Against the background of viral attack on the Customs Pre- Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR), a coalition of industry stakeholders have started galvanizing support for the Nigeria Customs Service, saying the challenges were teething and would soon be a thing of the past.
Against the background of viral attack on the Customs Pre- Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR), a coalition of industry stakeholders have started galvanizing support for the Nigeria Customs Service, saying the challenges were teething and would soon be a thing of the past.
The MAAG, which is an amalgamation of about 12 interest groups in the Nigerian maritime industry, said in a statement it issued last weekend that statistics at its disposal shows that within the four months that PAAR has been in use, “58,310 PAAR were uploaded from designated banks out which a total of 43,252 PAAR has been generated by the Nigeria Customs Service”.
In the statement that was signed by its coordinator; Alhaji Alhassan Dantata, MAAG assured that:”This is absolute proof that the situation will soon be a thing of the past”.
Attributing its intervention to what it called, a certain petition that was reportedly written to the Presidency by a freight forwarder in which it was alleged that PAAR is a failure, the body stated that PAAR was part of the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan.
But, it also acknowledged that there are “numerous factors/challenge that are hindering the smooth flow of cargo clearance out of our ports system ranging from non-compliance to the rules of engagement, inadequate cargo handling equipment, sabotage…”
Similarly, in a separate interview with Shipping Position Daily, founder of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF); Dr. Boniface Aniebonam also appealed to stakeholders to exercise caution in their agitation in order not to provoke the customs.
The NAGAFF founder called on the Comptroller General of Customs, Alhaji Dikko Inde Abdullahi to extend the deadline on provisional release of cargoes at the port and to direct the various Area Controllers of customs commands to use their discretion to douse the building tension.
Aniebonam said that between the period that it took over destination inspection and now, Customs have saved government about N10billion, which would have gone to the service providers.
Aniebonam however called on customs to apply for telecommunications license to own its own network, because PAAR problems have to do with delay in transmission.
"With all the various complaints we are seeing from people now, whether wrong or right, Customs should go back and allow provisional release to continue, I am sure that between now and June, everything would have been resolved, "he stated optimistically.
"Between January and now when Custom took over from the service providers, government is richer now by N10billion, and this is money we would have paid to service providers" he said.
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