Customs brokers blame NICIS 2 for delay in vehicle clearance at ports

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Customs brokers under the aegis of National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) have expressed grave concerns over the avoidable delays on vehicle clearance occasioned by the new customs automation platform called Nigeria Integrated Customs Information System (NICIS II)

The agitated freight agents who ply their trade at the Port and Terminal Multiservice Limited (PTML) and Tin Can Island command of the Nigeria Customs Service, lamented that the introduction of the new automation procedures has elongated the clearance time of vehicles from the initial 24 hours to almost a week.

NICIS 2, introduced by the Customs barely a year ago, is an upgrade to Automated System for Customs Data (ASYCUDA ++) is a platform designed to provide fast and effective procedures in the clearance of cargoes from the ports.

But the freight agents lamented that before the introduction of the portal, clearance of Tokunbo vehicles at PTML used to be a 24 hour operations upon arrival of the ship but noted that the process currently takes longer period.

Chairman, PTML chapter, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Mr. George Okafor lamented that NICIS 2, has led to delay in vehicles clearance from the facility.

Okafor stressed that “NICIS 2 is a hindrance to the clearance of vehicles and that it is a known fact. As we speak it takes more than four days to clear a vehicle from PTML because of the delay caused by NICIS 2.

The NAGAFF chairman said on Friday in Lagos, shortly after a radio interview that the introduction of the portal in port operations was aimed at supporting seamless flow of cargo clearance from the ports but maintained that “it is causing a little change in vehicles clearance”.

He noted that the current challenge was peculiar to vehicles clearance alone, adding that containers clearance have no delay with the NICIS 2.

Similarly, secretary, Tin Can Island chapter of NAGAFF, Mr. Godfrey Nwosu lamented that the portal from the onset was a problem in the clearance of vehicles from the ports.

‘From the onset, NICIS 2 was a challenge because vehicles that are coming into the country with other items cannot be identified by the portal.

“Sometimes when you declare such vehicles on SDG, NICIS 2 does not recognize it. Though It started on a rough edge but gradually we are trying to understand the portal.

Highlighting some of the challenges of the portal, Nwosu reiterated that NICIS 2 could not identify more than one item in the case of vehicles containing other items in it.

Nwosu affirmed that the portal has gradually improved but stressed the need for customs to expedite actions in addressing the issue.

While speaking on other challenges associated with clearance of cars from the ports, the chapter scribe noted that issue of uniform charges on valuation at the commands has become a problem in recent times.

He said “The value you get in TCIP is not the same at Apapa port, yet you will find out that these are the same vehicles with the same date manufactured but value variation is a problem.

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