The Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC) Adewale Adeniyi, has promised to synergise with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) for adequate security and revenue generation.
While congratulating the newly-appointed Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Shehu Mohammed during a visit to the Customs headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday, the CG of Customs noted that NCS is thrilled to collaborate with agencies that provide good governance to the citizens through their different mandates.
The CGC also noted that the safety and economic well-being of the general public is the fundamental role of government, and all agencies should align with these everyday purposes.
According to him, “in terms of vision, I see an alignment between NCS and the FRSC. It is key that we find a way to collaborate. I see this visit as an expression of your confidence in working jointly to put strength together to pursue common goals. “
He said, “We did sign a memorandum of understanding, and it is working very well. It has room for improvement to deepen collaboration. It is a perfect start that we have achieved the integration of the Customs and the road safety system. “
Adeniyi stated that, “working together, Nigerians should rest assured that the incident of stolen vehicles will be a thing of the past. Also, the federal government has opened a window for cars improperly imported into Nigeria to benefit from the waiver so they can pay the correct duties.”
He disclosed that the window period is winding down for people with these challenges to pen down their documentation before an aggressive enforcement will be launched. He also noted that substandard tyres are prohibited due to the hazard they cause, and the service will sustain the confiscation of such items.
Earlier, the Corps Marshall and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Shehu Mohammed, commended the CGC, noting that upon his appointment, staff welfare, a conducive working environment, and prompt payment of benefits have been improved.
He also commended the Customs boss for his handshake initiative that led to the consolidation of existing vehicle information in the National Vehicle Identification System(NVIS) Database, domiciled with the FRSC, and the vehicle database of NCS, which is to enhance national security, improve revenue generation, promote ease of doing business and curb out smuggling excesses.
Bringing to the notice of the CGC, he revealed that the National Vehicle Identification System houses millions of vehicles’ information to unravel investigative activities of security agencies like the Nigerian Police, Interpol, and Federal Inland Revenue Service, among others.
He solicited the support of the CGC to help enforce restrictions on importing vehicles above expired age limits as a critical priority, stating that most fatalities during crisis involve articulated dilapidated cars.
Additionally, he said, “The relationship between NCS and FRSC will continually grow stronger, and we are ready to support the CGC to deliver the promises and the goal he tends to achieve during his time in office as collaboration brings tremendous victory in trade modernisation and security”.
Customs Modernisation Project To Check Extortion Of Traders
The Trade Modernisation Project (TMP) of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), will check the extortion of traders by facilitating the comprehensive tracking of their goods from the beginning of the trade process until delivery.
This is through its Unified Customs Management System(UCMS), a software that would be deployed to monitor all stages of the transactions by traders.
The TMP is the automation of the business processes of the NCS, to simplify and enhance the experience of stakeholders in the trade value chain.
It is also aimed at making it easy to obtain export and import clearances, and in paying duties and obtaining release of goods.
The customs modernisation project, which has three phases, is a 20- year concession agreement.
It was signed on May 27, 2023 between the Federal Government of Nigeria, represented by NCS Board, and The Trade Modernisation Project Ltd.
Chief Superintendent of Customs, Usman Abba, Head, Business Analyst for the project, told NAN in an interview on Thursday in Abuja that by using the software traders would be able to know when and where there were hitches in their transactions for redress.
Abba said the system would eliminate fraudulent intent and expose those who take advantage of clients who cannot properly track their goods with the current system to extort them.
“ This is the platform where the trader has access and is able to track all the stages of transactions, and know where the challenge or exactly the issue is untill the goods are delivered,“ he said.
He said that the service had received numerous reports of agents attempting to extract additional funds from their clients, by falsely claiming that their goods had not been cleared by customs when the process had already been completed.
According to him, the software, which will soon be inaugurated, is designed to have information on all transactions, including payments and goods clearance, to enable the trader to act as required.
“ So the trader can log in and see where exactly the goods are, also after he makes payment, he can see through the system that the payment has been done, and even how much has being paid.
“He can even see that the consignment have stepped out from the port, because we have the gate acknowledgement.
“ It means that when the truck is moving out, the system will update that the consignment has been gated out because the system allows integration with the terminal operator ,“ he explained.
He added that other agencies were also being integrated into the system to examine goods according to their constitutional mandates
On the current stage of the development of the software, Abba said that all internal systems had been completed, and final touches were being done on stakeholders integration.
“ What we are working on basically is the stakeholders integration. We are done with customs part and are just on the aspect of few stakeholders, just to show them the system and how to have them integrated.
“ We have engaged the Central Bank of Nigeria,National Agency for Food and Drug Administration Control,just a bit to finish up the system,“ he said.
NAN reports that the TMP is targeting generating more than 250 billion Dollars in revenue over the 20 year concession.
The project is aimed at bringing Nigeria at par with the rest of the world in the deployment of technology to facilitate international trade.
It would also assist the Federal Government in achieving economic diversification by facilitating easier cross-border trading.
