The Senate
has berated the Nigeria Customs Service and Immigration Service for lapses that
resulted in N7 trillion goods allegedly smuggled into the country yearly.
Besides, the
World Bank recent report on smuggling in the country specified that $5 billion
and $15 billion worth of goods are smuggled yearly through the Benin Republic
and seaports respectively. But the loss of revenue from the international
airports was not stated.
The colossal
loss of revenue was on the front burner for investigation yesterday, during a
public hearing conducted by the Senate committee on customs, excise and tariff
in Abuja.
Senator Hope
Uzodinma, chairman of the committee said the committee was to carry out a holistic
probe on the operations of the Comprehensive Import Supervision Scheme (CISS),
ministries, departments and agencies of government and further identify the
factors escalating the rate of smuggling of imported goods into the country
and, to recommend appropriate penalties.
Uzodinma
further revealed that 282 vessels were missing at the various terminals of the
Nigerian Port Authority (NPA) between 2010 and 2016.Also, senator Dino Melaye
took a swipe on the operatives of the Nigeria Customs and Immigration, alleging
that they were collaborators in the smuggling menace as they could not
convincingly distance themselves from the illegal operations of the importers
whose warehouses are known to them and scattered everywhere in different cities
of the nation.
Meanwhile, a
civil society group, Alliance for Credible Election (ACE), yesterday kicked
against the bill in the House of Representatives seeking to grant amnesty to
looters.
The group
which launched its campaign against corruption and unveiled plans to publish
list of abandoned and unexecuted federal projects in six states across the
country, stated that amnesty for looters bill if passed would be a boost to
corruption.
Fielding
questions from newsmen at the launching of media campaign on promoting citizens’
participation in the fight against corruption in Nigeria project, the Acting
General Secretary of ACE, Lady Mma Odi, said looters should be punished to
serve as deterrent to others.
Guardian reported that the
controversial Amnesty for looters bill sponsored by the member representing
Ohaukwu/Ebonyi federal constituency of Ebonyi State, Linus Okorie, is expected
to operate for three years from the date of commencement, with the
‘establishment of the Voluntary Taxable Income Recovery and Amnesty Scheme’
If
eventually passed into law, past and present public officers, who have looted
the treasury and other Nigerians, with fraudulently acquired wealth would be
granted amnesty if they voluntarily declare their loots and invest same in the
economy.
Elaborating
on the modalities for tracking those abandoned projects, she said it was
carried out in conjunction with the United Nations Development Project (UNDP)
and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC), and conducted in six
states across the six geopolitical areas of the country.
Also, a
coalition of 81 pro-democracy group, the Not Too Young To Run, yesterday kicked
against the exclusion of the nation’s teeming population of youths from the
affairs of governance in the ongoing review of the 1999 constitution.
The group’s
National coordinator, Mr. Ibrahim Faruk wondered why the lawmakers excluded the
“Not too young to run bill” which is the only bill that proposes for youth
inclusion government in the report of the Joint Committee of Senate and House
of Representatives Constitution review committee.
The group
called on the leadership of the National Assembly to fulfill its promise to the
Nigerian youth and the international community by ensuring the inclusion of Not
too young to run in the report of the constitution review committee and its
passage at plenary and also in the amendment of the constitution.
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