The Apapa Command of the Nigeria Customs Service yesterday handed over seven (40-foot) containers of impounded pharmaceutical products to the National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) over false declaration.
This is even as the Area Controller of the command, Muhammed Jibrin said the command intercepted prohibited items including; scrap metals, leather, and unprocessed wood that were to be exported through the Apapa ports.
While handing over the seven containers of drugs to the representative of the NAFDAC Director General, Mr. Olufemi Ogunrinde at the APM Terminals in Apapa yesterday, Controller Jibrin said the drugs were loaded into 40- foot containers and declared as Cimetidine, but that on examination, a different brand was discovered.
Responding, the Assistant Director commended the effort of the Apapa customs and pleaded for more robust collaboration to enable Nigeria to be the preferred destination for cargoes.
"NAFDAC will carry on further investigation on the consignment and we will get back to customs on our findings," Ogunrinde said.
He said the command's enforcement unit had also between January and May 2017 intercepted 20 units of four containers of various items including frozen foods, medicaments, among others.
Jibrin however could not give the value of the seven containers as investigations is still ongoing by the NAFDAC.
The containers numbers are as follows; MRKU 4415360, PONU 7294073, TCNU 8425645, MRKU 4690422, MRKU 4343742, PCIU 8827910 and MRKU 5022095.
"The offences for which arrests were made ranged from under-invoicing, wrong classification and declaration, prohibition and under-payment"
"We have also intercepted and detained some export containers of scrap metals, wet blue (leather) and unprocessed wood which falls under export prohibition under the extant laws"
The Controller also charged prospective exporters of made in Nigeria products and other raw materials to come to Apapa Command for their exports.
Jibrin disclosed that he was ready to facilitate export trade considering the economic state and the Federal Government's efforts at diversifying the economy through encouragement of exportation of agricultural products.
Also speaking on measures put in place to enforce ease of doing business in the country, he said the command created a functional Customs examination centre to facilitate trade.
Jubrin said creating the examination centre was to implement the Federal Government's directive on the Ease of Doing Business in Nigeria.
"I want to use this medium to inform stakeholders that the Apapa Area Command has in line with the Federal Government's directive on the Ease of Doing Business in Nigeria initiative created a functional Customs Examination Centre within APMT.
This serves as a coordinating centre for all stakeholders in cargo examination at the Apapa Port."
He continued, "I have already held a meeting with all the critical agencies where we rubbed minds on the smooth operation of the centre and they have already keyed into the project."
"The system will continue to be perfected as the project progresses with intention to reduce human contact as well as time spent on cargo clearance."
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