Business
Border trade: Onion marketers commence land exports to West Africa
Nigerian onion marketers have commenced documented exports to West Africa.
The Onion Producers and Marketers Association of Nigeria (OPMAN) has inaugurated the launch of documented onion exports to West Africa through the Illela land border in Sokoto State.
This was launched by Mr Abdulrahameed Ma’aji, the Area Controller of Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), for Sokoto and Zamfara states on Thursday, as he urged the onion traders to maximize the opportunity for enhanced production and trade with the continent.
He added that the Customs Service had implemented laws and guidelines to improve Nigerian trade and encourage businesses to export to Africa.
“Despite COVID-19 Pandemic, NCS provided proactive solutions to the public that will aid continued reliable and quality service delivery for sustenance of global trade,” Ma’aji said.
READ: FG approves $3.1 billion for automation of Customs, targets $176 billion revenue
National President of OPMAN, Aliyu Maitasamu, stated that the union was working with sister agencies to develop a recovery plan to boost production by 20% each year until 2026.
“In line with the Federal Government’s plan to diversify the economy and create jobs, the union in conjunction with sister bodies in West and Central Africa, developed an onion recovery plan which will target an average steady growth of 20 per cent each year, from 2020 to 2026,” he said.
“Nigeria is among the 10 top onion exporting countries in the world, and with competitive advantage of production, the largest onion producing country in sub-Saharan Africa, with annual 1.4 million metric tonnes in output.
“With the present arrangement, Nigeria will continuously export onions to Niger Republic, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Benin Republic, Mali, Cote D’ Ivoire, and others, with more expanding opportunities,” Maitasamu added.
In case you missed: Nairametrics reported on December 16, 2020 that President Muhammadu Buhari had ordered the immediate reopening of four of Nigeria’s land borders, over a year after they were all shut.
Business
JAMB: How to register for the 2021 UTME examinations
JAMB stated that the registration for the examinations has now commenced in full swing as all the issues have been resolved.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) had about 3 weeks ago announced the commencement of the 2021 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination and Direct Entry registration exercise on April 8, 2021, to May 15, 2021, with National Identification Number (NIN) made mandatory at the point of registration.
This was put on hold due to the exam body’s effort to ensure that candidates have access to its registration app for the 2021 UTME/DE and also finalise work on its pin vending process before the take-off of the exercise.
However, in a new statement, the spokesperson for JAMB, Dr Fabian Benjamin, said the registration for the examinations has now commenced in full swings as all the issues have been resolved.
JAMB in its public communications gave a guide on how to register for the UTME.
READ: How to link your National Identity Number with your phone number
How to register for the 2021 UTME
- VALID, FUNCTIONAL E-MAIL, PHONE NUMBER: The applicants must have a valid and functional e-mail account in addition to an active phone number. This is relevant for registration and sending and receipt of information from JAMB.
- NATIONAL IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (NIN): JAMB has made it mandatory for applicants or potential candidates to provide their NIN at the point of registration or enrolment.
- VISIT JAMB WEBSITE: After having your email address and NIN, the applicant can proceed to the examination body’s website, where he/she can create a JAMB profile, preferably before buying the form.
- CHECK JAMB iBass: After creating a profile, you are advised to check JAMB iBass to be sure of your eligibility to take this year’s examination. The information is provided on the official website of the exam body.
- JAMB e-pin: After confirming your eligibility, you can go ahead to buy your 2021 JAMB e-pin registration from banks and other accredited outlets.
- CBT CENTRE: Then, proceed to any accredited 700 computer-based test (CBT) centre with your personal details and your profile code.
READ: JAMB sets date for 2021 UTME registration and examination, makes NIN mandatory
What you should know
JAMB a few days ago confirmed the commencement of registration for the 2021 UTME/DE examinations after the initial hiccup.
It stated that applicants must provide NIN at the point of registration with the registration by Direct Entry candidates to run concurrently with that of UTME candidates.
JAMB also said that the mock examination is expected to hold on Friday, April 30, 2021, for those who indicate interest and are registered before April 24, 2021, with the registration fee for the application still N3,500 and N500 for recommended Reading Text.
Business
Customs Apapa Command generates N159.58 billion revenue in Q1 2021
Most revenues came through customs duty and charges.
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Apapa Command stated that it has generated a revenue of N159.58 billion in the first quarter of 2021.
This was disclosed by Ibrahim Yusuf, the Area Controller at Apapa Customs Command, in an interview with newsmen on Monday.
He added that most revenues came through customs duty and charges, citing a 44.8% revenue increase on duty collection compared to the N110 billion generated in the same period in 2020.
READ: Vitafoam declares N1.11 billion as profit in the first quarter of its financial year 2020/21
“The difference recorded was made possible because of robust stakeholders engagement, officers’ resolve in discharging their duties and increased level of compliance in the trade zone,” he said.
He added that the total seizure for the first quarter stood at 28 containers of goods with DPV (Duty Paid value) of N1.87 billion.
“The containers had rice, wheat declared as supermarket items, medical soap declared as baking powder, tramadol and others.
“These are all importations in breach of sections 46, 47 and 161 of the Customs and Excise Management Act CAP C45 LFN 2004 and Schedules 4 and 6 of the Common External Tariff (CET).
READ: Customs revenue rises by N200 billion to hit N1.5 trillion in 2020
“These cases are at various stages of investigation and in due time will be revealed,” he disclosed.
The Customs boss also revealed that exported goods from Apapa were valued at N41.55 billion in Q1 2021, including manufactured goods such as soaps, textiles, noodles, and agricultural products such as cashew nuts, hibiscus, sesame seeds and other mineral resources.
