The Deputy Customs Controller, Apapa Area Command, DC Yusuf Malanta Ibrahim has said that 100% examination of cargo at the ports is practically not possible.
Yusuf was made this known while reacting to concerns raised at a stakeholders’ meeting held at the command headquarters in Lagos yesterday stated that the highest one could do was to use his discretion to select few containers from those lined up by an importer through his agent for examination.
He however opined that even though a customs officer could use his discretion to determine which consignment to be examined, that could not be said to be trade facilitation.
According to him, “We have been seeing most of the time seizures based on false declaration in the manifest and all the other documents but I think we have to look at these things critically because identification of a problem is the solution to that problem. If a shipper did not make false declaration, the shipping company will not carry it or if the shipping company does not falsify that manifest with the desire of the importer, also the officer will not be able to do that job because looking at the scenario at the ports, conducting 100% examination at the port is virtually not possible. The highest you can do is to say, like what somebody was saying that he has five containers at least, let us not even talk about fifty containers. The law says you have to conduct 100% examination on all even if they are fifty.
“The issue of selecting one or two or more containers is entirely your own discretion because when the chips are down, you cannot claim that as part of trade facilitation”.
He posited that step should be taken further to investigate the shipper and the shipping company with the sole aim of ascertaining why the item was manifested that way so that all those who were given papers without knowing what was contained in the consignment as well as the shippers would try as much as possible to avoid those fraudulent act adding that if efforts were geared towards this direction, they would get it right.
“But the moment any issue like this starts,the shipper and the shipping company go free, they will continue doing this same thing and there will not be a solution to it”, he added.
He continued,”Another issue is on the terminal operators. Somebody said it here that he has paid for his five containers to be dropped and the terminal operators dropped two and the customs officer said he must see the five. You that said that you have paid for dropping of five containers, two containers had been dropped, has the terminal operator returned the balance for the three containers he has not dropped? Then why are you complaining about the customs officer who says he must see and do his job? Somebody somewhere refused to do his work, you paid him for that work but you are now talking about the customs officer who says he will do the work assigned to him. Go back to the drawing board and correct the defect”.
It will be recalled that a fortnight ago, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali (rtd.) directed that 100% examination should be carried out on all import coming into the country following the false declaration made by a fast track beneficiary who falsely declared tyres as paper board and machineries at Apapa port, a directive which has since generated mixed reactions from the stakeholders.
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