From Uche Usim, Abuja
Barely a week after 17 junior officers were dismissed for drug-related offences and corruption, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has laid off 29 of its senior officials for what the management termed “acts of gross misconduct.”
The Public Relations Officer of the NCS, Wale Adeniyi, said the affected officers were among the 44 staff recently punished for actions capable of compromising national economy and security.
He listed their offences to include improper examination and release of containers without documentation and payment of duties; illegal release of goods in advance before the arrival of vessels; collection of bribe to release prohibited items; release of export prohibitions; fraudulent sale of seized items; and use of fake certificates and bribery to secure auctioned goods.
He explained that all the officers were served with queries indicating offences committed before they appeared before the Special Investigation Committee.
“The committee’s recommendation was discussed and approved by the Customs management. The recommendation was thereafter referred to the Presidency for ratification, in the absence of a substantive board for the Nigeria Customs Service. All the officers affected in the exercise have been communicated accordingly,” he said.
Adeniyi further stated that 10 other officers were retired from service aside from those dismissed, while the appointment of one was terminated.
“Four officers were given written warnings to be of better conduct while another four officers who were investigated and tried for some offences were exonerated. Four of the officers who got the hammer were of the rank of Deputy-Comptroller of Customs, while five were Assistant-Comptrollers. Others were seven Chief Superintendents of Customs and four Superintendents,” he said.
NEPAD: We’re committed to our mandate – NEPAD
From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The Chief Executive Officer of the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD), Princess Gloria Akubundu, has reassured international and local partners of the commitment of the new management of the agency towards delivering its mandate.
The mandate, according to her, is to serve as a platform through which domestic and regional poverty would be drastically reduced, fusing into development plans of each member country with a view to achieving sustainable growth and also forge a mutual partnership between Africa and the international community.
She added that the agency was always open to new partnerships and collaboration with public and private organisations, particularly those committed to the visions and aspirations of the regional agency.
The NEPAD national coordinator, who played host to officials of the United Bank for Africa in Abuja yesterday, informed the officials that the agency has activities lined up that would help the Federal Government fulfil it promises to Nigerians, thus urging them to take advantage of such programmes.
She noted that NEPAD had made significant impact over the years on the continent, particularly in championing the campaign for a platform for negotiating external debt of many countries.
NUC: NUC to sanction institutions for low performance
From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
National Universities Commission (NUC) has threatened to sanction universities that perform below minimum standard in the programme accreditation exercise.
The commission, however, said that aside from the sanctions, any institution that fails to present its programmes for accreditation without satisfactory prior notice to the commission would earn a denied accreditation and agencies, including the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), would be duly notified.
Executive Secretary of the Commission, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, who disclosed this in Abuja, said the NUC would be more creative and flexible in reviewing its instruments and templates for accreditation as well as the database of panel members, as it would no longer rely on institutional recommendations alone.
He assured the university community that the accreditation would be programme-focused, such that a team of experts in a core subject area would assess the same programme in three to five neighbouring universities, while regular post-accreditation visits are to ensure continuous improvement in quality.
PTAD: PTAD hails EFCC over recovery of pension assets
From James Ojo, Abuja
The Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) has commended the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for its assistance in the recovery of pension assets.
Executive Secretary of the Directorate, Mrs. Sharon Ikeazor, who gave the commendation during a courtesy visit to the EFCC headquarters in Abuja yesterday, underlined her agency’s indebtedness to the EFCC for the assistance it rendered to PTAD during the recent verification exercise.
“Your officers participated in the exercise, for which we are extremely grateful,” she said.
Early in the year, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister for Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), had announced that the anti-graft agency, in the past 12 years, had recovered over $2 trillion or N400 trillion from managers of the pension fund.
He made the disclosure in a keynote address presented at the first Annual Conference on Financial Fraud, Cyber-Crime and Other Cross-border Crimes, saying, “Reports showed that in the past 12 years, since the establishment of the EFCC, more than $2 trillion has been confiscated and recovered,” the minister said.
Budget: Reason for poor planning, budget implementation
– Perm Sec
From Basil Obasi, Abuja
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Budget and National Planning, Nana Fatima Mede, has blamed capacity gaps that impede the process of linking plans with budget outcomes on distorted implementation process in Nigeria.
The Permanent Secretary, who made this disclosure yesterday at the launch of a specialised training programme on strategic planning and effective linkage to budgeting process, organised by the Ministry of Budget and National Planning in Kano, explained that strategic planning and effective linkage was very important in the realisation of the aspirations of any nation.
Represented by the Assistant Director (Plans), Macro-economic Analysis Department in the Ministry, Alhaji Aminu Yargaya, he described effective plan-budget link as indispensable for attaining inclusive growth and development.
In a statement released by the Assistant Director, Press, Mr. Salisu B. Haiba, the Permanent Secretary noted that studies have shown that countries like China, Malaysia and Indonesia, among others, which have consistently been implementing national development plans, were successful in attaining inclusive growth and sustainable development.