The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has linked its computer system to the Automated System for Customs Data (ASYCUDA) with a view to monitoring the movement of petroleum products and collecting the statutory 2 per cent Cabotage levy.
Disclosing this to our correspondent in Lagos recently, NIMASA’s Director-General Mr Temisan Omatseye said that the agency now uses ship’s manifest that are obtained directly from Customs to get records of the vessels carrying petroleum products within the nation’s coastal waters.
Omatseye stated that for a long time, the agency has been having a running battle
to reconcile accounts with some shipping firms who want to short- change the government by not declaring the true tonnage of their products.
The inter-connectivity, according to Omatseye has improved the revenue generation of the agency and also stopped the shipping from playing smart.
He also disclosed that the agency is being owed Cabotage fee running into millions of Dollar and that NIMASA is also making plans to ensure that it retrieve these monies from its debtors.
Omatseye was silent on the names of the debtors, adding that as long as they are making plans to pay their debts; there is no need to go to town with their identities.
He also disclosed that revenue collection has increased from $8.5million to about
$19million every month.
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