Ports: Physical Examination Should Be Allowed Where Scanning is Problematic, Aniebonam Tells Customs
By Francis Ugwoke
Founder, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders(NAGAFF), Dr. Boniface Aniebonam, has advised the management of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to allow physical examination of containers at the ports where there is persistent issue in scanning some of the containers at the ports.
Aniebonam gave the advice following reports that customs agents prefer to go through physical examination of their goods as against use of scanners for goods examination.
The founder said this will save importers the time being wasted waiting for scanning of goods.
In a chat with SHIPPING DAY, he disclosed that importers and their customs agents have been having problem in goods examination since the deployment of the scanners.
He said, “How many containers can be scanned in a day…….So right now, the Customs, particularly the Controller of the Area Apapa is risk-managing the whole process in order to downgrade the level of hardship that is there. To me, must everybody go to scan. If somebody says, if this scanning operation will delay me, let me go for physical examination, allow him so that you take inventory, take the documents and exit him out of customs control”.
Aniebonam advised that the Customs Headquarters should trust those at the command level to handle the issues in the best way for the Service.
He added, “I think those in Abuja are over-bearing. When you deploy a controller to an area, there must be an element of trust for that officer to do his job. Some of these things, many of us are really not happy.. ..”.
There has been issue in scanning since it was introduced recently.
Just last week, the Customs Service was reported to be accusing customs agents of sabotaging the system by not allowing their imports to go through scanning.
The agents were said to be insisting on 100 percent goods examination.
Founder, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders(NAGAFF), Dr. Boniface Aniebonam, has advised the management of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to allow physical examination of containers at the ports where there is persistent issue in scanning some of the containers at the ports.
Aniebonam gave the advice following reports that customs agents prefer to go through physical examination of their goods as against use of scanners for goods examination.
The founder said this will save importers the time being wasted waiting for scanning of goods.
In a chat with SHIPPING DAY, he disclosed that importers and their customs agents have been having problem in goods examination since the deployment of the scanners.
He said, “How many containers can be scanned in a day…….So right now, the Customs, particularly the Controller of the Area Apapa is risk-managing the whole process in order to downgrade the level of hardship that is there. To me, must everybody go to scan. If somebody says, if this scanning operation will delay me, let me go for physical examination, allow him so that you take inventory, take the documents and exit him out of customs control”.
Aniebonam advised that the Customs Headquarters should trust those at the command level to handle the issues in the best way for the Service.
He added, “I think those in Abuja are over-bearing. When you deploy a controller to an area, there must be an element of trust for that officer to do his job. Some of these things, many of us are really not happy.. ..”.
There has been issue in scanning since it was introduced recently.
Just last week, the Customs Service was reported to be accusing customs agents of sabotaging the system by not allowing their imports to go through scanning.
The agents were said to be insisting on 100 percent goods examination.
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