Web Fontaine Clinch Fresh Contract To Upgrade Customs Asycuda System

There are indications that the Federal Ministry of Finance may have granted Web Fontaine a fresh contract to upgrade customs IT operations from Asyduca ++ to the latest in town; ‘Asycuda World‎’.
Web Fontaine is a Service Provider with specialty in Information Technology development that has worked with the ministry for the past ten years.
When fully upgraded, the Nigeria Customs Service has assured that ‘Asycuda World’ will eradicate hacking of passwords and complaints from clearing agents and freight forwarders about criminals hacking and using their (agents) licenses without the owner’s knowledge.
This information came to the fore yesterday when Zonal Coordinator, Zone ‘A’ of Customs, Assistant Comptroller General Charles Edike accompanied by his lieutenants paid a courtesy visit to the National Secretariat of the Association of Nigeria License Customs Agent (ANLCA) in Festac‎, Lagos.
At the meeting, Deputy Controller ICT of Customs Zone ‘A’, Mr. Yussuf Baba, said the Ministry of Finance has approved new contracts to Web Fontaine to move the Nigeria customs away from Asycuda ++ to the latest ‘Asycuda World’ which is used by other developed countries under the World Trade Organization (WTO)
He assured that passwords will soon be issued to clearing agents to protect their practicing licenses, and that by end of March 2016; all public DTI Cafes will be closed down. He identified DTI Cafes as the source of password hacking which he admitted is the fault of Nigeria customs.
“By March ending, we will block all public DTI Cafes, but many of you would not be able to capture your jobs again, you will need to apply for private DTI licenses and we will give it to you, by so doing, you will be given a password and your license will be protected”
‎Mr. Baba told the ANLCA members that the customs is also upgrading its Nigeria Customs Information System (NCIS) from grade 1 to NCIS 2, and that this will enable clearing agents have access to capture and release consignments by themselves electronically, even from the confines of their offices.
After being inundated with challenges faced by ANLCA members in customs operations, the Zonal Coordinator, Compt Edike assured that Customs is already working assiduously to solve the problems.
He however appealed to ANLCA members for support in order for customs to collect maximum revenue for 2016.
Speaking, he said “Why I came is that we need money and I need to bridge the gap between those generating the money and my officers, I have come to encourage them more, hear their challenges and problems, and find a way we can be able to raise more money, once we are on the same page, there would not be problems”
“The issue is that we need more revenue, and my coming here today is to place ANLCA on the same page, there are challenges they are also facing which I have promised to proffer solutions to and this will also mean more revenue for government”‎ he said
Edike charged the clearing agents to expose any corrupt officer at any command, and not to hesitate to cry out whenever they are cheated. He however warned that they must carry out their operations legally and be compliant.
On his part, President of ANLCA, Prince Olayiwola Shittu appealed to the Customs boss to ensure that officers deal with only customs agents at the ports.
He lamented that some officers at the port prefer to deal with ‘camp boys’ and freight forwarders who have no licenses, he said that this is the major cause of the corruption and the mammoth crowd inside the ports.
‎Shittu also appealed that “before a clearing license is blocked for doing a bad job, the owner of the license should be invited by customs and he should be allowed to have a say, some of our licenses are being used without our notice and this is the fault of the customs”