General
Customs Area 1 Command Generates N57.4bn in Seven Months
By Bon Peters
Despite some daunting challenges, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Area 1 Command, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has improved its revenue for the first seven months of 2023 by N57.4 billion.
The Customs Area 1 Controller, Mr CD Wada, said this was higher than the N51.9 billion the agency raked in in the same period of last year by 10.6 per cent.
In a chat with journalists in Port Harcourt on Monday, he noted that apart from April, when the maritime sector experienced a global shipping downtime, which affected the revenue of the command’s records, every other month had surpassed its corresponding months of the year 2022.
According to him, the significant milestone was achieved in March, where N11.7 billion was achieved compared with N8.3 billion in March 2022.
Mr Wada, however, stressed that such “feat could not have been achieved without painstakingly engaging with our critical stakeholders through several forms of sensitization programs and other forms of training, particularly on issues of Non-conformity with statutory clearance procedures.”
The customs boss in Rivers State emphasized that the feedback the command got could be attributed to some of their successes, noting that the agency insisted that all unpaid assessments must be paid.
Speaking on intervention, in terms of additional value through interventions, the command generated N988.1 million in the period under review, adding that “these interventions were derived from Demand Notices (DN) issued to importers with infractions on their importation.”
In the aspect of anti-smuggling activities, Comptroller Wada also disclosed that the command had put more emphasis on the 100 per cent physical examination policy of the service, and as a result, some containers suspected to have falsely declared had been placed under detention, pending further investigation.
He advised intending smugglers to avoid Area 1 Command, threatening to seize their containers and have them arrested and prosecuted in a court of law.
Speaking further, he stated that within the period under review, the command had embarked on a working tour to Bayelsa and Ahoada out-stations to appraise the customs activities in those areas saying, “the visit to Bayelsa State also afforded us the opportunities to pay courtesy visits to the heads of other government security agencies.
“The purpose of this visit was to seek further collaboration and synergy with them to foster a better working relationship and to achieve national interest in line with the extant guidelines.”
He stated further that, “I am very optimistic that with the command’s strategy of maximizing the collection of customs duties, other levies, and payment of all unpaid assessments, the command will surpass the revenue collected in 2022.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Mr Bosun Tijani, has announced that Nigeria will launch a new alphanumeric postcode system on October 1, 2026, with every home expected to have a unique postcode.
Mr Tijani disclosed the development in a video post on X, describing the new system as a more precise and digitally oriented approach to addressing locations across the country.
He said the initiative would mark a significant shift in Nigeria’s postal addressing system by assigning unique postcodes to individual homes.
The initiative marks a major step in Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda. By replacing the outdated numeric-only system, the alphanumeric codes provide a more flexible and scalable framework that can accommodate the country’s rapid urban growth and diverse settlement patterns.
For emphasis, an alphanumeric postcode system is a postal indexing system that uses a combination of both letters (alpha) and numbers (numeric), along with spaces or punctuation, to identify specific geographic locations, streets, or individual buildings for mail delivery.
Unlike purely numeric postcode systems (such as the 5-digit US ZIP Code or 5-digit codes used in some European countries), alphanumeric codes offer a much higher number of unique combinations using fewer total characters. This flexibility allows postal authorities to pinpoint locations with incredible precision, often down to a single side of a street or a specific large building.
“On October 1st 2026 Nigeria’s new Alphanumeric Postcode System goes live,” Mr Tijani said.
“For the first time, every home will be assigned a unique postcode that’s simple, precise and built for a digital future,” he added.
The minister urged Nigerians to prepare to generate their individual postcodes ahead of the launch.
The new system is expected to strengthen Nigeria’s digital addressing infrastructure and improve the identification and location of homes and properties for postal and other location-based services.
The initiative is being implemented in collaboration with the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) as part of broader efforts to modernise the country’s addressing and digital infrastructure.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Taiwo Oyedele, has been directed to give an account to Nigerians on how the current government has fared since its inception on May 29, 2023.
This directive was given by President Bola Tinubu in a message posted on his verified social media handles on Wednesday.
This coincides with the commencement of campaigns for the 2027 presidential election scheduled for January 16.
According to the timetable of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), candidates seeking to become the country’s president are eligible to kick off their campaigns from today, Wednesday, August 19, 2026.
In his message today, Mr Tinubu said, “When we began this journey of reform in 2023, I promised that the difficult decisions we were making would serve the purpose of building an economy that works better for you and a country that is stronger for our children.
“Today, your government presents The Reforms Scorecard. It sets out what our reforms have achieved, what they have cost us, and the greater costs and harms we have prevented by acting when we did.
“I have therefore directed the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, to give an account to Nigerians, to explain the numbers, the choices we have made, the progress recorded, and the work that remains.
“You deserve to see the numbers. You deserve to know what has changed and what these reforms mean for you, your family, your business and our country.
“This is your government. This is your country. This is our account to you.”
Shortly after he took the oath of office over three years ago, President Tinubu declared that subsidies on petroleum products were gone. He later approved foreign exchange (FX) reforms, which devalued the Nigerian Naira, shooting from about N800 per Dollar to nearly N2,000 per Dollar. However, it is currently slightly above N1,340 per Dollar in the official market.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited and the Nigerian Agip Exploration (NAE) Limited are advancing discussions on the development of deepwater assets estimated to hold 500 million barrels of oil reserves.
The development followed a meeting between the chief executive of the state oil company, Mr Bayo Ojulari, and Agip’s Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Mr Maurizio Pinna, in Abuja.
The talks focused on ongoing work on deepwater acreage jointly held by NNPC, NAE and Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) as well as plans to bring the associated resources into production.
According to NNPC, the acreage comprises the Zabazaba and Etan deepwater fields, with estimated reserves of about 500 million barrels.
The fields are located in Nigeria’s deepwater terrain and are considered significant to the country’s efforts to expand its upstream oil production base, particularly as operators seek to advance projects capable of delivering additional barrels over the medium to long term.
While details of the expected production timeline were not disclosed, the meeting underscores renewed industry focus on unlocking Nigeria’s deepwater resources and growing crude oil production.
The acreage comprises licences converted from OPL 245 and is operated by NAE in partnership with NNPC Limited and SNEPCo.
Mr Ojulari and Mr Pinna also reviewed the work currently underway on the assets and the expected production outlook, with the discussions centred on advancing deepwater development.
The engagement comes amid renewed efforts to attract investment into Nigeria’s offshore petroleum resources and increase national oil production.
