AUTOMATION OF OVERTIME CARGO CLEARANCE TO NIP IN THE BUD DELIBERATE GOODS ABANDONMENT & DUTY EVASION AT THE PORTS—ADENIYI, ISAH UMAR
By Timothy Paul Okorocha
Customs Comptroller General, Adewale Adeniyi. MFR, has said that the need to automate the overtime cargo clearance is to the benefit of importers and all maritime operators.
At a one day sensitization exercise with stakeholders on the automation of overtime cargo and clearance system, he disabused the minds of many that the deployment of automation in this regard was to shore up the revenue of the customs.
Buttressing his position, he noted that , of the more than N6 trillion generated by the service last year, may be, only one percent of it was from sales of overtime cargoes or auctions generally. ‘We wish that importers clear their cargoes without let or hindrance.
This automation will also create adequate space in our ports while easing turn around in port operations’ He disclosed that several of such sensitization will be organized by the new zonal coordinator, ACG Babandede for importers, agents and relevant stakeholders in the months and weeks ahead.
Also , speaking while welcoming the participants, the Assistant Comptroller General (ACG) Headquarters, Isah Umar pointed out that the automation of overtime cargo clearance was imperative as import duty evasion will be nipped in the bud.
He revealed that some containerised goods have been in the seaports for upwards of seven years because the importers deliberately abandoned the cargoes and turned around to get them allocated to them through the back door as overtime cargoes, thereby, evading duty payments, while also depriving the bonded terminals of their own revenue from such warehousing.
ACG Umar’s position was corroborated by the Comptroller General who noted that a containerised cargo was abandoned in the seaport for 15 years . Both of them appealed to importers , agents, shipping lines and all port operators to brace up for this digital operation soon to be deployed.