Business News

Customs denies spending N1.6 billion on recruitment exercise alone

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has denied the claim of Ade Fadahunsi that it paid a consultant N1.6 billion to conduct recruitment exercise.

Published

10 months ago

January 15, 2020

Abiola Odutola

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The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has denied the claim of the Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Customs, Ade Fadahunsi, that it paid a consultant the sum of N1.6 billion to conduct recruitment exercise for 3,200 people to the service.

NCS insisted that the N1.6 billion was paid to the consultant for both the recruitment and training for the entire period of the exercise.

Fadahunsi had accused the Comptroller General of the NCS, Col. Hameed Ali (retd.), of paying N1.6 billion to a consultant for the recruitment of 3,200 persons to the service.

Fadahunsi, who is a retired Assistant Comptroller General of Customs, said, “The CG wants to recruit 3,200 persons and he paid N1.6bn to a consultant to recruit 3,200 persons. The money is not for training, but to just recruit them.”

But the Public Relations Officer, NCS, Joseph Attah, explained that the funds covered the recruitment and training, which will last six months.

Giving a breakdown of the figures, he said, “The feeding will cost N2, 000 per trainee a day (N6.4m/day and N192m/month), which is about N1.152bn for the 3,200 persons for the six-month training at the Customs Training College, Ikeja.

“The process of recruitment and technical partners has a budget of about N300 million. We have not even talked about t-shirt, canvas, logistics, pay for resource persons and bonus for teachers (which are all part of the figure).” He said dropping the figure as recruitment fee was misleading.

In an interview with Punch, the lawmaker had alleged that the Customs headquarters, which was awarded for N2.7 billion then is going to about N30 billion.

He said, “The project has not been completed but the furniture contract for the uncompleted building has been awarded. Who is fooling who? If Mr President sees what the man is doing, he will run out of the country.

“That is why I am saying that Mr President should put a technical person from Customs there; if not, the man will run the place aground. The CG wants to recruit 3,200 persons and he paid N1.6bn to a consultant to recruit 3,200 persons.

“I asked him if the Nigerian Army ever used consultants to recruit personnel and he said no. He said Customs officers are corrupt and he is bringing in a consultant to recruit 3,200 persons and he will pay the firm N1.6 billion. Are you recruiting five million people? The N1.6bn is even in the budget and that is one of the reasons the budget was being queried by the leadership of the Senate.”

Abiola Odutola

Abiola has spent about 14 years in journalism. His career has covered some top local print media like TELL Magazine, Broad Street Journal, The Point Newspaper. The Bloomberg MEI alumni has interviewed some of the most influential figures of the IMF, G-20 Summit, Pre-G20 Central Bank Governors and Finance Ministers, Critical Communication World Conference. The multiple award winner is variously trained in business and markets journalism at Lagos Business School, and Pan-Atlantic University. You may contact him via email - [email protected]

4 Comments

Kingsley Nkanu

January 16, 2020 at 3:45 am

Ex senior customs officers should be constructive in criticizing the present administration led by the present CGC. They are obvious restructuring, I mean tangible ones going on presently in Nigeria customs.In all areas especially officers welfare, today’s custom administration can not be compared to the previous ones.

Reply
Anonymous

January 16, 2020 at 2:04 pm

The ex senior officer of the Nigeria customs service should stop criticize the present administration of customs, if I may ask him,what is the legacy that the previous administration letf behind intemes of officer’s welfare?but I can tell you now the little period that the present CG managing the service now,we thank God.

Reply
Abubakar

March 19, 2020 at 9:35 pm

If something comes not me and

Reply
Abubakar

March 19, 2020 at 9:39 pm

God guide you

Reply

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ENDSARS

House of Reps to make Youths globally competitive

House of Representatives is determined to make the Youths globally competitive.

Published

34 mins ago

October 28, 2020

Omokolade Ajayi

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Lawmakers in the House of Representatives have assured Nigerian youths that they are committed to make them globally competitive.

This was disclosed by the Speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, on Wednesday.

In a tweet, which the speaker shared after a meeting with a group of young lawmakers under the aegis of ‘Young Parliamentarians Forum‘, he reiterated that some of the demands of the youths following the #EndSARS protests would be addressed constitutionally, as part of the decision was to reform the Police, in a quest to accommodate a better Police Force.

On youth empowerment, the Speaker said that a lot still needs to be done, while pointing out that no government had done more than what the present administration has done.

What they are saying

He said, “All of us, every segment of the government, especially the House of Representatives, before the protests took the initiative, debated motions and took far-reaching decisions on the floor. We gave ourselves 30 days, and since then, we’ve been working night and day, especially with the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).

“We thought the best way to go about it is that we amend the Police Service Commission Act, and that has been done and the report has been concluded and soon, it will be published and be on the floor.

“We are determined to resolve the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) matter, and if we can resolve two out of three issues, I think we would have gone a long way to help the lecturers who are on strike.

“There’s a bill on vocational education, I think from the 8th Assembly that was even my bill. We’ll pick it up again and pass it to you (Young Parliamentarians Group) to polish it up and add it to whatever ideas you have.”

While speaking on the giant strides by the current administration in terms of youth empowerment, the Speaker said:

“I make bold to say that no government, in Nigerian history from inception, and I stand to be corrected, has put in as much in youth empowerment as this present government.”

“Facts don’t lie, a government that has devoted N500bn to youth empowerment every year. There’s Trader Moni, N-Power, and several others, they are all there,” he added.

Gbajabiamila added that the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration has done a lot about youth empowerment and is ready to do more.

Coronavirus

COVID-19: Ogun orders full reopening of churches, mosques, hotels

Religious centres and other public places have been reopened following the success recorded in flattening the curve of COVID-19.

Published

2 hours ago

October 28, 2020

Abiola Odutola

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The Ogun State Government has ordered the full reopening of churches, mosques, businesses, hotels, and entertainment centres across the state.

This was disclosed by the State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Kunle Somorin, via the state’s Twitter handle on Wednesday.

Abiodun stated that the religious centres and other public places had been reopened, following the success recorded in flattening the curve of COVID-19.

According to him, the government is aware that many people are just recovering from the economic hardship imposed by COVID-19, as their activities had been affected by the lockdown, while necessary measures had been put in place to combat the pandemic.

He stated, “In the process of rebuilding the economy, the State Government was irrevocably committed to the successful implementation of the “Building our Future Together” agenda, and would ensure everything possible for people to have increased prosperity that would place the State on a sound footing towards continued development.

“Government would improve on testing, just as it continues to monitor the development and not hesitate to do selective lockdown should there be any flagrant disobedience to the set COVID-19 protocols.”

COVID-19: Ogun orders full reopening of churches, mosque, hotels

Pleased with the drop of COVID-19 infections in Ogun State, @dabiodunMFR, has announced that all hotels, viewing centres, marquees, event centres, suites, guest houses, motels, and establishments providing…. pic.twitter.com/sMiUe3DUt5

— Ogun State Government – OGSG (@OGSG_Official) October 28, 2020

What you should know

Governor Abiodun had closed religious centres, businesses and schools in March, as part of moves to flatten the curve of the coronavirus.

He later announced the reopening of only worship centres and schools in August.

Abiodun pegged the number of worshippers for each service at 200, and insisted that services must not exceed one and a half hours.

Financial Services

CBN reveals framework for the N75 billion Youth Investment Fund

The Nigerian Youth Investment Fund will be funded through the NIRSAL MFB window of the CBN.

Published

2 hours ago

October 28, 2020

Omokolade Ajayi

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The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has revealed the implementation framework for the Nigerian Youth Investment Fund.

This was disclosed in a publication by the Development Finance Department under the auspices of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

The CBN stated that the Nigerian Youth Investment Fund (N-YIF) would be funded through NIRSAL MFB window, with an initial take-off seed capital of N12.5 billion.

READ: #EndSARS: FG creates new N25 billion Youth Fund, to increase to N75 billion in 3 years

The N-YIF aims to financially empower Nigerian youths to generate at least 500,000 jobs between 2020 and 2023.

Objectives of the scheme:

Improve access to finance for youths and youth-owned enterprises for national development.
Generate much-needed employment opportunities to curb youth restiveness.
Boost the managerial capacity of the youths, and develop their potentials to become the future large corporate organizations.

Explore Data on the Nairametrics Research Website

What you should know

Recall that on the 22nd of July, 2020, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the sum of N75 billion for the establishment of the Nigeria Youth Investment Fund for the period of 2020 – 2023.

The fund was created to support the innovative ideas, skills and talents of Nigerian youths, and to institutionally provide Nigerian youths with a special window for accessing much-needed funds, finances, business management skills and other inputs critical for sustainable enterprise development.

READ: FG launches application for N75 billion Youth Investment Fund at 5% interest, how to apply

The fund targets young people between the ages of 18 and 35 years.
Beneficiaries of NMFB, TCF and AgSMEIS loans, and other government loan schemes that remain unpaid are also not eligible to participate.
Individuals (unregistered businesses) shall be determined based on activity/nature of projects subject to the maximum of N250,000.
Registered businesses (Business name, Limited Liability, Cooperative, Commodity Association) shall be determined by activity/nature of projects subject to the maximum of N3.0 million (including working capital).
The tenor of the intervention is for a Maximum of 5 years, depending on the nature of the business and the assets acquired, of which interest rate of not more than 5% under the intervention shall be charged annually.
The Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development (FMYSD) will collaborate with relevant stakeholders to identify potential training for training/mentoring.
The youths that are duly screened (and undergo the mandatory training where applicable) shall be advised to login to the portal provided by the NMFB to apply for the facility.

READ: CBN raises alarm over fraudulent loan offers, investment schemes with charged fees

Optics

As a huge percentage of youths are engaged in the informal sector, the NYIF will facilitate the transition of informal enterprises owned by youths into the formal mainstream economy, where they can be supported comprehensively, build a bankable track record, and be accurately captured as active participants in economic development.