Day: May 29, 2024

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Seme Area Command says it generated N2.63 billion between January and May.

Comptroller Timi Bomodi, the Area Controller disclosed this on Tuesday during a media briefing in Seme, Lagos. State.

According to him, in the period under review, a total sum of N2,634,190,645 was collected.

The controller said that the amount surpassed that of 2023 for same period by 272 per cent.

He said that the command facilitated 143, 468 Metric Tonnes of export produce, with FOB value of ?35, 199, 971. 097, which is equivalent to $38, 461, 397.39.

Bomodi said that the enforcement unit sustained anti-smuggling momentum in all nooks and crannies of the command.

‘This onslaught translated into 474 interceptions of various contraband items within the period under review.

‘These items include 12,448 Jerry cans and 30 litres of petrol, which is equivalent to eight tanker loads.

‘Others are 6,467 bags of 50kg of foreign rice, which is equivalent to 10 trailer loads, 15 fairly used vehicles and
1,251 parcels of cannabis sativa.

‘They also include 20 live parrots, two honey badgers, 2 pelican birds and 404 live tortoises, 3,023 general merchandise, 149 packages of codeine and 45 pieces of unused tyres,’ he said.

Some seized 50kg bag of foreign rice seized by Seme customs on displayed on Tuesday.

He said that all the seized items had a combined Duty Paid Value (DPV) of ?840, 003, 646.

‘We note that there has been a marked increase in the illegal importation of Cannabis from Ghana and different methods have been used by criminals in their effort to beat our officers, all of which were neutralised,’ he said.

Bomodi said that a total of 18 suspects were arrested in connection with the seizures.

He added that 11 of them were granted administrative bails and three were handed over to NDLEA for further action.

‘One was handed over to the Nigeria Police, while four suspects are still in Customs’ custody.’

He said that the command had set-up a complaint desk to address issues concerning the molestatio
n of females in the command.

‘We strongly frown at any act endangering the health and well-being of the vulnerable population of border stake-holders, who go about their normal and legitimate businesses daily.

‘Stringent action shall be taken against any officer of any agency found guilty of molestation of any female on this corridor,’ he said.

30 Jerry can of seized petrol on displayed in Seme command on Tuesday.

Bomodi appreciated the cooperation of other government agencies in ensuring the peace, safety and security of the nation’s borders.

‘Special mention will be made of the effort of officers and men of the Nigerian Army, Air Force and Navy, who have stood shoulder to shoulder with us in this battle.

‘Their unwavering support is crucial and we applaud their patriotic efforts,’ he said.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Nigeria has been operating a monocultural economy for decades since the discovery of oil in 1956, relying on it to fund its development.

The result is that other sectors of the economy would not receive the needed attention for their growth, posing a worrying obstacle to economic diversification.

While various administrations in the past years struggled to change the trend, observers say the impact is yet to be reflected in the economy, and more political will is needed to achieve the feat.

The country is faced with the reality of building its resilience for the future, especially as the demand for oil is expected to decline, resulting in a loss in its value.

In building this resilience, it must leverage on opportunities in other sectors to generate revenue to drive the process of sustainable development.

One of such is taking advantage of the global upsurge of energy transition to develop its solid minerals sector.

A German company, Geoscan, conducted a preliminary survey which revealed Nigeria has a d
eposit of an estimate of N750 billion dollars worth of solid minerals underground, of which a quarter had not been harnessed.

To tow the path of exploring opportunities of these solid minerals, when President Bola took over the helm of the country on May 29, 2923, he promised to revamp the sector to improve the economic profile of the country.

His Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr Dele Alake, said the sector targets contributing 50 per cent to Nigeria`s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), through its repositioning.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the mining and quarrying sector contributed 4.47 per cent to the overall GDP in the fourth quarter of 2023 during the period Tinubu took over.

One of the eight key presidential priority areas is `to unlock energy and natural resources for sustainable development`, but achieving the feat requires attracting foreign direct investment and sanitising the sector.

Nigeria prides itself in possessing the critical minerals required for energy tr
ansition in commercial quantities across its states, which it must leverage upon to facilitate local development of its economy, especially in creating job opportunities and infrastructure development.

To attract big players in harnessing these minerals, the government need to put in place friendly policies and initiatives.

But while the Tinubu`s administration is removing impediments to the ease of doing business and strives to attract foreign direct investment to its minerals, it must deal with one of the major challenges bedevilling the sector, which is illegal mining.

Illegal mining is the extraction of minerals or other geological materials without following the proper procedures which includes the necessary permits, licences or regulatory approvals to participate in the activity.

Stakeholders say illegal mining is fuelled by insecurity in the mining environment, and is an act of economic sabotage depriving Nigeria of improved revenue.

Similarly, Alake described illegal mining as a hydra headed mons
ter, which scourge violates the legal restrictions against mining in public institutions such as national parks and educational institutions, religious centres or community properties.

He further explained that illegal mining is not just unlicenced mining, but it covers licenced miners operating with invalid licences or licenced miners operating outside their coordinates or mining minerals not approved in their licences.

When he appeared before the House of Representatives committee on Solid Minerals to defend the ministry`s 2024 budget estimate, he decried the rate of insecurity in the mining industry.

He said that the situation was impeding the sector from generating the requisite revenue, and also alleged that illegal miners are the sponsors of banditry and terrorism in the country, which must be addressed for the sector to thrive.

He said that the Nigerian economy is in dire need of rapid economic growth through the solid minerals sector given the limitless value the sector can provide, but the activi
ties of illegal miners have made the mining environment insecure for investors.

To check the menace, the ministry adopted a dual -pronged approach comprising of both coercive and persuasive measures being concurrently implemented to get the desired result to combat illegal mining.

The persuasive method involves formalising artisanal and illegal miners into cooperatives, and since the policy, more than 150 cooperatives have been established so far.

‘Recall that on the occasion of the declaration of the Seven Point Agenda, I gave illegal miners 30-day deadline to join co-operatives.

‘This was later extended to 60 days. It is gratifying to note that between September 2023 and March, 2024, the Ministry registered 152 new cooperatives, ‘ the minister said.

The move is aimed at easily identifying the miners through the cooperative to check illegality, and also enhance their business.

For the coercive approach, a Presidential Inter-Ministerial Committee was established on Jan.17, to produce a blue print for se
curing Nigeria`s natural resources, which comprised of mineral sites, marine economy and forests.

The committee was expanded to include security agencies aimed at producing comprehensive strategies to address illegal mining, which led to the establishment of the Mining Marshal Corp, an inter-agency security outfit to secure the mining environment.

The agency has 2, 220 personnel, who have been specially trained as a rapid response squad and deployed across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Alake at the recent Ministerial Sectoral Update on the performance of the Tinubu`s administration, said the corp has brought instant succour to investors, who, hitherto, watched helplessly while their cadastral units were pillaged by bandits and illegal miners.

‘Many investors are besieging the ministry with desperate requests for intervention and we are responding with appropriate rapidity.

‘Efforts to improve the kit and armoury of the Mining Marshals will enable us to increase the fleet, expand
the field of operations and combat effectively the rarely restricted operations of illegal miners.

‘The expected impact is that more miners will resume legal operations, increase mineral exploitation, pay appropriate royalty and encourage more investors to come, convinced of the security of the mining environment and the establishment of Law and order,’ he said.

He said that plans are ongoing for other security sister agencies to integrate their officers in to the outfit structure across the country for robust output.

Alake said that the establishment of the Marshals has enabled the Mines Surveillance teams to concentrate on intelligence gathering to track and monitor illegal miners for apprehension and prosecution.

According to him, the development is a major achievement as records show that no fewer than 133 persons are currently being prosecuted for illegal mining notably in Cross River, Kogi, Oyo, Gombe, Taraba and Niger.

While these efforts have been acknowledged by stakeholders in the sector, exper
ts recommend digitisation of informal or illegal miners, where they would have identity cards that government can use for their identification.

Other stakeholders observe that while the Marshal Corp has been established to tackle insecurity and illegal activities at mining sites, there is a need for the government to make provisions for their back up in dealing with violators.

This they say is crucial, as most illegal miners are linked to banditry where sophisticated weaponry is used.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

President Bola Tinubu-led administration has made it clear that its priority is to renew Nigeria’s hope and renew citizens’ trust in the government towards building a prosperous Nigeria.

This, according to the president, will require a bold and ambitious agenda that addresses the root causes of our problems and builds a more prosperous, secure, and equitable future for all Nigerians.

Tinubu, therefore, based his renewed hope agenda on eight priority areas namely, food security; poverty eradication; growth; job creation; access to capital; inclusion; rule of law; and fighting corruption.

These ambitious goals, however, require the unflagging commitment of the members of Tinubu’s cabinet, to ensure that the vision was not only achieved, but the hope of Nigerians renewed and confidence in the government rebuilt.

‘I believe in the ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda of President Bola Tinubu, and Nigerians will see the difference in no distant time,’

These were the words of Mr Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital T
erritory (FCT), while receiving handing over notes from Mr Adesola Olusade, the immediate past Permanent Secretary of the FCTA.

Wike, however, noted that not much would be achieved without the support of the workers of the FCT Administration.

But how could the FCT workers provide the needed support without motivation, welfare, and career progression?

Unlike other workers in the Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies, workers in the FCTA could only get to the position of a director and retire, because FCTA do not have a Civil Service Commission (CSC).

This means that, unlike their counterparts in other ministries, workers in FCT could not get to the peak of their career by becoming a permanent secretary.

In fact, permanent secretaries were being posted to FCTA by the Head of Civil Service of the Federation.

Often, these permanent secretaries were juniors to some of the directors in the FCTA.

This was disturbing even when the National Assembly had passed a Bill for the establishment of CSC for the
FCT and was assented into law by the then acting President Yemi Osibanjo in 2018.

But the law was locked away in cupboards and shelves and growing dust, with no efforts to implement its provision by the previous administration.

Analysts opined that this development did not only kill the morale of the workers, but also stole their motivation and the willingness to give their best to the Administration.

Realising the negative impact this could have in actualising the vision of President Tinubu, through his renewed hope agenda, Wike immediately took steps to address the challenge.

Against all odds, the minister, on Oct. 13, 2023, announced President Tinubu’s approval for the establishment of CSC for the FCTA, in line with the provisions of the law.

This was to allow career progression for civil servants in the Administration.

‘That hindrance to the workers’ career development has been removed with this development,’ he said.

Head of Federal Capital Territory Civil Service, Dr Udo Atang .

On receiving the
news, the elated FCT workers, in their numbers, stormed the Minister’s Wing of the FCTA Secretariat, praising Wike and Tinubu for taking the bold step to implement the FCT CSC Establishment Act, 2018.

Mr Korede Matilukoro, the then President of the Joint Unions Action Committee (JUAC), the umbrella body of FCTA workers, said, ‘this singular act has put smiles on the faces of the workers.’

Matilukoro pointed out that since 2004, the staff of FCTA had been deprived of becoming permanent secretaries, adding that Wike took the issue and within a month, secured President Tinubu’s approval for the implementation of the law.

But the excitement did not last long when a few days after, the Officer of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, announced the redeployment of Dr Magdalene Ajani from Transportation Ministry to FCTA.

Ajani was to replace the then PS, Mr Olusade Adesola, who was to retire on Jan. 29, but the workers rejected the action, describing it as faulty, and called for the full implementation of
the FCT CSC Law.

Responding to the workers’ outcry, Wike ran to President Tinubu, halted the deployment of Ajani and on March 12, announced Tinubu’s approval for the appointment of Mr Udo Atang, as pioneer Head of Civil Service of the FCTA.

The minister also announced the appointment of 10 Permanent Secretaries for various Secretariats of the Administration as provided for in the FCT Civil Service Law, 2018.

Mr Emeka Ezeh was appointed the Chairman of the Commission’s Board, with six others as commissioners, representing the six geopolitical zones.

The excited pioneer head of FCT civil service, described the development as a demonstration of the reality of the renewed hope agenda of the Tinubu-led government.

Commending Tinubu and Wike for renewing the hope of FCT workers, Atang pointed out that the staff of the Administration have never had it this good.

He added that in the new FCTA system, every member of staff was a potential permanent secretary and head of service.

‘I am also a beneficiary of beco
ming a Permanent Secretary, a son of nobody, rising to the peak of my career when I know nobody except God.

‘We never expected that such things could happen to us.

‘In terms of the aspiration of reaching your peak. I am one of the shining examples that somebody can be a Permanent Secretary in the FCT,’ Dr Babagana Adam, the pioneer Permanent Secretary, Health Services and Environmental Secretariat of the FCTA, has said.

Similarly, the current President of JUAC, Mrs Rifkatu Lortyer, expressed optimism for a cordial working relationship with Wike, for demonstrating high regards for workers and their welfare.

‘So far, he is towing the right direction because the civil service commission had been our fight for a very long time.

‘We have put one or two requests, and he has answered us. Every one of our requests is being considered; that is the most important thing,’ Lortye said.

By and large, public analysts cautioned that now that Tinubu has actualised the long struggle for the FCT CSC, it was only fair tha
t the workers pay back by being committed and work for the actualisation of Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

A media practitioner and public relations expert, Alhaji Kehinde Olaosebikan, has lauded the various interventions of the President Bola Tinubu-led administration toward repositioning Nigeria.

Olaosebikan, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan on Wednesday, noted that the various measures would result in generating common wealth for all.

According to him, any serious effort or programme aimed at fighting poverty and want must first all reduce the burden on the common man.

‘The first major one is the Students’ Loan Scheme recently launched by the Federal Government, aimed at providing financial assistance to qualified Nigerian students.

‘This covers tuitions, other fees and upkeep during their studies, while vocational skills acquisition would ease the burden on the parents and guardians.

‘It is the most visible and reasonable way to combat poverty. The policy must make education, health, power and employment accessible,’ he said.

Olaosebikan stated that the yoke on the masses’
necks must be made light by the government.

According to him, the new students’ loan scheme initiative is laudable and must be supported to make it work.

He also commended the efforts being made by government to improve electricity supply across the country.

‘Also commendable is the concerted effort being made toward steady electricity supply; it will generate more employment and enhance development in both the urban and rural areas.

‘The government has also come up with implementable programmes on health, housing and small-scale business development,’ he said.

The public affairs analyst, while speaking on the one year in office of Tinubu, described the administration as a strong and well-focused one.

‘Being a very strong leader himself, the president has brought strength, vigour and a great deal of pragmatism into governance, especially against the lackluster and inertia style of his predecessor.

‘Without any equivocation, I will say that President Tinubu is running the precise type of government we r
equire at this point in time in Nigeria,’ he said.

On the removal of subsidy, Olaosebikan said that whether it was removed by Tinubu on his inauguration day or any other day, the subsidy needed to go, though not without some unpalatable consequences.

‘Like most Nigerians, personally I am feeling the pain of the removal, but I am very optimistic that Nigeria and Nigerians will be better for it. It is just the normal experience in growth.

‘The truth is that, it is difficult to see the impact of palliatives in big societies and countries like ours. For a nation of over 250 million people, gauging the impacts of palliatives is usually very tough,’ he said.

Olaosebikan stated that palliatives were introduced to bring immediate relief to those worst hit by the adverse effects of the removal.

‘But, are they really feeling the impact? The answer is ‘No’. The president did well by increasing allocations to states and direct allocations of essential items to them.

‘However, what the states are doing to the increa
sed allocations is another thing entirely. The responsibility of the government is to create a common wealth that will be enjoyed seamlessly by all.

‘The president has come out with measures that will lead to generation of common wealth for all,’ he said.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) says arrangements have been concluded for the inauguration of its Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Conversion, Filling, Reverse Engineering and Training Centre in Abuja.

The Executive Vice Chairman of NASENI, Mr Khalil Halilu, disclosed this while addressing a news conference on Wednesday in Abuja.

According to him, President Bola Tinubu is expected to perform the inauguration on Friday.

He said that NASENI was committed to supporting the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly on sustainable energy alternatives and a clean energy ecosystem.

Halilu said that NASENI-Portland CNG conversion and training centre was a partnership between NASENI and Portland Gas Limited.

‘It is a state-of-the-art facility for the conversion of fossil fuel vehicles to CNG, a cleaner and more cost-effective alternative.”

According to him, the centre which is equipped with the latest technology and staffed by highly trained professionals will en
sure efficient and safe conversions that will build local capacity in CNG technology.

Halilu assured that the facility would also offer comprehensive training programmes for technicians, engineers and other stakeholders, fostering domestication of expertise in CNG systems and promoting the adoption of green energy solutions across the nation.

The executive vice chairman said the establishment of the NASENI-Portland Gas Reverse Engineering Centre would mark a transformative moment for Nigeria’s energy sector.

He said that the CNG Centre underscored NASENI’s unwavering commitment to sustainable innovation and the development of home-grown technological and manufacturing capabilities.

‘At NASENI, we are committed to reducing our carbon footprint and providing affordable, eco-friendly fuel alternatives to Nigerians.

‘The initiative is expected to significantly reduce vehicular emissions, contributing to cleaner air and a healthier environment,’ he said

He said that the adoption of CNG would offer economic
benefits by reducing fuel costs for consumers and creating new job opportunities in the Nigeria’s green energy sector.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria