The founder, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Dr. Boniface Aniebonam has called on the Federal Government to consider the option of concessioning out the Single Window platform to the private sector.
Aniebonam who stated this in an interaction with newsmen in Lagos said the platform which should not be domiciled with any government agency in the nation’s maritime industry would help check abuse of the process by any government agency.
Reacting to the statement credited to the Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi where the Minister was quoted as blaming the Nigeria Customs Service for non-implementation of the National Single Window which the government is packaging to be domiciled with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA)because of the corruptive tendencies of its officers, Aniebonam absolved the Minister of any wrong doing as he said that his investigations had shown that the Minister did not make such comment.
According to him,” I am at a loss, I had an opportunity to speak to an eye witness during that Ministerial visit at NPA Headquarters, I do know that Edike was there as the ACG of the Zone and one Yusuf , the APM of Apapa port was also there. What was reported, I don’t think that was what the Minister said. So, I don’t know why a different scenario is being painted.
“Well, to be precise, I spoke to Yusuf when I read that and Yusuf said there was nothing like that. He was surprised at the report. But all the same, I heard that information and I decided to check my book of instruction and I discovered that section 26 of the customs law made it very clear that ccustoms cannot be a third party in any document in relations to customs operation. All documents for cargo coming into this country under section 26, either by sea, by air or by land must be reported to the customs and customs is the lead agency as far as the port is concerned.
“If you go to section 12 of the customs law, you will see that it is customs port. Section 13 of the customs law said that the Nigerian Ports Authority will provide all logistics required including accommodation for the optimal performance of customs officers in the customs port. So, constitutionally, customs is the lead agency at the port and they are running a Single Window that will coordinate all the activity in the port, definitely, it must be domiciled with the customs.
“For, me, we also have our reservations as to the issue of the operation of the Single Window by customs. If you ask us, for purpose of efficiency, I think there is the need for us to have a private enterprise to handle that other than an agency of the government for efficiency and better performance.
“If you want to award a Single Window contract, it should be operated by a private enterprise by the federal government of Nigeria and not to be domiciled by any agency to avoid abuse. We have made recommendations actually because our own concern on this matter is about abuse. But as for what the Minister is saying, whether this or that, it is not important, the law is clear on that, customs cannot be a third party and cannot receive document as a third party”.
On whether or not the proposed Single Window as being evolved by Transportation Ministry would not amount to duplication of the National Single Window being developed by the customs, Aniebonam who is also the National Chairman of the New Nigeria Peoples’ Party (NNPP) queried,” What are they duplicating? NPA can go ahead and keep a Single Window nobody is interested in that, whatever they are doing with that is their own business. See, customs is the lead agency in the port and what takes people to the ports is the cargo, if the customs do not release your consignment, you cannot move an inch.
“And if NPA has their own limitations, what are they doing? Are they doing that as an oversight function? The port has been concessioned, the Minister went a step further to say that you cannot run a single Window without customs and that a Single Window without customs is not a Single Window”.
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