The Customs Area Controller (CAC), Apapa Area Command, Comptroller Eporwei Charles Edike has emphasized on the need for both the Customs officers and the terminal operators to make national security their priority while carrying out their duties in the nation’s ports.
Edike who made this observation at a stakeholders’ meeting organized by the command to appraise the performance of the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) in the last one year at Apapa Lagos on Wednesday stated that this should be so because any lapse on the part of the officers on duty would spell doom for the entire nation.
He reminded the stakeholders that it was expected that before they take delivery of their consignment from the port, they should have gone through all the documentation processes as well as all the clearance procedures from the designated authorities.
According to him,” but when that is not done, you do your cut and lock and you flow out, of course, we are waiting for it. Of course, we will not play with national security, apart from revenue, I turn out court orders to the officers virtually every month as it concerns national security. Only one small gun can cause havoc in the nation, we don’t need twenty or two hundred and only one small dynamite can cause trouble”.
“And so, because of that, I send out court orders virtually every month reminding them that at every instance, the need for vigilance and national security. Revenue aside, if there is no security, can we collect money? The answer is no”.
“And so, once we notice that a container was dropped and not examined, cut and locked and taken back, that container, we are waiting for it”.
He disclosed that he issued queries to the Management of AP Moller Terminal (APMT) for positioning containers for examination when there were no SGDs issued for those consignments.
“The procedure is that before you drop container for examination, the importer or the agent must have assessed himself and would have gotten his SGD based on that, the terminal operator will drop the container for physical examination. But in this instance, there was no SGD but containers were dropped for physical examination”, he explained.
He noted that there were occasions where the command found out that containers were coming out of the port only for the command to take them back to the Enforcement Unit for them to be properly examined in order for them to be sure what was coming into the country.
Reacting, a representative of APMT, Mr. Daniel Odibe acknowledged the receipt of queries from the Customs and that the management had taken step towards meeting the Customs Command with the aim of addressing the issues as contained in the queries.
Mr. Odibe however pointed out that before now, importers were required to present a copy of SGD before they position his container for physical examination but that when SGD was suspended, agents were only required to present a copy of the bill of lading for positioning to take place.
He therefore appealed to the CAC to inform them of any other document they would require from the agents or the importers before positioning his containers for examination.
“The question is, is there any document that the agents can come with so that we will check to make sure that he has covered all necessary requirements before we book them?” he queried.
Responding, the CAC said clarified that because of the national security as well as government revenue, terminal operators should not position containers for examination until there was a declaration to that effect.
He said,” please take note that there is the trader’s zone and the customs zone, before you position for examination, the person must have crossed from the trader’s zone to the customs zone. That is the point at which you can bring down container for examination. There must be a C number first before you can bring down. So, please take note of that”.
Collaborating the views of the CAC, the Area Project Manager (APM), Apapa Area Command, Deputy Controller Yusuf Malanta Ibrahim said, “Mr. APMT, I want you to understand that even if you don’t have any means of checking, now there is a declaration and there is a C number which you use to exit. So, please use that to know from now on”.
