The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has pledged to ensure that the Single Window platform of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) would be effectively operated in Nigeria.
The National President of ANLCA, Prince Olayiwola Shittu who made this known while playing host to visiting fact-finding team from Ghana on the operation of the Nigerian Customs Service Single Window platform at the ANLCA National Secretariat in Lagos recently said that this had become imperative owing to the inherent benefits therein for the licensed customs agents and other port users.
Shittu pointed out that a situation where one could sit in his office to do everything regarding the clearance of his or her cargo from the port without physically visiting the port would lead to reduction of road traffic as well as reduction of people inside the port which the association had been championing.
According to him, “You are expected to sit down in your office and transact your business. It might take us a while but with the spirit of change, everything has to change in Nigeria to the best way by the international best practices”.
On why the Single Window platform had not taken off effectively years after it was conceptualized, the ANLCA boss had this to say,” We need to ask Webb Fontaine, we need to ask the government because you recall the federal government set up the five smart steps, that is the Presidential Committee on port Reforms headed by Prof.Monye, why was the implementation not done? We have also recommended this set up by being in the individual ministries, where are the reports of those committee? Why are they not being implemented?
“But we will not let this one (Single Window) go, ANLCA just wants to make sure that the Single Window operates in Nigeria effectively, that is a pledge”.
He maintained that until Nigeria could have paperless transaction at the port, the issue of corruption could not be eliminated adding that ANLCA was at the forefront of paperless transaction where there would be less human interface, things were done the right way and compliance were observed at all levels.
On his expectations from the service providers, Shittu quipped,” We expect service providers to reach out to those of us who are consumers of their services. From what had happened here, you discover that Webb Fontaine has been lagging behind because they are not letting us know what their challenges are so that we can advice and support them because most people in the ports believed that once server is down, it is Webb Fontaine. They have clarified some areas but they could improve on it to do better.
“I think we are going to build more interaction with them to finally see the single Window as an operation where you can sit down in your office and you are able to transact business in the ports”.
He described the visit of the fact-finding team from Ghana to the Association’s Secretariat as a welcomed development saying,” We just broadened the horizon and we don’t get distracted with what some other people feel that is what we want. I just think that one don’t have to show himself.
“We have been going out interacting, people have been coming here and I can tell you that before the middle of next year, we might be planning to host the World Customs Brokers Congress in Nigeria. We will continue to do it until our terminal date and hope that those who are coming behind us will build on it”.
Responding, the leader of the delegation from Ghana and Deputy Minister I the Ministry of Trade and Industry of Ghana, Hon. Murtala Mohammed expressed his happiness over the calibre of people they met at the ANLCA National Secretariat and the amount of information they would be going home with adding that the meeting was an eye opener for the delegation.
Mohammed who disclosed that he was in Nigeria with the Ghanaian Minister of Finance, Ghana Standards Authority, the Food and Drugs Authority of Ghana and the heads of other agencies which play big roles as far as the ports, the air and the land borders business transaction was concerned also said that the visit was geared towards ensuring that they had smooth implementation of the Single Window.
“It is very clear to everybody that the only way we can work and generate revenue for the socio-economic development of our country is to see how we can close loopholes, how we can facilitate trade so that our revenue generation is enhanced.
“Nigeria is a big brother; there is no question about that. We have a lot of businesses in Nigeria, the reason we are not in Benin or we are not in Togo, the reason why we are not in fact in Senegal, we want to have an effective and efficient single window that has been fully implemented.
“We are not just interested in the successes; we are also interested in the challenges therein. In fact, in going forward, you might have further problems for us to learn from those problems so that we don’t experience them”.
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