The National President, National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA), Mr. Lucky Amiwero has called for proper investigation of the Nigeria Customs Service on the state of Destination inspection Scheme, the 1% Free-on-Board (FOB) collection, the movement of collection with other headings not approved and a total reform of the Service with a professional as the head for effective service delivery.
Amiwero who made this known in a letter he addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari dated 25thJuly, 2015 and entitled,” The complete collapse of the Destination Inspection Scheme (DIS) after the handover to Nigeria Customs Service and the need to investigate the 1% FOB inspection fees disbursement by government agencies from 2014 to date” and made available to Primetime Reporters, said that the Destination Inspection totally collapsed after the handover of the scheme to the Nigeria Customs Agents by the Destination Inspection Agents.
He recalled that the Destination Inspection Scheme (DIS) was officially handed over to Nigeria Customs Service on the 1st of January 2014, who engaged the service of Techno Brain West Blue Consulting for the deployment of (PAAR) platform adding that from January 1st to June 2014, the Port system collapsed due to the issuance of (PAAR) that took three months to issue by Customs under Techno Brain West Blue Consulting.
He pointed out that many importers lost their cargo in the process as a result of the huge demurrage and rent that was up to three times above the cost of the goods.
He however observed that it was the intervention of the then Honourable Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala through a letter with reference No. CME-HME/FMF/NCS/1/ of April 22nd 2014, addressed to the Comptroller-General of Customs, Alhaji Dikko Inde Abdullahi on the total failure of the West Blue (PAAR) platform and the change to Webb Fontaine platform as well as the re-modeling of the PAAR of West blue to “Enhanced PAAR” which saved the nation till date.
According to him,” The letter from the Honourable Minister to the Comptroller-General addressed the following: In paragraphs 1, the System introduced by Nigeria Customs collapsed and set the nation back till date, in paragraphs 2, the Honourable Minister requested for the total cost of the failed platform undertaken by Techno Brain West Blue Consulting and in paragraph 3, the Honourable Minister commended the success of the “Enhance (PAAR)” developed by Webb Fontaine, which has helped to address the issues of the Customs/West Blue Platform that cannot generate (PAAR). The letter with reference CME-HMF/NCS/1/2014 of 22nd of April 2014 is attached and marked appendix 1”.
Amiwero who is also the Managing Director of Eyis Resources further disclosed that the Scanners handed over to Nigeria Customs Service by the Destination Inspection Agents have all collapsed, as all processes relating to scanning in the ports were now done physically, thereby taking the nation back to complete manual era with lengthy, cumbersome and costly process in the ports.
“The process of valuation and classification handed over to Customs has witnessed illegal imposition process and flagrant disregard of the statute of procedure, which resulted to massive diversion of vessels to neighbouring West African ports and the loss of goods by Importers due to reckless imposition.
“Copies of reply by the Presidency on the challenges of PAAR and the illegality and arbitrariness of Customs are attached and marked appendix 2 a, b & c. The components of destination inspection (DI) that has collapsed are: scanners for the facilitation and security of our environments no more functioning in the ports, Risk Assessment System collapsed due to non-functioning of the scanners, Pre- Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) encumbered with various duplication intervention from headquarters, zone, and Area and unit of “Alert” and imposition of illegal procedure that negates trade process and the core of dispute resolution mechanism is all collapsed.
“The 1% (percent) FOB that is a statutory fee for Inspection Agents covered under Section 3-(1) of the Pre-Shipment inspection Act No. 11 of 1996.
“The Fees of 1% Fob is statutory For the Inspection Agents that runs in to billion of naira daily which need for proper investigation on the disbursement and collection of 1 %(percent) of FOB from 1st Jan 2014 till date due to the total collapse of all the component of the scheme”, he said.
The NCMDLCA boss noted that the Nigeria Customs Service has suppressed every known reform from 2003 till date, which had negative effect on domestic laws, international conventions and rule and regulation relating to trade procedure that was not comply with by the Service that had negative impact on the economy.
He continued, “As member and Sub-committee Chairman of the draft report of the Reconstituted Presidential Task Force on the Reform of Nigeria Custom service, the Task Force recommendation, which was followed are contained hereunder for successful transfer of Destination Inspection scheme to Customs: a joint implementation team comprising of PTF , Finance, Central bank and Service providers, a core NCS DI Transition Team Training Plan, which will compose of officers carefully selected by NCS as being the best after having undergone an agreed training programme based on each officer’s specialization ( e.g. Valuation, Classification, Image Analysis and Level of knowledge and expertise), an audit of all equipment and assets to be handed over by the service provides to be carried out by qualified personnel before the date to determine their state and condition for continuous operations and all training of personnel being carried out by all service provider should be Synchronized and their relevance to future operation of the service.
“The takeover by customs was political, which had not undergo the transition process of transfer as indicated, resulted to the total collapse of the destination inspection scheme in Nigeria”.
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