Customs Area Controller in charge of Tin Can Island Command, Comptroller Musa Abdullahi,

 

By FRANCIS EZEM

The Tin Can Island Command of the Nigeria Customs Service has said it is concluding plans towards deploying new software that will enhance the process of full automation of cargo clearing process at the port.

Customs Area Controller in charge of the command, Comptroller Musa Abdullahi, who made the disclosure during an interactive session with maritime journalists in Lagos, said that the process of deployment of the new software, which is almost concluded, is one of the several innovations the command would introduce to enhance the ease of doing business at the port.

The interactive session, which would be extended to other stakeholders, was designed to create a platform for the journalists to make credible inputs into the operations of the command with a view to making the command achieve its core mandates.

According to him, in order for automation to be efficiently managed, new software is to be implemented by his team to forestall hitches and enhance efficient cargo delivering process.

“To ensure that all revenue leakages are blocked, for efficient revenue collection, a module of the Nigeria Integrated Customs Information System NICIS, which is in line with the World Customs Organisation’s standards with a view enhancing efficiency in cargo processing at the command has been upgraded to the second version, to boost revenue collection at the command”, the CAC said.

He also unfolded other strategic plans by the command to include a robust relationship with the key stakeholders of the maritime industry, part of which he said was the interactive session with the media practitioners in the industry.

Abdullahi, who resumed at the command last month, having served at the Customs headquarters Abuja for some years said: “The role of the media in developing the maritime industry can never be over emphasised. We sincerely appreciate the way the media supported my predecessor, Comptroller Bashar Yusuf and also wish that greater cooperation would be extended to us to enable my team and I succeed. I however pledge to train and retrain the maritime media practitioners regularly to make the effective and efficient in their job”.

On issue of trade dispute resolution, Comptroller Abdullahi promised that no trade dispute would last more than six hours, as a committee had been put in place to examine all disputes for timely resolution.

He however warned that hard times await smugglers and other economic saboteurs, promising that the Tin Can Island Command under his watch would intensify the fight against these economic saboteurs.

Meanwhile, National Public Relations Officer of the Service, Mr. Joseph Attah, while speaking at the event, commended the new Controller for his track record and assured the journalists that there would be a mutual relationship between the service, the ports operators and indeed the service.