70 percent of Nigerian importers not trade compliant – Customs 

ABIOLA Seun      |       

The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) has lamented that only 30 percent of importers operating at the nation’s seaports are trade compliant. 

Speaking in Lagos Wednesday, the Customs Area Controller of Tin-Can Customs Command, Comptroller Musa Baba Abdullahi, stated that compliance to trade rules is germane for trade facilitation to exist.

According to Abdullahi, “If importers or exporters are compliant to trade rules, then we won’t have issues at the ports. But when we have traders or importers who are non-compliant, and want to enjoy the benefits of trade facilitation, it’s not possible.

“Most of the systems we operate are risk management based. They are systems that are supposed to run on their own, but because people are not compliant, it becomes practically impossible to have this systems run on their own.

“For example, the law provides that certain consignments should be scanned while certain types of consignment should be subjected to physical examination. Now if an importer’s consignment falls under physical examination, should we just push it for scanning because we want to facilitate trade? It’s not possible.

“Trade facilitation is hinged on three legs, Procedural, Infrastructure and Logistics. We have tried to perfect the procedural aspect of trade facilitation. 

“In terms of infrastructure, some of these things are beyond Customs. For example, what has Customs got to do with lightening of the ports at nights? We do 24hours operations at the ports, but when infrastructures that are supposed to be in place are not there, and then there is nothing Customs can do about trade facilitation.

“It is not that we don’t have compliant traders or importers. We have the blue chip companies, the manufacturers and others. If we are to compile compliant traders at the ports, maybe we will have 30% out of a hundred that are compliant.

“We really need to let traders and importers know that there are rewards for compliance. The rewards for compliance is that trade is faster. These compliant companies are placed on the Fast Track examination process, where cargoes are taken to their warehouses for physical examination.

“However, we have anticipated that some companies enjoying the Fast Track examination could be tempted to abuse it, and that is why we don’t hesitate to remove such companies from the Fast Track when they err.”

© 2018, maritimemag. All rights reserved.