Even as licensed customs agents continue to lament delays occasioned by multiple cargo examinations in the ports, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) said last week that it will soon convene a meeting with other security agencies at the seaports to solve problem of delays created by multiple cargo examination.
Controller, Apapa Area 1 Command of the Service, Alhaji Idris Suleiman said this in Lagos at a stakeholders’ forum which his command hosted.
Even as licensed customs agents continue to lament delays occasioned by multiple cargo examinations in the ports, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) said last week that it will soon convene a meeting with other security agencies at the seaports to solve problem of delays created by multiple cargo examination.
Controller, Apapa Area 1 Command of the Service, Alhaji Idris Suleiman said this in Lagos at a stakeholders’ forum which his command hosted.
Acknowledging the need for government security agencies to be at the seaports, because they are there to represent all interests as government would not want to take the issue of security for granted, he nevertheless stressed that “cargo examination should be a one-stop shop but this is not being done and causing delays”.
He said everything is not it is not about smuggling and revenue as the government is also interested in health, and added that it is for these reasons that agencies like of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration Control [NAFDAC] and Standard Organization of Nigeria(SON) and that above all security of the nation is vey important and this informed the presence of operatives of State Security Service in the ports.
He also added that bonded terminals as approved by government could help in decongesting ports.
Suleiman explained that the huge investments at the bonded terminals in terms of infrastructure like cranes, forklifts, Information Technology office and manpower would be a waste unless the bonded terminals were kept busy.
APM terminals said up to 40 per cent of cargoes from its terminals were stemmed to the bonded terminals.
The controller directed a 24-hour time limit for positioning of containers so that importers would not accumulate demurrage.
Suleiman added that to save time of cargo delivery, importers with up to five containers of homogenous goods had been directed to apply for re-route for physical examination.
He said this method (physical examination) would reduce delays at the scanning sites due to inadequate space.
The controller also explained that because the NCS was having problems with illegal cargo releases at the seaports, it had appointed officers of the ranks of assistant comptrollers and deputy comptrollers to release cargoes.
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