Following the need to raise the standard as regards real time trade facilitation, the Tin Can Island Command of the Nigerian Custom Service (NCS) at the instance of the Customs Area Controller (CAC), comptroller Musa Baba Abdullahi is trying to strategize operational modalities with a view to improving on trade facilitation.
In an exclusive chat with our correspondent, the Public Relation Officer of the Command, Superintendent Uche Ejieseme said the command under the leadership of the CAC, is setting an example for other command to follow suite in terms of real time trade facilitation.
He disclosed that the command has embarked on series of consultation and engagement with critical stakeholders in the trade value chain, particularly the shipping and terminal operators, members of the various freight forwarders association that are domiciled in Tin Can port, and all heads of terminals with other key officers of the command, and other agencies to review and restrategize on how to raise the performance of the command in terms of ensuring that the Presidential directives in terms of ease of doing business is implemented.
Revealing the outcome of the meeting, he disclosed that “The controller Tin Can port having discovered that there are gaps in the trade value chain and that there are some certain operational gaps in the system, took a bold step and invited all the stakeholders to have a heart to heart discussion on how to ensure that we are not just mouthing facilitation, but that we are seen to be doing that.
“In the cause of the review the Customs also discovered that of all the 12 layers in the value chain from the transmission of electronic manifest to self declaration by the importers and the agents to capturing and examination; down to exit and all of that, Customs is actually limited to two major roles and that is examination and release of cargoes and this has actually been re modified, but having reviewed the trade process now the stakeholders saw that customs is actually limited to the areas I pointed out, and should not be blamed for other faults in the trade value chain.
“Because before now we discovered that people tend to apportion all manner of blames to Customs when there are issues affecting the trade value chain, even if the issues have to do with infrastructure, some people will ignorantly apportion it to Customs.
He said the outcome of the meeting has started yielding results as both operators, freight forwarders and government have started complying to the directives.
“And the meeting has started working like a magic wand, because at the meeting we talked to ourselves on any area any of the agencies is not doing well, and at the end we came out with a communiqué which we have developed to Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) which covers the entire gamut
“And on the part of the customs some complained that we don’t normally resume on time and the comptroller directed that henceforth all officers should resume at their duty post by 10:am and with this directives the comptroller appointed keys officers that will ensure that these things are carried out.
“The meeting also agreed that time of examination must be 10am which means that all terminal operators must position their containers before the day for examination, and this issue of one agencies going for examination and the other ones coming late at the end of day subjecting them to rigorous examination, that also will become a thing of the past, because at that meeting the CAC said all agencies of the government that are supposed to be on ground for examination must be there at the approved time which is 10:am with Customs as the lead agency in line with the directive of the presidential directive on ease of doing business that customs should lead.
“We also discovered that the examination reports are not generated as quickly as possible, and the CAC has directed that once you conclude examination, the report must follow”
“For the importers and their agents, the issue of compliance is what we have been preaching, if we are saying that Customs must resume by 8 o’clock and examination of cargo starts by 10 am, they too are expected to be there before that time. It wouldn’t make any sense if all the agencies are on ground and there are no agents or importers there”, he said.
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