The Customs Area Controller at Tincan Island Port, Comptroller Bashar Umar has continued to boost inter-agency and stakeholders’ relations at the Tincan Island Ports.
The Controller recently handed over a 40ft container of suspected expired medical devices to the NAFDAC for necessary action.
He stated that inter-agency collaboration and synergy is a key element of the CGC’s change mantra and promised to promote it in his Command. In the same vein, the Controller also handed over two suspects to Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) for falsification of documents relating to SON. In another development, the controller hosted members of the Interstate Committee on ‘Transit Goods’ led Mrs. Ekpa on the 25th of August, 2016.
The Committee which comprised officials from the Federal Ministry of Transport, Shippers Council, Customs, Nexim Bank etc, were in the Command to brief the Controller on their statutory responsibility, which includes but not limited to articulating policies that would promote regional Transit trade.
In his address of welcome, the Controller thanked the members for their resilience and commitment despite some seeming challenges. He however pointed out that the committee should also be concerned about protecting /encouraging transit goods destined for Nigeria in new of it’s economic potentials and assured that Tincan Island Port will support the committee in whatever way to ensure the actualization of their mandate.
The head of delegation highlighted some of the challenges currently bedeviling transit trade in the region and stated that the committee was mandated to take a critical look at the entire issues affecting transit trade in central and West Africa with a view to ensuring that Nigeria benefits economically from it and also put measures in place to guard against diversion of transit cargo.
Explaining more on the growing relations with all stakeholders in the ports, Bashar said part of his commands moves to deepen relations included the recent convention of Stakeholder’s meeting comprising executives of Freight Forwarders, Tincan Island Chapter.
The meeting according to him was aimed at identifying grey areas that could hinder the concept of Trade Facilitation and promotion of international trade, with a view to proffering solutions. He said cordial trade facilitation can be achieved in an atmosphere of honest declaration, which will ultimately allow for a seamless flow of documentation in the system.
He added that all effort would be made to create on enabling environment for honest declarants to thrive in their business in the spirit and letter of trade facilitation. He noted that the Service has what it takes in terms of advanced technology to monitor transactions and ensuring Revenue Leakages are blocked.
At the stakeholders meeting, the Controller drew the attention of participants on the need to take advantage of the full automation of Customs processes and procedures for the advancement of their transactions.
While charging stakeholders to be compliant in all ramifications to avoid any impediment that could be counterproductive, he explained that the forum provided an ample opportunity for the controller to educate participants on the export potentials abounding in the country which he stated have not been fully explored.
He advised the leadership to create the awareness on their respective Associations so that emphasis will also be on ways of utilizing the export potential of the Country in order to become major players in the economic sector as well as wealth creators, thereby surviving the presents Global economic uncertainties. Speaking further, the Controller promised to implement conduct of examinations in the terminals in two phases as a major strategy towards facilitating legitimate trade.
In a telephone interview, the Public Relations Officer, Nigeria Customs Service, Tin Can Island Port, Mr. Uche Ejesieme confirmed that the pilot scheme for the proposal will commence with Ports and Cargo Terminal as from September 5th 2016.
