Post by Trade facilitator on Jan 21, 2018 18:21:54 GMT 1
In a bid to reduce delay in cargo clearance at the ports and land borders, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) may be planning to replace obsolete scanners, Hammed Ali, Comptroller-General of NCS, said recently in Lagos. The fund for the procurement of new scanners, he said, was post captured in the 2016 budget. “Most of our scanners are obsolete and we are working with the Ministry of Finance to quickly acquire new scanners. It is part of our budget. The few ones that are working, we will make sure that we maintain them.
I must confess that not all the scanners are working and for us to fast-track clearance, the scanners are essential. All containers go through the scanners and after that, whichever one that is blank, is the one that will be subjected to physical examination. That is what is done globally,” He explained. He added that the NCS is working seriously to make sure that more scanners are provided at the sea ports, airports and the land borders to fast-track clearance process.
Fast tracking clearance at the ports and land border, he assured, will be possible if the scanners are working. Without scanners much time is consumed using physical examination by men of the NCS. “You know how long it takes to physically examine a 40 feet container. If you have to bring out everything in it, physically look at it and certify that what is on paper is what is there. That will take quite a bit of time for both the clearing agents and the customs officers. I think the solution to this is the acquisition of scanners and that is why we are helping them in making sure we get scanners as quickly as possible and deployed 14 of them,” he said.
He noted that instability in foreign exchange rate had affected the flow of imports. He, however, said that customs officers would step-up efforts to generate more revenue. “The briefing of the minister of finance where she gave a preview of revenue generation, I think we got a pat on the back that we are doing quite well. The situation is bad in the sense that trade is low and Nigeria Customs cannot create trade; we only make way for people to import. Many variables are hindering importation, forex regime as we know keep fluctuating. So importers still have problem with that. We still have the 41 items that had been banned from accessing forex, which also has brought down the quantum of importation into the country. Our hope is that we would have more industries in this country to collect excise from instead of collecting import duties from our trades, “he said.
I must confess that not all the scanners are working and for us to fast-track clearance, the scanners are essential. All containers go through the scanners and after that, whichever one that is blank, is the one that will be subjected to physical examination. That is what is done globally,” He explained. He added that the NCS is working seriously to make sure that more scanners are provided at the sea ports, airports and the land borders to fast-track clearance process.
Fast tracking clearance at the ports and land border, he assured, will be possible if the scanners are working. Without scanners much time is consumed using physical examination by men of the NCS. “You know how long it takes to physically examine a 40 feet container. If you have to bring out everything in it, physically look at it and certify that what is on paper is what is there. That will take quite a bit of time for both the clearing agents and the customs officers. I think the solution to this is the acquisition of scanners and that is why we are helping them in making sure we get scanners as quickly as possible and deployed 14 of them,” he said.
He noted that instability in foreign exchange rate had affected the flow of imports. He, however, said that customs officers would step-up efforts to generate more revenue. “The briefing of the minister of finance where she gave a preview of revenue generation, I think we got a pat on the back that we are doing quite well. The situation is bad in the sense that trade is low and Nigeria Customs cannot create trade; we only make way for people to import. Many variables are hindering importation, forex regime as we know keep fluctuating. So importers still have problem with that. We still have the 41 items that had been banned from accessing forex, which also has brought down the quantum of importation into the country. Our hope is that we would have more industries in this country to collect excise from instead of collecting import duties from our trades, “he said.
