The Nigeria Customs Service has said the operation of scanning machines cannot be given to terminal operators to handle, it says such will negate the standard of operations in the country.
Some maritime industry stakeholders had raised divergent views over the control of cargo scanning machines at the nation’s ports.
While a segment of the industry believes that the Nigeria Customs Service should be allowed to continue to provide and manage the scanning services, others prefer ownership and management by terminal operators.
Many have argued that the ownership of scanners by terminal operators will ensure efficient and competitive management, and ultimately lead to real time trade facilitation.
Recall that the existing scanners were acquired and deployed to the nation’s seaports during the 2006 ports reform programme by Pre-shipment Inspection Agents, but were however, handed over to the Nigeria Customs Service in 2010, sequel to the expiration of the pre-shipment inspection contract.
However, industry stakeholders observed that the scanners began to deteriorate soon after the hand-over until they lost real time operational value and became moribund since last year.
In a recent tour of one of the terminals in Lagos, our correspondent gathered that over 250 cargoes are being examined physically by the customs per day, and this has practically slowed down the productive turnaround time leading to congestion at the ports.
According to experts, physical examination of a container should not take less than one hour, which means the 250 cargoes laid down for examination daily should not take less than 250 hours which is absolutely impossible to carry out in a day, leaving the customs to carry out a shabby examination of cargoes at the port.
At a recent visit of the ad hoc committee investigating the non-functionality of the six eastern ports, the Customs Area Controller (CAC) Apapa; Comptroller Abba Kura had disclosed that the scanning machines at the Apapa port were perfuming badly , leaving officers to always conduct 100% examination on imported cargoes.
According to him, “Yes, there were scanners but the Ministry of Finance took away the scanners to those who cannot handle them properly, and that is why it is not working, even last week some people came to check it, so it has been like that, it has been in a epileptic kind of state; it will work today, and tomorrow it will just stop working, so this is the situation of the scanner”.
At a recent gathering, the Chairman of Skelas Group, Prince Olayiwola Shittu, opined that terminal operators are better placed to manage cargo scanners, he however, explained that the main reason Customs have been unable to manage the scanners is because it lacks technical department that can service and maintain them.
He said:“If they have given terminals the go-ahead to install scanners, they will buy standard, long lasting scanners, it will make the job easier.
‘‘As the containers are coming down, they’re going through scanners and the photo of the scanned goods is already there in the system where Customs, NAFDAC and all the regulatory agencies will have access”
“That way only 10% of cargo would have been available for physical examination.
“If Customs buy scanners do they have the technicians that will be working on the scanners?”, he questioned.
However in a telephone chat with our correspondent, the National Public Relation officer of the Service; Mr Joseph Attah explained that the handling of scanners at the port cannot be handled by terminal operators because it negates the standard of operation in the country
According to him, “is there any country in this world that terminal operator would want to re write the law or the standard of procedures of the customs service? We cannot re-write the standard operating procedures, if you must operate a terminal or business then it is your duty to comply with the law of the land”
“If they say physical examination is causing delay, to some extent, I would agree with them on that, but the question we must ask ourselves is that why would customs want to subject themselves to the stress of physical examination? It is because of lack of compliance” he said.
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