The Nigeria Customs Service in its bid to reduce human interface in their operations held sensitization exercise with Port’s stakeholders on the automation of overtime cargo and clearance system at zone C, Onne Sea Port, Rivers state.
Aliyu Alikali, Customs Area Controller, Port Harcourt Area 11 Command, Onne Sea Port in his opening speech said, the end to end automation process is one of many mechanisms of the Controller General of Nigeria Customs Service.
”As we take towards the visions of the Controller General of Customs to deliver an efficient, transparent and technology driving process for managing overtime cargo clearance and disposal.
“This initiative marks a turning point in our operations. For years the challenges of congestion manual paper work, bottlenecks, abandon cargo and lengthy clearance process have weigh down trade facilitators and slowed economic activity”.
“Today with the automated overtime cargo clearance and disposal system, we are demonstrating that the Customs can be both facilitator of trade and a grantor of integrity. The pertinent question is what does this new system entails?
”Transparency, every action in this process is tracked and recorded, simplicity of the process and stakeholders can now apply, track and receives approval online without unnecessary physical contact and officers and stakeholders alike are bound by clear rules”. Compt. Aliyu Alikali posited
Keynote Speakers at the exercise were A.A Abdulkadir, who lectured on general overview of automation of overtime cargo and clearance while I.S Muhammed lectured on ICT process on automation of overtime cargo clearance system.
Addressing Journalists at the sidelines on how much will the automation reach to the economic improvement both Customs service and stakeholders at the Ports. Hadiel Hadison, Controller in-charge of special duties, Customs headquarters responded “Today’s event clearly shows how passionate the CGC towards automating the entire processes and procedures; the overtime and the auction processes as been an analog”.
“Other parts of Custom operations are been automated. The Controller General of Customs in order to drive home the level of integrity and transparency has deemed fit to automate the overtime system. This is part of his innovation since he came on board, this will actually improve the integrity of service particularly as it relates to imports.
On how much of faith would the public have on automation system? Compt. Hadison said “The Controller General of Customs has directed we should go round the country to educate the stakeholders about this innovation. When the knowledge is there the application will be very much easier”Compt Hadison averred.
In an interview with Journalists, a stakeholders, Ahmed Zaka, Vice Chairman ANLCAN, Onne Sea Port chapter on his take about the exercise, said:
“The sensitization is a good one; to facilitate trade. But we have some issues in the law that I feel that can be amended. For example, no importer will go to overseas and import his good and have it abandoned in the Port. We have seizures and we have overtime. If it is seizure you can say importer has no right, it’s the law because he imported contra bound goods he has no right for the auctioning. But once it’s overtime we all know the situation of the country; we have instances where importer are kidnapped, and death of importers and other issues that can make the importer to abandon his good at Port. It can as well amend this law, give that importer option of first refusal, because everything boils down to money. But the government will auction this goods low than 10% of the duty and of the good that doesn’t belong to him. This why we are glamoring that you give these importer option of first refusal; these laws can still be amended” Ahmed Zaka stressed.
Obiora Elochukwu, Stakeholderin Onne Sea Port also lamented on issue of abandoned cargos. He admonished government to engage in a thorough research on consignment abandonment and make it to have human face.
I Yes the exercise will reduce the human interface in overtime cargo and clearance system which is the primary intention of Customs Service. During their presentation did you here any intention of reducing curse of people abandoning their cargo. There wasn’t any solution why people abandon their in other to amilorate issues brought about abandoning cargos?
The expectations are when there are issues of importer abandoning their consignment or not being able to clear their good, the government should have done a thorough research to discover where the problem comes from in the first instance and try to provide a solution to reduce that issue.” Obiora Elochukwu Stated.
