Following the recent mass transfer in the Comptroller cadre in the Nigeria Customs Service, 11 Deputy Comptrollers and 41 Assistant Comptrollers have been deployed to the Tin Can Island Port Command of customs.
Confirming this to Shipping Position Daily in Lagos recently, image maker of the command; Mr Uche Ejesieme said that the command is set to commence a training session for the newly-deployed officers in order to acquaint them with operations at the Tin Can Port.
The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) at the Tin Can Chapter had told Shipping Position Daily recently that some Deputy Comptrollers who were posted to the command were slowing down the process of releasing cargoes at the port.
To forestall this, Ejesieme confirmed that, at the instance of the Area controller of Tin Can Command, Bashir Yussuf, trainers have been brought in from the headquarters to conduct orientation courses for the Assistant Comptrollers and Deputy Comptrollers.
He said that the 41 Assistant Comptrollers are releasing officers that would be deployed to various terminals under the Tin Can Command, while the Deputy Comptrollers are mainly for administrative duties.
"We have drawn up a training time table where we have incorporated some of the courses that we feel will help them in keying into the automated and digital process. This include, Chain management, Asycuda ++ and general tin can overview to acquaint the officers with the nuances and architecture of the Tin Can Port"
"We received 41 Assistant Comptrollers and this is actually in line with our requirement, don't forget that we have several terminals in Tin Can, and at every of the terminals, at least two or three officers should be there so that the processes of clearing would not be stalled, we want it seamlessly done"
"They are going to be releasing officers, we want to have them as many as possible, don't forget that our operations are fully automated and they all have passwords, so it is a challenging responsibility, whatever happens in terms of cargo clearance, they would be held responsible. They must input the inspection act"
"Deputy Comptrollers posted to us are 11 in number, they are there for administrative purposes, it is the Assistant Comptrollers that actually release and examine cargoes"
"We must sensitize them because the Comptroller Bashir himself is a certified trainer and trade facilitator, anything that would be an hindrance or affect the free flow of trade, he would always kick against it", the spokesperson stressed.
He said that the training session is meant to last for three days and it is mainly to sharpen the officers’ reflexes.
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