From Anthony Nwachukwu, Lagos

Cargo clearance time at the Tin Can Island Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) will reduce to about two hours when the B’Odogwu system is fully implemented, Compt. Frank Onyeka has said.Onyeka, speaking at the command in Lagos during a courtesy visit by members of the Shipping Correspondents’ Association of Nigeria (SCAN), noted that the new technology is glitch-free, and would ease the difficulties in cargo clearance, as well as facilitate trade.

However, he emphasised that this would only favour importers who make honest declarations, while non-compliant importers and clearing agents would have themselves to blame.Compt. Onyeka explained that “under normal circumstances, when B’Odogwu comes to Tin Can and you declare appropriately, you can move your goods in two hours. I can tell you categorically because B’Odogwu is ours; B’Odogwu is fresh, and network glitch-free.”To this end, he said, the command is already carrying out massive stakeholder sensitisation and training of relevant personnel, including customs officers and men, clearing agents and importers, as well as shipping companies and shipping lines.Compt. Onyeka noted that due to lack of knowledge, people were yet to really key into the B’Odogwu platform. With the ongoing sensitisation campaign, however, he expressed optimism that more people would come on board.According to him, customs are ready, but “the problem now is that agents are changing from what is considered the norm to something that is about to be perfect, and it will take a while. So, we are there sensitising them and getting good news. They are keying into it.”Meanwhile, Onyeka disclosed that the command generated an impressive N145 billion in April 2025, a N49.3 billion increase from the N95.7 billion collected in April 2024. More so, the command has already collected N27 billion in the ongoing May 2025.Stressing the place of appropriate declarations in trade facilitation at the seaports, Onyeka explained that “if declarations are appropriate, and without falsehood, everything moves seamlessly. I came on board and told them this: declare appropriately.Nevertheless, he commended the drastic increase in trade-compliance level at the Tin Can Port, stating that it is the reason for fewer seizures, as the smugglers are keeping off the port.All the same, Compt. Onyeka warned importers and agents that he is neither a businessman, importer nor clearing agent, but simply a customs officer with clear records, and will, therefore, not support anyone involved in shady deals. “My body language will tell you (that) certain things should not come my way,” he added. “And I’ll tell them, don’t bring it to Tin Can port because, as far as I am concerned, there is nothing like an abandoned seizure. I will seize it, prosecute you to a logical conclusion.”Earlier, the President of SCAN and leader of the delegation, Moses Ebosele, commended the CAC for his open-door policy, adding that members of SCAN are guided by the ethics of the profession.

By Laide Akinboade, Abuja

The Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), Coordinator Felix Obuah yesterday said there is no going back on removal of illegal structures blocking the waterways in Abuja.Obuah stated this in Abuja when he went on a site visit to Wumba and some few other places.

He lamented that building on water channels is unacceptable and won’t be tolerated by the administration. The AMMC Coordinator, who was not happy, said he has already mobilized equipment and personnel to make sure that the illegal structure going on in Utako, in the waterway, is brought down. He said though the people who built on water channels have been identified, they are on the run but will be caught and will face the wrath of the law.He noted that after reclaiming the land, “We are going to actually bring this place back to what it is supposed to be. We are going to clean up the drain area so that the flood will not affect the buildings around this area. The essence of what we are doing is to open up the channel so that we don’t have buildings or structures on the waterways”.He therefore assured that his team is going to cover every area as far as Abuja is concerned.The developer said AMMC invited him but discovered he doesn’t have proper documents and the area it was discovered is a green area.Obuah warned, “Come back here in the next 48 hours, you’d see everything down. I have told you we are not going to take it lightly again with any illegal developer that doesn’t want to retain the master plan of Abuja.Director Development control, Tpl. Muktar Galadima, at the site, explained that the structures were marked at different stages of development, but the owners refused to stop work despite being invited to do so.”The only language Nigerians understand is the language of bringing it down,” he said, adding that the development control team would demolish the structures within 48 hours.”We are looking at about over 10 structures, some are roofed and some are not yet roofed.But then as I said we have invited the constructor to stop work but they don’t want to do that so the only language they understand is to bring the structure down.So the development control will come over here with their machine and in less than 48 hours everything here should go down”.Galadima explained that the objective is to clear waterways of obstacles, prevent flooding, and protect lives and property.The Director emphasized that allowing illegal structures to remain would cause suffering for many people and prioritized preventing misinformation and false prophecies.On his part, Director, FCT Parks and Recreation Department, TPL Chinemelu Echee expressed concern over the destruction of the natural ecosystem in the area. “This is a disaster waiting to happen because when we talk about global warming, we talk about the heating up of the entire system, this is part of it,” he said.Echee described the area as a beautiful characteristic of a green area, where people can relax and utilize the natural terrain.

By Tony Obiechina Abuja

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has ramped up its fight against Ponzi schemes in Nigeria, vowing to take decisive action against illegal fund operators while educating the public to prevent further victimization.At an awareness campaign held at the Dei-Dei Building Materials Market in Abuja, the SEC emphasized its commitment to saturating public spaces with information about illegal investment schemes before enforcing the law on perpetrators.

Speaking at the event, Executive Commissioner Legal and Enforcement, Securities and Exchange Commission, Frana Chukwuogor campaign warned of the dangers of patronising illegal fund operators known as Ponzi schemes.Chukwuogor stated that “we want to saturate, saturation is my favorite word, it means that there will be no room to do anything more. We are here to spend time with people having realised that the issue of Ponzi schemes menace is affecting and spreading all over the place and they are deceiving and collecting peoples money especially from traders in the market”, she added that the Commission deemed it crucial to visit Dei-Dei building material market to sensitize traders, empowering them to make informed decisions when approached with investment requests.She explained that the campaign is a proactive step to combat the surge in fraudulent investment schemes in Nigeria, aligning with the Commission’s broader strategy to educate the public about Ponzi scheme risks and unregistered investment platforms before enforcing regulatory action.She explained that too many Nigerians—especially those at the grassroots—fall victim to Ponzi schemes due to lack of information or false promises of quick, unrealistic returns, emphasizing that many of these schemes are not registered or regulated by the SEC, making them dangerous and illegal.At Dei Dei Market, the SEC team distributed flyers in multiple languages, engaged traders directly, and fielded questions from those who had either encountered or fallen victim to illegal investment operators. The engagement was marked by honesty, personal stories, and curiosity about how to identify legitimate platforms. Speaking, the Head of Enforcement Department, Securities and Exchange Commission, Abdusalam Sa’ad Khalid warned that while education is the first step, it will not hesitate to prosecute illegal operators who refuse to cease their fraudulent activities.He urged the public to verify all investment opportunities through official channels and report suspicious activities through the SEC helpline.The visit to Dei Dei Market is the third in the series of visits to markets in Abuja as part of the SEC’s nationwide aggressive investor awareness campaign, aimed at improving financial literacy, building public trust in the capital market, and strengthening the investor protection framework in Nigeria.