The Tin Can Island Port Controller of the Nigeria Customs Service, Compt. Zakari Jibrin has debunked insinuations that the clearance of cargoes from the Tin Can Port usually requires 70 signatures.
The Controller in an exclusive chat with Shipping Position Daily last week said that clearing of cargoes from the port does not require more than four signatures as against the 70 signatures claimed by the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) in a widely circulated report last week.
The Tin Can Island Port Controller of the Nigeria Customs Service, Compt. Zakari Jibrin has debunked insinuations that the clearance of cargoes from the Tin Can Port usually requires 70 signatures.
The Controller in an exclusive chat with Shipping Position Daily last week said that clearing of cargoes from the port does not require more than four signatures as against the 70 signatures claimed by the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) in a widely circulated report last week.
Jibrin told our correspondent that his attention was drawn to the false claim by the Manufacturers Association that at Tin Can Port, there are 70 signatories before cargoes are released but he however condemned this statement, saying that it is a blatant lie.
"Even during the days of 'long room' we don't have up to twenty signatories not to talk of now that you don't have anything to do with long room except you have a problem"
Explaining how simplified cargo clearance has become, he said "Now, if you make a declaration, the first thing to do is go to the Assistant Controller who is the for examination, after him is the Deputy Controller in charge of gate, others are shipping companies and terminal operators"
"The manufacturers report is false because that very day it was made, the DCG summoned me and told me this is what is happening in my command, I told him it is a lie, even before he called he himself knew it was a lie" Jibrin told Shipping Position Daily
The Tin Can Customs boss said that with 70 signature, nobody can clear cargo from the port.
The Controller also lamented that the difficulty of importers to open Form 'M' on certain cargoes placed under the import restriction list my the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has affected the command, but that it was insignificant.
He said that the command was still at every other day able to meet up with its N1billion daily revenue benchmark.
"Opening Form M now is very difficult if it is not LC, the Federal Government's directive is that it must be LC before you are allowed"
"Definitely it has affected because we have so many consignments here that is not taken due to this challenge, before you have the PAAR, you must get the Form 'M' and it is very difficult now"
"Apart from the Form 'M', the SONCAP is another problem, you must have this before form M is opened"
"There are still importers going through LC, it has affected us but not to a level that we would feel it in our revenue. My revenue is okay, my average collection per day is N1billion and I still get it everyday" he said.
President of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) Dr. Frank Jacobs Edemba at an interactive session with the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Col. Hameed Ali two weeks ago said the delay experienced in the ports had affected the manufacturing industry.
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