- As 13 rescued following four-storey building collapse in Lagos
Following a presidential directive, the Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Customs Service, Col. Hameed Ali, has ordered the dismantling of all checkpoints mounted outside 40 kilometres to the border.
Also, the CG said there should be no checkpoints within the Port areas.
He asked all customs comptrollers to ensure that information patrols outside borders should not last more than 24 hours.
He said all Zonal Coordinators, Comptrollers FOUs, CACs, CIU, and other units will be jointly held responsible for flouting the directive.
These directives were contained in Circular No 10/2017, which was dated July 25, 2017, and obtained yesterday by The Nation.
The circular, titled “Removal of all illegal check-points across the country,” was signed by the Acting Deputy Comptroller-General (E, I and I), Mr. A. A. Dangaladima.
The letter said: “Reference to the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) Letter No: PEBEC/EBES/SSAITIOVP/TWN/03 of 18th July 2017 on the above subject-matter, a copy of which is herewith attached.
“ I am directed to convey CGC’s directive to all the Commands and Units to ensure immediate implementation.
“For avoidance of doubt, it is hereby emphasized that check-points mounted outside forty (40) kilometers to the border are illegal, while information patrols outside this point should not last more than twenty four (24) hours at any given time.
“The forty (40) kilometres radius applies only to the borders and consequently there should be no check-points within the Port Areas.
“To further clarify these issues, it should be reminded strongly, that only two (2) check-points situated at AGBARA and GBAJI along Lagos- Badagry- Seme road are statutorily approved, for instance.
“Henceforth, Zonal Coordinators, Comptrollers FOUs, CACs, CIU and other Units will be jointly held responsible for flouting the directive.
“ Ensure widest circulation for strict compliance please.”
According to findings, the CG of Customs announced the new steps following an advisory from the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC).
The advisory, which was titled “Ease of doing business reform intervention: trading within Nigeria,” asked the Customs service to comply with the presidential mandate on or before August 11.
The advisory, dated July 18, was signed by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Industry, Trade and Investment(Office of the Vice President)/PEBEC Secretary, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole.
In the meantime, there was pandemonium in Lagos on Tuesday after a four-storey building collapsed at No 3, Massey Street, Lagos Island, with 13 people rescued alive.
Details of the collapse were sketchy as of the press time, but information made available to Tribune Online by the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) indicated that rescue operations were still ongoing with no figures of casualties yet.
Mr Adesina Tiamiyu, the Managing Director of LASEMA in statement sent to Tribune Online said the agency promptly made rescue equipment available at the site of the collapse, and that all efforts were being made to rescue as many trapped occupants as possible.
“We have rescued 13 victims alive and recovery operation ongoing. Our heavy duty equipment are searching through the rubbles and the rescue operation is being conducted by the LASEMA Response Unit, NEMA, LASAMBUS, and Lagos State Fire Service. Others includes Civil Defence, Red Cross Police,” he said.
Nation with additional report from Tribune
