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By Joel Anekwe
Mr Auwal Mohammed, the Comptroller of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Area II Command Onne, has said that operations of the command has been fully automated to ensure maximum 48-hour clearing of cargoes
Mohammed, who made this declaration on Wednesday, said that the only thing causing delays beyond the stipulated 48 hours are false or under declaration of cargoes by importers.
He spoke when the Correspondent Chapel of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Rivers State paid a courtesy visit to his office in Onne.
He stated that the command’s operations deal with the revenue generation, trade facilitation and anti-smuggling, adding that “most of our operations are conducted electronically. We have dropped the hard copy system for a long time, the only contact we have is on physical examination when we go for verification.
“All communications between the importer, his agents and our officers are done electronically, its highly transparent and one of the most compliant anywhere in the world.
“The system is programmed in such a way that no cargo stays 48 hours within the port after landing. But there must be true and proper declaration before clearing.
“By government policy, we have listed goods that are supposed to be imported into the country. We expect importers to be acquainted with those goods before they import or go through Google to get information needed before they import.
“If any container is delayed from clearing at the port, you know that it’s yet to go through proper declaration,” he said.
Mohammed appealed to journalists to be objective in their reports on issues concerning the Nigerian Customs Service, adding that reports without bias would bring stability within the community.
In his speech earlier, Mr Amaechi Okonkwo, chairman of the Correspondent Chapel, urged the command to give timely response to journalists on any issue brought to their notice by the public to enable them balance their reports.
Okonkwo advised the command to involve the media in their trainings and seminars to keep the media abreast of information on new innovations, new laws or requirements in order to properly inform the public to achieve set goals for the country.