Matthew Otoijagha
The Tin-Can Island Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has generated N62billion for the federal government in two months. This was disclosed by the Customs Area Controller, Tin Can Island Port Command, Comptroller Abdullah Mohammed Baba during his maiden media parley held in Lagos.
The Tin-Can Island Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has generated N62billion for the federal government in two months. This was disclosed by the Customs Area Controller, Tin Can Island Port Command, Comptroller Abdullah Mohammed Baba during his maiden media parley held in Lagos.
According to him, “We shall block all revenue leakages to collect appropriate duties and meet our target of N354 billion so far we have collected N62 billion.” However, respite has come for vehicles importers as the Nigeria Customs Service said it would soon harmonize its data base for all imported vehicles into the country.
Baba said with the deployment of the Nigeria Integrated Customs Information System (NICIS 11) platform, the data base of all imported vehicles will be now be automated, thus making it possible for the various customs formation to have a uniform value on all imported vehicles.
Clearing agents had on several occasions complained about lack of data base of customs value thereby making the various customs commands issue different values on imported vehicles.
They had called on Customs to develop its data base to enable them have a fore knowledge of what they are expected to pay as import duty on a particular vehicle. According to Comptroller Abdulahi, “With the NICIS 11 program deployment, the valuation data base will be automated.
‘‘It will be automated in such a way that using the VIN number. It gives you the capacity of the vehicle, country of origin of the vehicle, type, and brand and then it gives you the value.
‘‘Meetings are going on to harmonize this position before deployment of NICIS. In no distance time, transparencies will definite come in the clearance of vehicles.” Baba assured that the command under his watch would continue to improve the ease of doing business initiative of the federal government by making customs process more efficient to enable lower transaction cost for business.
“We are to provide coordinating roles in the ease of doing business initiative of the federal government. As part of the trade facilitation effort, we are aware of the 48 hours cargo clearance time.
‘‘We have therefore deployed the time-release study as performance indicators to guide our performance,” he said. He added that plans are ongoing to deploy software to handle the remaining part of the export procedure automation. This, according to him, will enable records of non-oil export, agriculture products and other manufactured products.