Harboursandport.com: Lagos - The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Shamuina Ahmed Tuesday commissioned the 3 scanners deployed to Apapa, Tin-can, and Onne seaports.
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| Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Shamuina Ahmed, and the Comptroller General of Customs, (CGC) Hameed Ali at the commissioning of the scanner in Apapa, Lagos. Picture by Harboursandport.com |
This is even as the Comptroller General of Customs, CGC, Hameed Ali decried the under-utilisation of the scanner at Apapa port.
The Minister said the deployment of the scanners will reduce the importation of unwholesome goods as well as increase government revenue collection. She also disclosed the additional 135 scanners are expected to be brought in to further automate the cargo clearing system at the port.
According to the minister, "The commissioning of the three new scanners today, is a milestone in the Service efforts to expedite Customs operations, achieve ease of doing business, facilitate trade, prevent Port congestion, increase revenue generation to government and improve national security.
"I, therefore, implore the Management of the NCS to collaborate with the Scanners Contractor, to ensure proper maintenance and full utilization of the Scanners within the 30 months provided in the Contract Agreement, as well as enhanced Capacity Building and Training of 120 NCS scanning officers.
"Furthermore, the current process of physical examination of cargoes is time-consuming, causing loss of revenue to the government and cannot be compared with the Scanning of cargoes which is carried out in minutes and has the capacity to detect prohibited imports that are concealed in cargoes.
"This process enables more cargoes to be scanned and brings about the desired efficiency and effectiveness in Customs cargoes examinations," she noted.
The Customs boss had earlier said warned terminal operators to ensure they corporate with the Service in the positioning of containers for scanning so as to prevent conflict between both bodies.
He explained that the scanner at Apapa has the capacity to scan between 400 - 500 containers daily but it only scans about 130.
"We appreciate our partners the terminal operators, who have taken the pains to adjust their operations to suit the innovations of the moment.
"Our continuous collaboration will ensure that cargos are promptly delivered for scanning and evacuated from the ports as soon as they are certified to be compliant by our officers and other regulatory agencies.
"Finally, let me reiterate the importance of willful compliance to extant laws regarding International trade.
"We are ready to do all we can to assist compliant traders.
"We know that this equipment will be of special benefit to manufacturers who import homogenous items in large volumes. "We also know that importers of high-risk goods will no longer have any place to hide.
"So we are hereby putting recalcitrant traders on notice. They either change or be ready to face the full consequence of their actions," he concluded.
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