The Tin Can Island Area Controller of the Nigeria Customs Service, Comptroller Dera Nnadi mni has said that his own idea of competitiveness for the command is hinged primarily on service delivery not revenue, insisting that when the stakeholders are satisfied with the level of efficiency, achieving higher revenue would come naturally.

Recall that Comptroller Nnadi took over at Tin Can command on September 14, 2023, having been at the Seme Command since January. He had raised serious concerns over the revenue status of the command, which then stood at 58per cent in the 9th month of the fiscal year, an indication that he would have to collect the remaining 42per cent within three months, which many stakeholders also saw as a daunting task.

Reacting to insinuations that he might drive importers and clearing agents away from the Tin Can Port to other ports by his revenue drive, while speaking with news men during an interaction in Lagos, he disclosed that the command under his watch was introducing reforms that would enhance service delivery to the stakeholders, which would boost efficiency and service delivery and therefore make the stakeholders to stick to the command.

He noted that he is focused on customer satisfaction by offering them quick delivery of their consignments that would save them huge sums of money that they would pay as demurrage, arguing that modern–day importers and businessmen are time conscious and would prefer to pay correct duty and take delivery of their cargo on time rather than allow them spend two months, which leads to payment of demurrage.

According to him, what is important is that the appropriate duty is paid to the Nigerian government, whichever command that receives it is not his concern since everything goes to the same government under the auspices of the Nigeria Customs Service.

He disclosed that on assumption of duty, he introduced some reforms that changed some of the old ways of doing things, not only among the officers but also among the agents and stakeholders such as resuming work at 10, which he brought back to 8am and begging of cargo examination by 10am, which he also brought back to 9am.

It was also gathered that having motivated the officers and urged them to reciprocate the good gesture of the management, he introduced Saturday and Sunday work for only examination of consignments as a way of easing out spaces at the ports, which has been embraced by both officers and the clearing agents, and also has become a normal work culture.

Investigations also showed that the new CAC introduced the random selection of containers of homogenous goods on the same bill of laden, provided that it has been ascertained that the goods are of the same make, quality, quantity, value and same year of manufacture as well as ensuring that the consignments were not from countries noted with issues relating to drugs and illegal arms trade.

He said: “You must realise that revenue generation is directly tied to cargo volumes and currently the cargo throughput has reduced, so what we are doing is that the few that we have, we block the usual loopholes and address certain infractions such as under-valuation, concealment of high duty paying items.

“All that we have is to insist on proper examination of consignments, which must be done when such infractions are identified and debit notes are issued to enable them pay the shortfall. We’re also seeking the understanding of the stakeholders on why they must pay appropriate duty, given the situation in the economy. Probably because I am their ‘Home Boy’, their friend, having worked here before, the compliance level is increasing.

“Another thing we did was to let them know that payment of duty is not the same thing as compliance. If you are to pay N1million duty and you pay N700, 000, you paid duty but you have not complied. So we tried as much as possible to make them compliant because some people will come and tell you that they have paid duty. If it is just about paying any duty, we would have remained at home and waited for the alert but it is more about paying the right duty. So my presence here is to ensure that they pay the right duty and that was why I told them that payment of duty is not the same this as compliance rather payment of the actual duty, declaring the accurate quantity and value etc and for vehicles, declaring the actual year of manufacture.”

On the issue of lateness in coming to work and examination by the agents, he said: “Another thing I did when I resumed, I interacted with the agents and discovered that the same old issue of resuming work in the maritime industry at 10am was still subsisting and I said that was not acceptable and so it had to change. I led by example, I offered to resume duty at 8am daily and when the agents complain, I ask them when did they resume today, when did they begin cargo examination?

“Before now, they reached an agreement that cargo examination will begin by 10am daily and I said let’s resume work at 8am and begin cargo examination by 9am, one hour ahead of the former schedule. You will agree with me that some of the encumbrances associated with road traffic has been addressed substantially at least by 70per cent. But now people resume work by 8am-officers, agents, Data Trader Input DTI operators, even food vendors because it is a supply chain, if the officers are there and the agents are not there, then we have not achieved anything.”

On the response of the stakeholders, especially the clearing agents and importers, Comptroller Nnadi said: “In doing all these, we tried to build the confidence of the importers, especially those who value their time and who import homogenous goods. Hitherto, some importers will import 50 containers of a homogenous item; say cameras on the same bill of laden of the same make, quality, quantity, value etc and you insist on examining all the containers one after the other and then you do not release anyone until you have finished examining all?

“What I said was can we find a way of randomly selecting 10 or 15 out of the 50 containers and examine them and if we confirm that all of them are of the same value, make, quantity and quality, and the appropriate duty has been paid, we release the rest 35 or 40. If however, we find any infraction in the course of the examination, we now have reason to examine the rest but if nothing was found, why won’t they be allowed to go if they have been firmed to be homogenous and appropriate duty has been paid? I am not talking of containers with different items on the same bill of laden-No.

“If for instance, you have 50 containers of POP cement that come from a source country where there are no issues of drugs and arms and we randomly select not that the owner will tell us the containers to examine, why not? After the examination and nothing incriminating is found, we should ask them to go to create space at the ports.

“One reason I had to do that is because the cargo examination dropping space at the Tin Can Island Container Terminal TICT is 230 containers and you might see some people with 200 containers on two bills of laden, if they request for examination and you drop the entire 200 containers, you will not have space for other port users, who also want to examine their containers and should you also say let’s examine only 30 containers for him to give space to other port users and he has to wait for 10 days, are we not negating the principle of 48-hour cargo release, which we have been preaching since 2006?

“So when people say that my drive for revenue will drive importers to other commands, I laugh. Wherever you go, the most important thing is that you pay the right duty, I don’t care who receives the revenue. My own competitiveness is built on service delivery, if I am able to guarantee customer satisfaction to the numerous importers and agents that go through this command, I am happy and that is what will bring them and not my asking them to pay less duty but have their cargo spend two months at the ports.

“Service delivery and efficiency is what every businessman and trade wants. I would rather save someone two days in the ports for him not to pay demurrage than to allow his cargo stay two months at the port and attract heavy demurrage payment, if I am able to achieve quick delivery, which is what we’re giving now, if of course, the person will be willing to patronise this place and pay appropriate duty. I have also told my officers that should anyone of them delay someone’s cargo, he would have me to contend with. Gladly, they are all in tune with everything we’re preaching.”