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E- Auction: Adeniyi’s Magic Wand Against Translucence in Nigeria Custom Service
BY ABUBAKAR YUSUF
The Leadership of Adewale Adeniyi as Comptroller General, Nigeria Customs Service NCS is laced with transparency and accountability, particularly in his quest to bequeath a lasting legacies in the service .
This resulted in matching words with actions from the recently declared first quarter revenue generated by the service that overshot the expected income of each quarter, to meet the 5 trillion target in the current year, 2024.
The accountable activities of the NCS does not stop at revenue generation alone, which is the core mandate of the agency, but had proved it’s mettle in one of the core programs , the E-Auction , a process that was hitherto shrouded in mystery and sharp practices.
This year’s exercise under the leadership of Adeniyi was laced with decorum, particularly from point to point that led to the generation of huge revenue amounting to half a billion.
With the crystal enumeration of both seized items, goods and overtime cargoes abandoned at the ports, hitherto been fraudulently manipulated, Adeniyi adopted a sane measure that became a rallying point to the stakeholders and not feasible in the previous years in the NCS.
Gone where those days when both the officers and men through proxy and stooges re-circled e-auction activities through hijacking of the process, that does not go down well with the public and stakeholders.
For Adeniyi, to sustain the laudable platform meant to sanitize the system, transparency and accountability must be a watch word to the public, particularly at this crucial time when the image of the service have been subject to public scrutiny and debates.
With the new leadership in the Nigerian Customs NCS , efforts must be put in place to restore it’s lost glory and relive true confidence of Nigerians in the service.
With a committee in place appointed by the CG NCS, which screened publicly applicants from over 13, 000 subscribers, with 476 vehicles uploaded on the portal , which 462 won.
With the workable format of auctioning goods to the public along with payment of statutory duties on the vehicles, the service is returning to the part of glory that will earn the prestige and confidence of ordinary Nigerians.
This is against the backdrop of public outcry, insinuations and allegations of manipulation by officers and men of the Nigeria Customs Service NCS, appointed by the CG NCS who were men of proven integrity and service delivery.
The decision of the NCS DG to relive e- auction as a platform to dispose vehicles and goods will discourage corruption and smuggling at the ports.
With the establishment of guidelines and procedures, ordinary Nigerians can apply through the process online to own a car or goods of his/her choice provided it is guided by the rules of the game.
With the new format and positive development, no doubt the previous erosion of confidence of the general public in the NCS would have become a thing of the past.
All hands must however be on deck to continue to support not only the transformation agenda of Adewale Adeniyi in the new NCS, but support to transparency and accountability as well as the rule of law backed the operations of it’s act.
For Adewale Adeniyi, the process of rebuilding the NCS away from its traditional and analogue form of rendering its service to the general public is on course, with digitisation as the other of the day, both nationally and internationally.
The E- Auction platform has come to stay, having been tested and trusted with less human activities that will attract public outcry, rather than commendation from the current exercise.
Written BY ABUBAKAR YUSUF on yus.abubakar3@gmail.com.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared four individuals wanted over the alleged fraud perpetrated on crypto bridge exchange (CBEX), a trading platform.
The four suspects are Adefowora Olanipekun, Adefowora Oluwanisola, Emmanuel Uko, and Seyi Oloyede.
More to follow…
The Oodua Integrity Group, a Nigerian civil society organisation, has called on Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun to investigate and arrest an alleged gun runner, land grabber,popularly called then insert Lucky Blessings Abuah aka bullets of Achala Ibusa village operating in Asaba and Ibuzor, Delta State, accusing him of orchestrating criminal activities with the aid of rogue police officers.
Tosin Olaoluwa, the group’s South-South coordinator, made the appeal following intelligence gathered from concerned residents.
The suspect, identified as Achala Ibusa but popularly known as “Bullet,” is accused of running a network involving illegal arms trafficking, land grabbing, and cult-related activities.
Olaoluwa claimed Bullet operates with the protection of police officers from Rivers State, in violation of regulations prohibiting officers from working outside their command without approval.
According to the group, four AK-47 rifles were recently discovered hidden in a house in Ibuzor.
Two mobile police officers guarding the property reportedly distanced themselves from the find, raising suspicions of their involvement with Bullet, who is allegedly a leader of the Viking cult.
The Oodua Integrity Group further alleged that an assistant commissioner of police is complicit in Bullet’s activities.
The group highlighted that up to 10 mobile police officers are attached to Bullet, despite IGP Egbetokun’s recent directive to withdraw such personnel from individuals not legally entitled to their services.
“We urge the IGP to take immediate action to arrest the culprit in the interest of the general public,” Olaoluwa said, describing Bullet as a miscreant exploiting government security agents to perpetrate crimes.
In a separate incident, the group claimed that security agents from an agency in Abuja, acting on intelligence, were prevented from arresting Bullet by his police escorts.
The officers, reportedly from Rivers State, allegedly used tear gas and fired shots to obstruct the operation.
The Oodua Integrity Group warned that Bullet’s activities, including stockpiling AK-47s and other weapons in Asaba and Ibuzor, pose a significant threat to public safety.
They called for a thorough investigation into the allegations and the immediate apprehension of those involved.
The Nigeria Police Force has yet to respond to the allegations. Efforts to reach a spokesperson for comment were unsuccessful at the time of reporting.
The competition and consumer protection tribunal has upheld the $220 million fine imposed on Meta Platforms Incorporated by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC).
In a statement on Friday by Ondaje Ijagwu, the agency’s director for corporate affairs, FCCPC said the tribunal also awarded $35,000 to the commission as the cost of investigation.
On July 19, 2024, FCCPC imposed a fine of $220 million on Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram, for multiple data privacy violations.
However, Meta said it would appeal the fine.
The case stemmed from a 38-month joint investigation by the FCCPC and the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) into the privacy practices and consumer data policies of WhatsApp and Meta.
Delivering judgment on Thursday in Abuja, the tribunal led by Thomas Okosun ruled that the FCCPC acted within its constitutional and statutory powers in investigating and sanctioning the companies for alleged anti-competitive and exploitative practices.
The tribunal dismissed the appeals filed by Meta and WhatsApp, which challenged the legal basis of the commission’s findings and orders.
Instead, it upheld the commission’s position on nearly all contested issues.
Gbolahan Elias (SAN) led WhatsApp and Meta’s legal teams, while Babatunde Irukera led the FCCPC’s legal team.
According to the statement, both teams had made their final arguments on behalf of their respective clients on January 28.
‘FCCPC ADHERED TO DUE PROCESS’
The tribunal, in its ruling, found that the FCCPC adhered to due process and acted within the law.
It resolved issues one to seven primarily in favour of the commission.
“The Tribunal resolved Issues 1 to 7 largely in favour of the FCCPC, dismissing the appellants’ objections to the Commission’s findings, orders, and legal competence,” the statement reads.
“One of the central issues (Issue 3), which alleged a breach of fair hearing, was decided in favour of the Commission, with the Tribunal affirming that the FCCPC fully discharged its quasi-judicial responsibilities by affording the appellants ample opportunity to respond.
“The Tribunal found no violation of constitutional due process.
“On Issue 4, which questioned the Commission’s powers in data protection and privacy, the Tribunal held that the FCCPC acted within its statutory mandate, reaffirming its authority under Section 104 of the FCCPA to regulate competition and consumer protection even in regulated industries.
“On Issue 5, which challenged the Commission’s findings regarding Meta’s privacy policies, the tribunal also resolved in the FCCPC’s favour.
“The Tribunal found no error in the Commission’s conclusions and held that the privacy policy in question did, in fact, offend Nigerian law.
“While issue 7 was largely resolved in favour of the commission, the tribunal set aside Order 7 of the commission’s final order, stating that it lacked sufficient legal basis.”
Commenting on the judgment, Tunji Bello, executive vice chairman (EVC) and chief executive officer (CEO) of the FCCPC, welcomed the ruling, describing it as a landmark judgment reinforcing the commission’s mandate to protect consumers and ensure fair market practices.
He commended the commission’s legal team for their diligence.
Bello reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to enforcing the provisions of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) in line with President Bola Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda.