Bayelsa State when the Pastor, wife and members of his church were in a programme.

?Tide confirmed that the lifeless body of the Pastor’s wife has been found and deposited in a mortuary while the remains of her husband ,the Pastor is yet to be recovered

as search party are still ongoing.

Although the real cause of the boat Mishap is not yet known as at the time of this report, our Correspondent gathered that the identities of the Pastor, wife and church members were not disclosed to the public.

The mishap, Tide gathered occurred on Friday morning when the church members were on a boat transit

The Bayelsa State government and the state police command are yet to issue official statement’s on the sad accident

By: CHINEDU WOSU

Business

Rivers Workers Seek Scrapping Of Contributory Pension Scheme

Published

11 hours ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

The Rivers State Council of Nigeria Civil Service Union has called on the State Government to urgently scrap the contributory pension scheme, describing it as unfavourable to long-serving civil servants in the state.

Chairman of the union, Chukwuka Osuma, said this in an interview with newsmen in Port Harcourt, recently.

Osuma said the current pension structure has continued to worsen post-retirement hardship for workers.

He noted that the contributory pension scheme had failed to provide adequate retirement security for workers who had spent many years in service, especially those approaching retirement age.

According to him, civil servants who had served for more than 20 years were among the worst affected under the scheme, insisting that many retirees could no longer cope with prevailing economic realities.

He also informed that the Union has made moves to showcase their concerns, pleading with Governor Siminalayi Fubara to abolish the pension policy and introduce a more favourable arrangement for affected workers.

“The union was not opposed to pension reforms, the contributory scheme should only apply to newly employed workers or those with fewer years in service”, he said.

Osuma explained that workers who had already spent decades in the civil service ought to remain under a more secure pension structure capable of guaranteeing stability after retirement.

The labour leader further noted that inflation and the rising cost of living had continued to erode the value of retirement savings, thereby increasing the suffering of pensioners across the country.

He also appealed to the state government to consider extending the years of service in the civil service from 35 to 40 years and the retirement age from 60 to 65 years.

Osuma argued that such adjustment had become necessary in view of present-day economic realities and changing conditions in the workplace.

The unionist also reviewed that similar policies had already been adopted in some sectors and jurisdictions, expressing optimism that the State could also implement the reforms for the benefit of workers.

He however, commended Governor Fubara for approving an N85,000 minimum wage for workers in the state, noting that the amount was above the national benchmark of N70,000.

Osuma also acknowledged the government’s efforts in the area of workers’ promotions and bonuses, but insisted that pension reforms and extension of years of service remained critical to the long-term welfare and stability of civil servants in Rivers State.

By: King Onunwor

Business

FG Begins South-West Tour To Promote New Cooperative Bank

Published

6 days ago

May 13, 2026

The Tide

The Federal Government has launched the South-West zonal engagement and ministerial advocacy tour on the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria share capital mobilisation, sensitisation and cooperative sector digitalisation.

Reports say the initiative was launched through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.

According to reports, the advocacy tour, organised by the ministry’s Federal Department of Cooperatives, began on Monday in Lagos.

Speaking at the event, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security and Supervising Minister of Cooperative Affairs, Dr Aliyu Abdullahi, said the initiative was part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Abdullahi described the exercise as a strategic effort to reposition the cooperative sector as a key driver of inclusive economic growth, financial inclusion, enterprise development, food security and national prosperity.

“Today represents a defining moment in our collective determination to reposition the cooperative sector as a major driver of inclusive economic growth, financial inclusion, enterprise development, food security and national prosperity,” he said.

The minister noted the modern cooperative movement in Nigeria originated in the South-West following the 1934 Strickland Report, which led to the enactment of the Cooperative Societies Ordinance of 1935.

According to him, the decision to commence the sensitisation and share capital mobilisation tour in the region is symbolic, as it marks a return to the roots of cooperative development in the country.

Abdullahi said the advocacy tour was a direct outcome of resolutions reached at the 8th Regular Meeting of the National Council on Cooperative Affairs held in Abuja in March 2026.

He said the council approved the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme, a comprehensive framework designed to strengthen the cooperative sector and align it with the administration’s goal of building a one-trillion-dollar economy.

“The reform programme focuses on seven strategic pillars, including governance reforms, cooperative financing and the establishment of the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria, digitalisation, capacity building, value chain development, inclusion of youths, women and persons with disabilities, and strategic partnerships,” he said.

He said the establishment of the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria and the digitalisation of the cooperative sector were the two major transformational initiatives under the programme.

“The Cooperative Bank of Nigeria is aimed at rebuilding a strong cooperative financial system capable of supporting cooperators, farmers, artisans, traders, SMEs, youths, women and persons with disabilities with accessible and affordable financial services,” he said.

Abdullahi emphasised that the proposed bank would be government-enabled but not government-funded.

“Government is not establishing the bank as an owner, nor will it rely on Treasury Single Account funds.

“The role of government through the FMAFS is to provide policy support, stakeholder coordination, regulatory facilitation and an enabling environment under the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme,” he said.

Also speaking, the Lagos State Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment, Mrs Folashade Ambrose-Medebem, reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to cooperative sector transformation.

She described cooperatives as critical tools for promoting inclusive growth, grassroots productivity, food security, financial inclusion and community wealth creation.

Ambrose-Medebem said Lagos State would continue to support reforms and collaborate with stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme (2025–2030).

“Together, let us build a cooperative ecosystem that is modern, transparent, digitally enabled, financially inclusive and globally competitive.

“Let us build cooperatives that not only mobilise savings, but also mobilise prosperity,” she said.