Author: user user

The Executive Chairman of United Nigeria Airlines, Prof. Obiora Okonkwo has dismissed claims that domestic operators failed to remit the five per cent Ticket Sales Charge (TSC) to the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

He insisted that domestic carriers had maintained full compliance with the regulatory agency before recent labour disputes.

Speaking at the 30th annual conference of the League of Airport and Aviation Correspondents (LAAC) in Lagos, with theme: ‘Towards a Sustainable Aviation Industry: Balancing government revenue demands with sector growth ‘, Prof. Okonkwo said prior to February this year, all airlines were meeting their financial obligations to the government without issue.

According to him, payment difficulties emerged only when airlines began to have issues with the cost of aviation fuel which had increased to N3,300 as a result of the US-Iran crisis.

He said the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) was the first to raise concerns about the financial burden of regulatory charges during the downturn.

‘Before February this year, there were no payment problems. All airlines were paying. The AON issue only became a problem because of the Gulf crisis. AON was the first to cry out. We wrote to the President, explaining that we could no longer pay these charges. We requested either a complete suspension of charges or temporary relief during the aviation crisis, and the request was granted. The President agreed and waived 30per cent,’ Prof Okonkwo said.

Following the presidential waiver, he said airlines had a meeting with the NCAA and the Ministry of Aviation to establish a structured repayment framework. ‘We met with NCAA and the Minister. We held several meetings. In one decisive meeting, NCAA requested that airline operators pay 10per cent of the legacy debts within a specified period, and then pay the rest in installments over a period of time and each airline was to meet with NCAA’s director of finance.

‘The airlines complied with this directive. The airlines did this. The director met with operators in Lagos and Abuja, and we developed a payment plan. This plan was in place. When you have a payment plan in place, it does not mean you will default. We were making regular payments according to the agreement we had with the NCAA until we heard about the labour union, problem,’ he said.

To demonstrate commitment, he said United Nigeria Airlines established a proactive payment mechanism with NCAA. ‘At United Nigeria, to ensure no issues, we opened joint accounts with NCAA at Nigerian banks. The account was structured so NCAA could withdraw funds directly without asking us,’ he explained.

Prof. Okonkwo who is the spokesperson of the AON disputed characterisations that operators were non-compliant. He said: ‘When people discuss money not remitted or paid by operators, they fail to mention how much operators do pay. When they talk about unpaid money, I ask: what have you done with all that we have already paid? That is the proof, and that is my concern.

‘Beyond what we pay, we do not receive adequate value. When different stakeholders and agencies are asked to explain this, they simply say the government takes a large chunk of this money. The question is: for what?

‘Most of you here know that money charged is supposed to provide recovery. When we request NCAA to inspect our aircraft in London or America, they come, and we pay them. We do all these 100per cent in advance. But when you speak of a five per cent charge, it remains unclear.

‘When you take five per cent of any business, a business I borrowed money to run, a business that costs me sleepless nights, that is too much for anyone to extract from it. And this is on top of taxes we already pay. The call for removal of this five per cent must not stop. It must continue until we remove it. We would not be able to have smooth operations until this is resolved.’

Prof Okonkwo stated further that the unions desire to advocate for airline worker welfare is understandable. He however said that airlines are among Nigeria’s best-paying sectors.

He said: ‘That shameful display at the airport by unions would have brought us to our lowest point if not for the reactions and condemnation from so many gathered here.

‘I especially commend the Aviation Roundtable President whose loud voice was heard worldwide. I also commend aviation reporters who reported fairly but we expected condemnation from quarters that should have known better but that did not come and we remain concerned.’

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has begun moving away from extensive physical intervention at the ports towards a Post-Clearance Audit (PCA) regime to reduce cargo delays, improve trade compliance and strengthen revenue collection.

The shift comes as the service targets N11.074 trillion revenue in 2026.

Comptroller-General of Customs, Dr Bashir Adeniyi, disclosed this in Lagos at the NCS Post-Clearance Audit Sensitisation Programme, themed: ‘Post Clearance Audit (PCA) Reform for Greater Compliance, Transparency and Revenue Protection.’

Adeniyi said the transition from physical intervention at ports to audit-based controls after cargo release was necessary to balance the Federal Government’s revenue objectives with efforts to reduce the cost, delays and friction associated with doing business.

He said the NCS had collected N4.3 trillion as of June, representing progress towards its N11.074 trillion target for the year.

The Customs chief explained that physical examination of containers alone could not generate revenue on the scale required, stressing the need for the service to identify consignments requiring intervention while allowing compliant traders to move their goods with minimal disruption.

According to him, PCA would enable Customs to rely on traders’ declarations during the clearance process and subsequently verify the accuracy of such declarations through detailed examination of records after the goods had been released.

‘Containers have to move off the quays or the wharf. If every consignment must be opened at the ports before it is released, then revenue assurance and trade facilitation will pull in different directions,’ he said.

Adeniyi said the PCA regime was consistent with the Revised Kyoto Convention and Article 7.5 of the World Trade Organisation’s Trade Facilitation Agreement, to which Nigeria is a party.

He disclosed that Nigeria’s implementation commitment under the agreement currently stood at 94.1 per cent on a timetable extending to 2029.

The Comptroller-General also noted that the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023 provided the legal foundation for the service to verify compliance after goods had been released, adding that the approach was in line with international customs standards.

Adeniyi cited the NCS Time Release Study conducted at Tin Can Island Port as evidence that cargo clearance delays were not necessarily caused by physical examination.

He said the study, which covered 601 import declarations and involved shipping lines, terminal operators, the Nigerian Ports Authority, customs agents, banks and other stakeholders, found that containers spent an average of about five days at the port before exiting.

According to him, physical examination itself took only a matter of hours, while for 98.7 per cent of consignments, the period between booking for examination and physical exit averaged close to four days.

He attributed the prolonged clearance period largely to manual processes, fragmented inter-agency coordination and waiting time.

Adeniyi said the PCA regime would enable Customs to reduce the number of consignments subjected to intervention at the ports by verifying compliance after release.

He added that findings from post-clearance audits would be fed into the service’s risk-management system, enabling Customs to improve its targeting of consignments and reduce unnecessary interventions against compliant businesses.

The Customs chief, however, acknowledged concerns raised by stakeholders over the PCA process, particularly the procedure for appealing audit findings.

He assured members of the trading community that the service was willing to review its standard operating procedures where necessary and maintain continuous engagement with stakeholders.

Adeniyi added that the sensitisation programme would be extended to other locations, including Onitsha and Port Harcourt.

He urged importers and other operators to maintain accurate records, make truthful declarations and voluntarily disclose errors before they became liabilities.

The Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Sports and the National Sports Commission (NSC), has slated the ancient Zaria Polo Club for comprehensive restoration as part of its nationwide sports infrastructure renewal program.

Consultants from the NSC recently visited the club’s Elizabeth Road complex in Zaria, Kaduna State, to inspect damaged facilities and assess structural requirements following more than ten years of neglect.

‘Yes, we are happy that the Federal Government has finally come to our rescue. Already officials from Abuja have visited us here in Zaria and have inspected the complex and taken note of all that is required to put the polo club back in use,’ a senior Zaria Polo Club official confirmed. ‘We are thrilled that the noble game will soon return to Zaria, and the Zazzau Emirate Council is fully supportive of this effort.’

In preparation for the revamping project, the Zaria Polo Club Management Committee convened an emergency meeting to restructure operations. The committee resolved to dissolve the current management team, suspend Polo Captain Faruk Dokaji, and establish an interim committee to oversee transition efforts.

Founded in the early 1920s by members of the royal family and British officers, Zaria Polo Club is one of Northern Nigeria’s oldest sporting venues. Its annual tournament historically serves as the opening leg of the second phase of the national polo tour, featuring top teams from Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, and Katsina competing for historic honors including the Royal Signal Trophy, Emir of Zazzau Cup, Jafaru Cup, and University Cup.