The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR, orchestrated an interactive roundtable session with key maritime and excise stakeholders aimed at addressing challenges within port clearance processes across the nation.
Conducted in Lagos on Friday, December 15, 2023, as part of the recently concluded CGC’s Conference, the meeting gathered senior serving and retired Customs Officers, Terminal Operators, Freight Forwarders, Licensed Customs Agents, and Excise Stakeholders. This assembly sought to foster dialogue and chart a course toward improved Customs operations.
CGC Adewale Adeniyi emphasized the importance of addressing prevalent concerns such as multiple alerts, frequent downtime of CPC, numerous checkpoints, and access difficulties at ports. He highlighted the imperative nature of moving beyond identification to implementing time-bound solutions.
“Critical issues hindering cargo clearance have been openly discussed. The next step is to collaboratively establish frameworks in conjunction with stakeholders to overcome these obstacles,” stated Adeniyi.
He further asserted, “We commit to creating and implementing new policies aligned with the decisions made today. These strategies will be timebound to expedite the achievement of our objectives.”
A dedicated panel, comprising representatives from stakeholders and the Nigeria Customs Service, was established to address concerns impeding effective port operations. They aim to aggregate recommendations that will be executed by the first quarter of 2024.
Comptroller Dera Nnadi, part of the panel, urged port users and stakeholders to leverage weekend operations and encouraged the utilization of barges without commercializing the process.
Stakeholders commended the CGC for reviving the Service’s Annual Conference, expressing readiness to collaborate continuously with Customs to optimize operations.
Tochukwu Ezeisi, President of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), hailed the attention given to issues faced by freight forwarders. “For the first time in years, our concerns are being addressed promptly,” he remarked.
Alhaji Kazeem Isa Adua, Deputy President of the National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA), expressed optimism, saying, “The positive engagement today signals a smooth and streamlined clearance process ahead.”
The collaborative efforts between Customs and stakeholders signify a commitment to surmounting challenges, ensuring more efficient and effective operations within Nigerian ports.