Barely three weeks after it was introduced, the one- stop -shop cargo examination process at the Apapa Area 1 command of the Nigeria Custom Service has failed because of alleged refusal of concerned government agencies to show up at the appointed time of joint cargo examination.
Barely three weeks after it was introduced, the one- stop -shop cargo examination process at the Apapa Area 1 command of the Nigeria Custom Service has failed because of alleged refusal of concerned government agencies to show up at the appointed time of joint cargo examination.
The innovative one -stop -shop or joint cargo examination process is a situation whereby all the security agencies like the SSS, NDLEA and regulatory agencies like SON, NAFDAC are expected to examine containers at the same time and afterwards sign relevant documents so as to avoid the delay that have been hampering quick clearance of cargo at the port.
It was also gathered that the same procedure has been in operation for sometime now at the PTML terminal in Tin Can and that same was introduced to the Apapa port in order to facilitate trade and overcome the challenges of clearance.
But speaking at the monthly stakeholders’ forum organized at the command in Lagos last week, the Comptroller of Apapa command, Mr. Idris Suleiman said that the process is not working as relevant security and regulatory agencies have been failing to turn up for the joint examination.
He said that there have been complaints and allegations of corruption coming from the clearing agents that most of the parties involved have high jacked the process to benefit their individual pockets, he said the process is going to be fine-tuned and that there is going to be a meeting between all the agencies concerned as the process has failed to meet the desired objective.
“We must own up that we have failed in the one- stop -shop cargo examination exercise, there is need for us to go back to the drawing board and fine- tune the process, also there is need for customs to overrule any security agency that failed to be present at the examination point because customs has been the one taking the blame” he revealed.
Speaking earlier in his welcome address, Comptroller Suleiman had appealed to everyone including all the clearing agents to ensure that they all abide by the rules of the game for ease of cargo examination. “We have agreed to follow a uniform time schedule that breaks cargo examination into three batches. Batch one between 9.00am and 10.30am, batch two between 12.00noon and 01.30pm and three between 300pm and 4.00pm”, he explained
Corroborating the Comptroller on the allegations, the founder of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) Dr. Boniface Aniebonam said that there is no clear distinction in the functions of the security agencies as everyone of them is agitating to carry out the duty of the customs.
Aniebonam said that “the responsibility of the NDLEA is narcotics, cocaine and heroin, the police is to give general security of the port, SSS is an undercover person, but when we come to the port and everybody wants to do customs work, it moves us into corruption” he noted.
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