In reciprocation of stakeholders’ support to the command in achieving its revenue target in 2023, the Customs Area Controller of the Tincan Island Port Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, Comptroller Dera Nnadi has declared the year 2024 as year of stakeholders.
It will be recalled that the command collected a total of seven hundred and sixteen billion, four hundred and seventy nine million, seven thousand, five hundred and seventy six naira, seventy four Kobo as revenue for the year 2023 despite all the economic difficulties in the nation particularly in the first half of the year, translating to 89.43% of the revenue target issued to the command by the management of the Service.
Speaking at a press briefing held at the command’s headquarters in Lagos on Tuesday, Nnamdi stated that the gesture was particularly to reciprocate the support the command received from its stakeholders in 2023.
“We have decided that 2024 is going to be the year of stakeholders in Tincan Island Port Command. We pledge to devote our time, resources, human capacity to serve them and deliver quality service to them.
“Let me state that in doing that, again, we will encourage those who are already compliant to do more, we will encourage those who are not compliant but are willing to change to do more. But we will not hesitate to deal decisively with those who are not compliant and are not willing to change.”
He recalled that since 2006, there had been deliberate efforts by the Nigeria Customs Service to promote more robust engagement with its stakeholders listing the Customs Consultative Council which is made up of customs officers and some notable stakeholders in the system as one of such moves.
Throwing more light on how the year will benefit the stakeholders, Comptroller Nnadi said, “We have opened up our system electronically to some of our stakeholders like SON, NAFDAC, Nigeria Copyright Commission, NESREA, NDLEA, everybody and we have been relating with them but most importantly, our critical stakeholders, the freight forwarders, we relate with them effectively.and we intend to do more by introducing a reward system that will make sure that any agent that is so compliant, gets expedited action in clearance of his cargo.
“At the national level, we already have the fast track, the CGC has also, upon resumption as the CG, launched the AEO – Authorized Economic Operator programme, all to reward compliant traders who do it right. But what we want to do particularly in Tincan is to further entrench what we started in 2023and what are those things? Extended work hours, 24 hours operation, weekend operations as I declared in 2023, the port weekends should not be translated to Owambe weekends. The port operates 24 hours, seven days a week. So, I shouldn’t see the reason why our stakeholders should devote weekends to parties and weddings. We have to be coming to work during weekends.
“In the past, we blame our stakeholders for every infraction in the system. Now, I have told the officers this morning, that I will no longer be blaming just the stakeholders. For every declaration made by stakeholder but released by an officer, but through the supply chain, it is intercepted, that officer will have to answer for it at the Enforcement. So, we are going to give a window to allow the stakeholders to breath.”
Photo: Comptroller Dera Nnadi, Customs Area Controller, Tincan Island Port Command.
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