Oluyinka Onigbinde
About seven months after multi-billion Naira scanners were purchased and deployed for use at some Customs commands in the country, investigations by Shipping Position Daily have revealed that the Nigeria Customs Service is yet to use the scanners.
Shipping Position Daily recalls that some commands namely: Tin Can, Onne, Seme, among others took delivery of the scanners in September 2021. But, none of the commands has yet put the scanners to use.
While, it was confirmed that scanners at Tin Can port is not in use, sources hinted that the ones at Seme border and Onne port are also not in use.
According to information sourced by our correspondents, failure to use the scanners costs the nation over N800 billion monthly and about N9.6 trillion yearly.
Some stakeholders have even also urged the Federal Government to sanction the service over failure to put the scanners to use.
In a chat with our correspondent the factional chairman Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) Tin Can Chapter Command, Ojo Akintoye lampooned the service for failing to put the scanners to use.
According to him, “This is one of the issues, Customs is shouting clearing agents must adhere to automation, making it seems like we are not ready for automation.
“It’s close to a year now since the scanners were purchased and deployed to commands, but they are not bothered about putting the scanners to work and here they are fighting VIN, it’s like putting the cart before the horse, they seem not to be ready for automation, they need to be seen first to be ready, what does it take to put the scanners to work” he questioned.
Also speaking with our correspondent, a foremost clearing agent, Pius Ujubuonu stated that the service knows what to do if indeed they are concerned about automation noting that the service is not ready for automation.
“If you do the same thing every day and you expect a different result you are only joking, those managing Customs know what to be done and they are not doing it. And they go about telling the government that they will generate a lot of money and if you are giving the government an impression that you are a revenue-generating government agency, it means you are not talking about physical production you are talking about importation”, he said.
On his part, an importer; Mr Olujide Akingbile informed our correspondent that the nation losses over N800 billion monthly and about N9.6 trillion yearly owing to lack of scanners at the port, even as he described Customs’ inability to put the scanners to work as sabotage to the growth of the economy.
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“Can Customs give one reason why they can’t put the scanners to work after how many years, Nigeria is one funny country where there is no respect and value for money, you purchased these scanners and over seven months now it is the same rhetoric. In a sane environment, the Comptroller General of Customs would have been sacked, this is taxpayers’ money going down the drain, just because the powers that be want to continue with physical examination
“It will surprise you to know that junior officers in the service are hotel owners, I know them; I am not talking about mushroom hotels, where do they get that kind of money from, if all these loopholes are blocked, of course, where would they get such money, so you see why it is a sabotage” he stated.
When contacted for confirmation of when the scanners will be commissioned and put to use, the National Public Relations Officer of the service, Deputy Comptroller Timi Bomodi simply told our correspondent that, “we are commissioning them very soon and the press will be adequately informed”.
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