Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, has called for a comprehensive inclusion of all relevant stakeholders, including low-ranking operational officers, to ensure the effective implementation of recommendations from port stakeholder summits. This call was made to enhance the functionality of the Port Community System (PCS).
Speaking at the 4th edition of the JournalNG Port Industry Town Hall Meeting themed “The Imperative of PCS for Integration of All Players in Nigerian Port System,” Adeniyi, represented by the Customs Area Controller of Tin-Can Island Port Command, Dera Nnadi mni, emphasized that the PCS’s success depends on a unified and conflict-free port environment. He noted that disunity and misunderstandings among tactical low-cadre officers pose significant challenges to the system’s efficiency.
“Capacity building and sensitization should also include the officials at the rank and file. You would find that PCS is well understood by the elite operators and officers; but at the tactical level, there isn’t this high-level understanding. This confusion leads to conflicts between these security agencies and operators,” Adeniyi stated.
He also lamented Nigeria’s poor data collation culture, stressing that historical inadequacies in policymaking and planning have resulted from incomplete data. Adeniyi highlighted the importance of data-driven planning for port expansion and infrastructural development, based on cargo throughput increases.
Expressing optimism, Adeniyi referenced the 2023 Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC) conference themed “Leveraging Data Analytics for Secure and Efficient Trade Facilitation in Customs Operations,” which indicated a shift towards better data utilization in port operations. He commended the federal government’s decision to domicile the National Single Window in the Federal Inland Revenue Service and acknowledged the Customs NICIS II system’s progress in integrating various agencies and stakeholders, while emphasizing the need for further inclusivity.
The call for a robust stakeholder inclusion is seen as a strategic move to optimize the significant opportunities in Nigeria’s port operations through improved data collation and usage, ultimately aiming for a more efficient and secure trade environment.
