Heavy rains ground clearing procedures at Lagos ports - as Customs new automation platform collapses

Funso Olojo I

The heavy down pour which pounded Lagos yesterday disrupted Customs clearing process as the new automation clearing platform of Nigeria Customs Service, the Nigeria Customs Integrated System (NCIS)11 server, collapsed in all the Customs commands in Lagos port.

A visit to the Customs Processing Centres at the Apapa command, Tin Can Command, Port and Terminal Multi-purpose Limited(PTML) command and Lilypond command where the new automated clearing platform is being driven showed inactivity due to the server break down.

The problem was more pronounced at the Apapa command due to the fact that the command just migrated to the new platform two weeks ago after its trial runs at Lilypond, PTML and Tin Can commands.

Also, given the fact that Apapa command handles the largest imports, the disruption affected a great number of importers and their agents.

Speaking during an interactive session with journalists at the Maritime Reporters’ Association of Nigeria (MARAN) press centre Apapa, Yahaya Muktar, Assistant Comptroller of Customs in charge of Customs Processing Centre (CPC), Apapa command, gave a detailed perspective into the system collapse which he attributed to the heavy down pour as part of the teething problems the new system was experiencing at the biggest command.

‘’Today (yesterday), since morning, we have not been able to access any work because the internet is not working and we are talking about trade facilitation.

‘’Even the importers have not been able to capture. It means that they have to start capturing tomorrow (today), trigger it tomorrow (today) and then Customs will start clearing process. So another whole day has been lost.

‘’We are having challenges and we have to abide by that. In any new introduction, there are human errors and challenges ‘’, the CPC strong man asserted.

Muktar further gave an insight into some of the challenges the command is experiencing since the NCIS11 took off two weeks ago.

According to him, there has been system error which has not only caused confusion in the process but delayed fast clearance procedures.

He disclosed that the command had to contact the committee driving the platform at the headquarters for the resolution of what he called system errors.

‘’ Yesterday (Monday), I had a meeting with the committee that is implementing this NCIS11 application where we outlined some of the issues we have in terms of procedure. ‘’Sometime you write to inspection Act and then when you trigger it, it will not come out complete. These are all system errors. Sometimes you raised DN and when you want to input the DN, you find out the accumulation of the whole DN, which is what you have already paid and what you are now paying, it becomes confusing and without proper analysis of the problem, importers will be made to pay double in error’’, the CPC commander stated.

He said these are some of the challenges which the committee members have taken to the headquarters to resolve.

Muktar acknowledged that these teething problems may lead to delay initially but promised that the process would gain traction once the situation has been normalized.

He further declared that the migration from ASYCUDA system to NCIS 11 platform caused a little disruption in revenue generation but the command has caught up on what was initially lost to the mixed up.

‘’Last two weeks, when Apapa rolled out the new system, there was no declaration because we are using ASYCUDA as pilot and the new system as the new system and we have not started capturing.

‘’After a week, we stopped ASYCUDA from capturing; we only used ASYCUDA system to discharge some of the pending jobs. You don’t capture on ASYCUDA, you only capture on NCIS 11.

‘’It becomes difficult because many people were afraid and they were reluctant to come forward.

‘’For the first week, there was no revenue, on the second week when they got used to it, we collected N4.3billon in a day which has now made up for the three days we did not have revenue’’, the CPC chief emphasized with a big grin.

The NCIS11 platform is an improvement on the earlier automation processes such as ASYCUDA, ASYCUDA 2.3, ASYCUDA 2.7,ASYCUDA ++, and NICIS I, which is a software specially created to enhance seamless cargo clearance and reduce human contacts which breed extortion and corruption.
Under ASYCUDA, agents could only make five declarations in one hour, but under the NICIS II, they can make up to 18 declarations within an hour.
While agents, under NICIS I, could only view what other control agencies such as NAFDAC, SON, NDLEA are doing with their declarations, under NICIS II, they could actually interact with these agencies.

The new software had earlier been launched at Lilypond, PTML and Tin Can Customs Commands.