Customs intercepts N30b smuggled rice, vehicles at borders
Firm donates robotics kits to 12 schools
BARELY one month after the Federal Government re- opened the land borders, the Federal Operations Unit ( FOU) of the Nigeria Customs Service ( NCS), Zone A, said it has intercepted foreign parboiled rice, used vehicles, textiles materials as well as Indian hemp worth over N30 billion being smuggled into the country from Benin Republic.
The Acting Customs Area Controller of the zone, Usman Yahaya, said the contrabands were intercepted from January 1, 2021, till date.
However, insider sources have revealed that the seized items came in through the porous border points manned by Seme, Idiroko and Oyo/ Osun Command of the NSC.
According to Yahaya, also intercepted were fake and unregistered pharmaceuticals worth N51 Million along Ijebu- Ode, Ogun State, as well as cannabis smuggled from Ghana to Iseyin, Oyo state.
He said: “After the opening of the Seme border by the Federal Government, the smugglers thought they could cash in to perpetrate their evil acts. But the unit left them with heavy losses as evidenced in the seizures.”
Giving account, he said a total of 142,677 seizures of different items were intercepted even as he vowed never to relent in making the environment tough for smugglers.
His words: “In the period, the unit intercepted and seized a total of 142,677 different items. 41,652 bags of 50kg smuggled parboiled rice from Idiroko, Ipokia, Imeko, Iseyin, Igbo- Ora and Seme; 1,356 bags of 25kg smuggled parboiled rice; 4,529kg of Indian hemp smuggled from Ghana to Islington worth N710million.
“Others are 66 packs of Tramadol and other unregistered pharmaceutical products, 5,849 cartons of fake drugs, 266 units of means of conveyance and 218 used vehicles.
“Also intercepted are, 1,660 bales of textiles materials; 2,152 kegs of 25kg vegetable oil falsely declared at the other at the seaport of
Apapa and Tin- Can Island port and 6,985 cartons of frozen poultry products, and 985 kegs of Premium Motor Spirit ( PMS) were seized.
“The CAC who said his team arrested 44 suspected smugglers stated that hard times await the economic saboteurs”.
He added: “We arrested 44 suspects in connection with the seizures. We will continue to re- strategize to ensure that smugglers don’t have a hiding place. Instead of incurring losses, I will advise smugglers to embrace legitimate business and become responsible citizens.”
Meanwhile, the Customs Area Controller of Oyo/ Osun Command of NCS, Adamu Abdulkadir, said the command generated N4,896 billion in January 2021.
Abdulkadir said the command had fashioned out new strategy code- named, “Operation Fish Out,” to nip in the bud, the nefarious activities of smugglers in the area.
He warned that the command would track, apprehend and prosecute, in accordance with section 77 of the Customs and Excise Management Act ( CEMA), those who are aiding smugglers by revealing the actions of its men to them.
He said between November 19, 2020, and January 31, 2021, the command made series of detentions and seizures amounting to a total Duty Paid Value ( DPV) of N393,420,494.
The Controller disclosed further that the Command succeeded in sniffing out 20Kg of Cannabis Sitiva packed in a 20Kg bag with duty paid value of N4,526,063, stating that the drugs will be handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency ( NDLEA) for further action.
Other seizures, he said, include 3,052 bags of foreign parboiled rice, 8 kegs of 25ltrs of each of vegetables oil, 60 bales of second hand clothing ( Okrika), 264 pieces of used tyres, 8 units of Toyota Camry ( 2020 models), 1 used Toyota Highlander ( 2019 model) and 10 units of motorcycles used as a means of conveyance for snuggling of rice.
TELECOMMUNICATIONS Company, 9mobile, has launched its 4G Long- Term Evolution ( LTE) network in the city of Ilorin, Kwara State.
This latest addition to the 4G coverage from 9mobile will make it possible for Nigerians in the historic city to join a growing number of 9mobile customers across the country already enjoying fast and reliable 4G connectivity for their smartphones.
With this development, 9mobile’s 4G LTE will power digital experience in Ilorin and accelerate Nigeria’s broadband penetration target.
Speaking on the launch of the 4G LTE service in Ilorin, 9mobile’s Chief Commercial Officer, Stjepan Udovicic, affirmed that 9mobile is “working hard to empower Nigerians with world- class data services and helping to close the digital divide. We are excited to add the historic city of Ilorin to the growing list of cities already enjoying our 4G LTE network. We are committed to delivering innovation and value while building world- class networks for our customers.”
In a related development, the telecommunications firm has commenced the National Identification Number ( NIN) enrolment in Lagos and
Abuja at designated centres. The telco in a statement on Monday disclosed that the development followed Federal Government’s approval granting telecoms the licence for NIN enrollment to ease the pressure of large crowd turnout at the various enrollment centres of the Nigeria Identity Management Commission ( NIMC).
Udovicic said: “9mobile will always seek opportunities to collaborate with regulators and other stakeholders on initiatives that will enable Nigerians to achieve their full potential. We are pleased to announce the commencement of NIN enrollment at select experience centres duly approved by NIMC to help expand registration access to Nigerians ahead of the new deadline set by the government for the exercise.”
EKITI State government has launched Coding, Robotics and Artificial Intelligence education in public schools. 12 schools from a mix of urban and underserved communities have been carefully selected by the government to participate in training on Coding, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.
The training was delivered by the team from Coderina Education and Technology Foundation, a not- for- profit organization that leverages technology as an enabler for gender, social and economic change.
The organization also donated 12 robotics kits to the 12 schools through sponsorship from partners including SAP, DOW, Ford, FIRST and the LEGO Foundation.
Nominated teachers and students from the 12 selected schools came together in Ado Ekiti for two- days between December 17th and 18th, 2020 to partake in the inaugural training. A community of practice was also created for the teachers to continue the learning and sharing process.
The 12 schools under this pilot phase are expected to ramp up to participate in the regional FIRST LEGO League Challenge; an experiential hands- on learning program that inspires young learners to pursue a career in STEAM ( Science, Technology Engineering, Arts and Mathematics).
Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, speaking through the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, James Owolabi, emphasized the importance of skills such as creative thinking, coding and AI as being important in the future of work as well as for entrepreneurship.
The Governor pledged his support for the initiative and promised to ensure that the program is scaled to all schools across the state, in order to ensure that no child is left behind. Chairman of the Board of Coderina, Femi Niyi, hailed Ekiti State Government’s resolve to equip the youth with digital skills relevant for the 21st Century Knowledge Economy.
He said, “Coderina is quite happy that the Ekiti State Government understands that when you foster creativity by teaching digital skills to students or young learners, it improves them not only academically, but helps also to improve their critical and creative reasoning and problem solving skills.”
DELTA State Commissioner for Works, James Aguoye, has threatened to prosecute any contractor that executes substandard road projects in the state.
Aguoye also cautioned field and zonal engineers, projects implementation, monitoring and evaluation team against bigotry, financial inducement and sentiments in the discharge of their duties.
The commissioner, who spoke in Asaba yesterday, said the certificate of completion would not be issued to any contractor for any project found to be substandard.
He disclosed that Governor Ifeanyi Okowa had inaugurated the Projects Monitoring and Evaluation Team as a supervisory organ and approved the monitoring initiative of the Civil Society Organisations ( CSOS) to convince detractors that it was no longer business as usual in the state.
“The Ministry of Works will not tolerate a situation where field, zonal officers and the monitoring and evaluation team will affirm poor road construction that failed specification test. Such jobs will not be certificated, even as such officers will be sanctioned,” he stated.
Aguoye informed that the state government had extended the Defect Liability Period ( DLP), which enables contractors to repair failed portions of any certified road from one to two years.
He said since the Igbide- Irri road project was enmeshed in crisis, owing to alleged poor execution, the state had placed the contract on red alert, and ordered that no Certificate of Completion should be issued to the firm except the road was completed according to specification. He said due to the fact that a lot of destruction usually happen under the soil, the state would continue to maintain, rehabilitate, construct and reconstruct roads across the state with a view to delivering on the state government’s urban renewal agenda. M EANWHILE, Delta State Government has unveiled the rehabilitated High Court Complex in Asaba that was set ablaze during the # ENDSARS protests last year, barely after two months.
Chief Judge of the state, Justice Marshall Umukoro, who unveiled the complex, said court processes would resume on Monday at the complex on Ibusa Road.