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Senate probes Customs over N62bn under remittance

The Senate Public Account Committee has launched investigation into how the Nigerian Customs Service under-remitted N62bn in the revenue generated by the agency.

The revealation of the under remittance is contained in 2017 Auditor General Report which is currently being considered by the committee chaired by Senator Ahmed Wadada.

The query reads, “In the report of NCS summary of the monthly collection 2017 total collection for the federation account were N691bn.

“However, the receipt of NCS collection and remittance into Federation Account 2017 showed actual remittance into the account with the CBN for the year under review to be N629bn.

” A comparison of these two documents revealed an under remittance N62bn.

“There was no footnote or any form of additional information attached to the two reports.showing the reasons for the discrepancies neither there was any form of communication of the management on the intention for the future reconciliation or remittance

“The above anomalies could be attributed to weaknesses in the internal control system at Nigeria Customs Service Headquarters Abuja.”

The chairman of the committee therefore asked the Customs to come  up with their defence on the allegation of under remittance within two weeks. .

Meanwhile, the Senate has mandated the Nigerian Port Authority to appear before it over $852m debt by operators.

He noted that the committee based on its commitment to the development and growth of Nigeria is not out to witch-hunt anybody, or want to take anybody to the cleaners.

Wadada added, “The committee under my stewardship with support of my distinguished members have had cause to say this not once, not twice, that we should understand that audited or Auditor-General’s report is not an indictment on any ministry, department or agencies of government, but rather a wake up call for us to know what was wrongly committed by who.

“Going forward, we should find way to correct the wrong to make the system better and we move on to the greater heights.

“Today, the committee is compelled to say what I am going to say concerning the Nigeria Ports Authority,  Nigeria Ports Authority is found wanting on both ends, one, on the Auditor General for the Federation’s annual report and also, on ends of the status enquiry.

“There are issues around Lagos channel management, Bonny channel management and of course, Calabar channel management.  On these issues, the committee respectfully wrote the management of NPA management .  some of the communications were responded to, and some are yet to be responded to.

Senator Wadada added, “Today the Nigeria Ports Authority supposed to have appeared before this Committee so that we look at queries raised by the Auditor General for the Federation.

“The management team is not here, the MD, Directors and other top management are not here.  They rather chose to send a General Manager to us and at a time the NPA was called to the table, the General Manager was unavoidably absent.  Though, she later came and complained that she went for her medication.

“Some of these queries have got something to do with indebtedness of terminal operators which is almost a billion dollars, eight hundred and fifty two million dollars ninety-three thousand, Seven Hundred and seventy-seven cents.”

He stated, “There is also an outstanding estate rent, shipping dues, and service boats of over 68 million dollars.  The status of long outstanding debtors are all issues to be answered by the Nigeria Ports Authority.

“This is not to talk about issues surrounding Lagos channel management and Calabar channel management. We give them 48hours to appear before the Senate Committee”.

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Politics

Akwa Ibom LG poll: PDP wins 30 out of 31 chairmanship positions

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won 30 of the 31 local government chairmanship seats, leaving the All Progressives Congress with one seat in the October 5, 2024 election in Akwa Ibom State.

The Akwa Ibom State Independent Electoral Commission (AKISIEC) made this known on Sunday.

The commission, which released the results of the October 5 Local Government election, also indicated that the All Progressives Congress (APC) won one local government area.

Following the successful conduct of the election, all is now set for elected Chairmen and Vice Chairmen to be sworn in on Monday, October 7, 2024, by 8 am at the Banquet Hall, Government House, Uyo, in the State capital.

This was contained in a press statement signed by the Secretary to Akwa Ibom State Government (SSG), Enobong Uwah.

The statement indicated that Governor Umo Eno would perform the function in the presence of guests.

Meanwhile, Governor Eno has announced plans to swear in the elected chairmen on Monday, October 7, 2024.

Eno, who made this known while speaking at the All Nations Christian Ministry in Eket, said it was important to immediately inaugurate the democratically-elected officials to position local government area in the state for rapid development.

“Election was concluded yesterday. Results are trickling in. We are swearing in new chairmen tomorrow by 8 am. We want to thank those who have served. They have done well.

“The window we negotiated with the Federal Government was till October, and this is October. So we need to quickly swear in those chairmen so that they will start receiving their allocations and work for their people,” he said.

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Ondo guber: REC confirms receipt of BVAS, non-sensitive materials ahead of poll

The Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, in Ondo State, Oluwatoyin Babalola, has disclosed that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, and the non-sensitive materials have arrived in the state ahead of the November 16 governorship poll.

According to the REC, INEC is not leaving anything to chance towards ensuring that the commission conducts seamless and flawless polls in the state.

Babalola, who disclosed this during a media briefing with newsmen, maintained that security agencies are also prepared for the off-cycle governorship election and stressed that vote-buying would be tackled during the election.

The REC added that Registration Area Technical Support Staff (RATECH) will be deployed to all Registration Areas (RAs) to provide technical assistance in case of any issue with the functioning of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).

“INEC is fully committed to conducting a credible, transparent, and inclusive election in Ondo State.

“We call on the good people of Ondo State to come out en masse on election day, exercise their franchise peacefully, and contribute to the democratic process.

“We assure you that every vote will count, and what we can do about the issue of vote buying is that we will continue to sensitise people to desist from this. So we are working assiduously to succeed in the forthcoming governorship election.”

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‘I am not thinking about 2027 election- Tinubu

President Bola Tinubu said he is not thinking about the upcoming 2027 general elections but instead dedicated to restructuring the economy for the benefit of the Nigerian people.

This is coming as several prominent figures from the All Progressives Congress, APC, including former national chairman. Chief Bisi Akande, former Ogun State governor, Aremo Olusegun Osoba, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and governors from Ogun, Ondo, and Ekiti states—Dapo Abiodun, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, and Biodun Oyebanji, respectively—expressed their support for President Tinubu’s re-election and the success of all APC candidates in 2027.

Tinubu and the party leaders made these comments at the 2024 South West Assembly of the APC, held on Saturday at Victoria Island, hosted by Governor Sanwo-Olu, who serves as the zonal coordinator of the party.

The event had in attendance party leaders and stakeholders from the South-West including senators, members of the House of Representatives, State House of Assembly members, local government officials, and top party representatives.

At the event, former Ekiti State governor, Kayode Fayemi, delivered the keynote address, praising the president as a “listening leader” with a strong determination to succeed.

Tinubu, who was represented by his chief of staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, urged Nigerians to be patient with his administration, which is committed to the genuine progress of the populace.

“Mr. President has asked me to tell you that he is not thinking of the next election but the next generation,” Gbajabiamila said.

“He has asked me to convey his message, that he knows he has taken a very tough decision. He sees the light at the end of the tunnel. The time will come when we will all thank him for the decision,” he added.

Gbajabiamila reiterated Tinubu’s focus, stating, “Mr. President said I should let you know that he is not thinking of the next election but the next generation. For every moment in a country, a particular leader is produced for that time. This is the time to produce a leader that is courageous.”

He added that Tinubu remains deeply committed to the well-being of Nigerians, especially the masses and that despite the difficult reforms, Tinubu is driven by a conviction to lead Nigeria through this period of change.

“For those of us that know him very well, he has a love for the masses. As the people are complaining, he is also pained but when a man has a strong conviction of what he is doing, he pursues it.”

Gbajabiamila also stressed that while Tinubu serves as the President of Nigeria, his political base remained rooted in the South-West, and all discussions at the assembly would be taken seriously.

“The challenges facing our country are vast and complex. But for those who know him, Tinubu has always been a leader with a deep love for the people. He is pained by their struggles, but he is determined to push forward with his vision for Nigeria’s future,” he added.

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