Connect with us

Customs

NSA rallies security agencies against petroleum smuggling

— commends Customs’ onslaught to curb the menace 
Funso OLOJO 
Disturbed by the malignant menace of petroleum smuggling and its effect on the national economy, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, has enjoined the Nigeria Customs service and relevant security agencies to muster concerted efforts to confront the menace of the illicit trade in the country.
Addressing the gathering of high caliber of stakeholders who converged on his office on Monday 9th, 2024 for high level interactive session, Ribadu bemoaned the evil of petroleum smuggling which he  described as a “cancer that kills”.
 He noted that the illicit activity drains vital resources needed for national development and undermines government revenue.
He however singled out the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Adewale Adeniyi for commendation over his  commitment to tightening surveillance across Nigeria’s borders to curb petroleum product smuggling.
Ribadu reminded the participants of the meeting that “they convened to address the recurring challenge of petroleum smuggling, which threatens Nigeria’s economy and national security.”
Extolling the commitment of Adeniyi to fighting petroleum smuggling, the National Security Chief  praised the efforts of the Customs Service under Adeniyi’s leadership, highlighting the agency’s role in not only securing Nigeria’s borders but also safeguarding the integrity of the country’s economy.
Ribadu, however, stressed that the nation’s security apparatus must agree to work together to tackle the smuggling menace, which, according to him, will continue to destabilise the oil sector and foster illegal activities across the country’s borders if not properly addressed.
The NSA appreciated the strong presence of key stakeholders, including representatives from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), and the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) among others.
In his remarks, Comptroller-General Adewale Adeniyi emphasised the Nigeria Customs Service’s commitment to fulfilling its legal mandate, especially in light of the NCS Act 2023, which according to him, empowers the agency to enforce strict measures against smuggling activities across the country.
CGC Adeniyi, who acknowledged the complexity of petroleum products smuggling, reiterated the Customs Service’s resolve to address the challenge, pointing to recent operations, led by Comptroller Ejibunu, which were aimed at dismantling smuggling syndicates.
“What we are doing here today is a clear demonstration of the good intentions of the Office of the National Security Adviser, which has provided us with a platform to mount and execute special operations against smuggling,” Adeniyi said.
He added, “The repositioning of Nigeria’s economy and the oil sector is a crucial objective, and as an organisation, the Nigeria Customs Service is ready to play its role in achieving this.”
The Customs Boss explained that the Service is leveraging innovative technologies to enhance border security, stating that “One key initiative is the integration of real-time monitoring systems, similar to those used by Dubai Customs, which have successfully employed blockchain technology to track and authenticate oil and gas movements.”
He also urged stakeholders to focus on transparency and accountability throughout the petroleum supply chain.
He acknowledged that smuggling is driven by factors beyond the Customs Service’s control, but pledged that the NCS would not relent in its efforts to clamp down on the illegal trade.
“We remain committed to ensuring that legitimate businesses thrive, while at the same time, we will not hesitate to suppress any form of illegitimate activities in the petroleum sector,” Adeniyi said.
On his part, Comptroller Hussein Ejibunu, the National Coordinator of Operation Whirlwind, emphasised the need for stronger inter-agency collaboration, noting that anti-smuggling efforts require the combined strength of various government agencies, including the NCS, NMDPRA, NNPC Ltd., and security services.
Comptroller Ejibunu, who acknowledged the financial burden associated with conducting the operations, also called for an increase in funding and allocation of vehicles to the operatives of Operation Whirlwind.
The stakeholders, on their part, all agreed to show commitment to eliminating petroleum smuggling and securing Nigeria’s borders, stating, “We all dissociated ourselves from anything smuggling, and we’re in support of this operation, Operation Whirlwind.”
The National Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Customs Service, Chief Superintendent of Customs, Abdullahi Maiwada, while announcing the closure of the meeting, said a joint communique has been signed, as he further read some new resolutions that will set the ball rolling in terms of fighting against smuggling.
According to him, “Following extensive deliberations, a joint communique was signed by NSA Ribadu, Comptroller-General Adeniyi, and other key representatives, including officials from NNPC Limited, NMDPRA, and IPMAN.
The communique outlined a series of resolutions aimed at curbing petroleum smuggling and protecting Nigeria’s economy.”
Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Customs

Customs grants one- month extended window to illegally imported private aircraft owners to regularise their documents to avoid sanction 

Funso OLOJO
The Nigeria Customs Service has given a month extension for owners of illegally imported aircraft to come forward to pay necessary charges and regularise their documents.
The grace period, which is from Monday, October 14th, 2024 to Thursday, November 14th, 2024, is to enable the affected owners to complete the verification exercise for the recovery of import duties which they had earlier evaded.
According to the statement by the Service, “the extension is to further engage operators who have expressed willingness to regularize their import duties, providing them with an additional window to comply with the necessary regulations.
 “The NCS is committed to ensuring that all illegally imported aircraft meet the legal requirements, thereby promoting transparency and accountability in the aviation sector.
“In light of this extension, the NCS encourages aircraft operators to take full advantage of the extended period to fulfill their obligations, avoiding sanctions that may arise from non-compliance after the deadline.
 “The Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi  reiterates the Service’s dedication to enforcing the laws governing import duties and maintaining the integrity of Nigeria’s aviation sector.
 “He further appreciates the cooperation and understanding of stakeholders in this ongoing exercise” the statement concluded.
Continue Reading

Customs

AfCFTA scribe commends Nigeria Customs over deployment of trade facilitation tools for efficient service delivery

— engages CGC Adeniyi on how to dismantle bottlenecks in intra-African trade.
Funso OLOJO 
The Secretary General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Wamkele Mene had commended the Nigeria Customs Service on the deployment of the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) programme, the Advanced Rulings, and the conduct of Time Release studies which he said have greatly improved trade facilitation at the Nigerian ports and border posts.
According to him, these initiatives have positioned the NCS as a benchmark for customs administrations across Africa.
Wamkele Mene gave this commendation while meeting the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Adewale Adeniyi on the sideline of the Biashara Afrika 2024 forum, hosted in Kigali, Rwanda, from 9th to 11th October 2024.
The Rwanda engagement brought together key stakeholders to discuss ways to enhance intra-African trade and foster deeper economic integration.
The meeting between the CGC and the Secretary-General provided a unique opportunity to refine strategies aimed at improving trade facilitation under the AfCFTA agreement.
 Discussions centered on addressing existing bottlenecks and encouraging small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to take advantage of the opportunities provided by the agreement, given their critical role in boosting intra-African trade.
 Particular emphasis was placed on the role of Customs in these efforts.
.
 In his response, Comptroller-General Adeniyi commended the Secretary-General for his unwavering commitment to advancing the AfCFTA’s goals, despite the resource constraints faced by the Secretariat.
 He also acknowledged the critical support provided by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration and the legislative arm through the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023.
 “The Act has been instrumental in providing the necessary legal framework for implementing initiatives that align with the government’s vision of making Nigeria the most efficient trading nation on the continent, fostering SME growth, and boosting exports to strengthen intra-African trade,” he said.

The high point of the conversation was the recent achievement of Mrs Chinwe Ezenwa, CEO of LE LOOK Nigeria Limited, who became the first woman to export goods under the Guided Trade Initiative (GTI) of the AfCFTA to East, Central, and North African countries.

 Her success, marked by the export of goods on 16th July 2024 from Apapa Port in Lagos, underscores the growing opportunities for Nigerian businesses in the continental market.

A key outcome of the meeting was the AfCFTA Secretariat’s commitment to develop a concept note outlining the way forward for the free trade area.

 In turn, the NCS pledged to bring these discussions to the Heads of Customs Administrations platform in Africa, ensuring a coordinated approach to addressing customs-related challenges across the continent.

The Biashara Afrika, now in its second edition, has established itself as a formidable platform for engagement between African public and private actors on the effective implementation of the AfCFTA.

 This year’s forum focused on addressing the evolving challenges in the business environment and seeking innovative solutions to facilitate cross-border trade.

Continue Reading

Customs

Stakeholders accuse Finance Ministry of frustrating government’s six-month duty waiver on food imports

–as December deadline beckons, hungry Nigerians eagerly await dividends of  presidential initiative
Funso OLOJO
Nigerian importers and their agents have accused the Federal Ministry of Finance of deliberate efforts to frustrate the government’s initiative at encouraging massive importation of food items to cushion the country’s current food crisis.
Following the acute shortage of food items due to debilitating insecurity, which has driven the cost of foodstuffs through the roof, the federal government announced a six-month window of zero duty and VAT on the importation of some critical foodstuffs to provide an immediate solution to the widening gap in the food supply.
Consequently, the government announced, through the Federal Ministry of Finance, an executive order that effective from 15th July 2024 to  31st December 2024, there is a six-month window of duty waivers on the importation of some selected food items such as husked brown rice, beans, wheat, millet, maize and grain sorghum.
However, three months into the special offer, no single importation of the selected food items has been made.
Kayode Farinto, the Chairman and Chief Executive officer of Wealthy Honey Nigeria Limited pointedly accused the Finance ministry of putting a wedge in the implementation of the policy.
Farinto, a former Acting National President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents(ANLCA), said the stringent conditions attached to importation under the special Presidential duty waivers were the killjoy that has scared importers away from participating in the programme.
He expressed dismay on why the ministry should place such a burden on the importers who wish to help the government achieve food sufficiency in the country if not to deliberately frustrate and sabotage the process.
” Government in its magnanimity realised that Nigerians are hungry and should have food in excess, rolled out that very good executive decision on duty waivers on some selected food items.
” But its implementation has been bastardised and I predicted when the announcement on this special arrangement was made that after three months of the executive order, there won’t be any importation of these food items under this programme.
” Three months into the programme, there is no importation.
” Go to the port terminals, you won’t find a single containerised food item under the duty waivers programme.
” Nobody is willing to import under such stringent conditions by the Ministry of Finance. The ministry has put a wedge in the smooth implementation of the policy.
” Most of us travelled abroad and saw these food items which we would have containerised and shipped to Nigeria under this programme but we couldn’t because of the stringent criteria set up by the ministry.
” How do you expect people to import food items and have a food surplus in the country when you put these tough conditions?” Farinto queried.
It could be recalled that the Ministry of Finance through the Nigeria Customs Service in August 2024  spelt out certain conditions to be met by importers willing to participate in the special Presidential duty waivers programme.
“To participate in the zero-duty importation of basic food items, a company must be incorporated in Nigeria and have been operational for at least five years.
“It must have filed annual returns and financial statements and paid taxes and statutory payroll obligations for the past five years.
” Companies importing husked brown rice, grain sorghum, or millet need to own a milling plant with a capacity of at least 100 tons per day, operated for at least four years and have enough farmland for cultivation.
“Those importing maize, wheat, or beans must be agricultural companies with sufficient farmland or feed mills/agro-processing companies with an out-grower network for cultivation”
Farinto said these conditions were not necessary as they would certainly be too cumbersome to meet.
” It should have been left open for those who have interest and capital to participate, a sort of all-comers affair to encourage massive importation of foods to saturate the market and bring the prices down.
“After all, the window is only for six months and after that, you close the window” the ANLCA chieftain declared.
Our reporter further gathered that apart from the stringent conditions attached to the zero duty programme which stakeholders believed have resulted in apathy, the Nigeria Customs Service, three months into the implementation of the duty waivers, said it was still waiting for the Federal Ministry of Finance to provide the agency with the list of importers eligible to participate in the programme.
According to the guidelines, the Federal Ministry of Finance is supposed to provide the Customs with the list of importers qualified to benefit from the duty waiver.
With three months remaining before the duty waiver window is shut, hungry Nigerians are still waiting to benefit from the massive importation of food items expected from the special Presidential duty waiver programme.
Continue Reading

Trending