Based on its mandate to aid member countries to improve revenue generation for growth, the secretary general of the World Customs Organisation (WCO) Kunio Mikuriya has called for a better coordinated border management in Nigeria.
He stated this at the Customs headquarters in Abuja while being hosted by the comptroller-general of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Dikko Inde Abdullahi.
Mikuriya noted that his interaction with traders in Lagos indicated that the business community wants better transparency and predictability, even as they complained about the multiple agencies at the ports as causing delay in business.
The WCO boss advised that a more coordinated border system using the Single Window environment and information technology system could help address the situation.
He said: “The IT that we just saw at the Customs ruling centre can really provide the basis for the connectivity; we are living in the 21st century so we have to make the best use of IT that can connect Customs to Customs and Customs to business. We also expect business to be more compliant and in that way we can have a win-win situation.”
According to him, stakeholders are very positive and supportive of the transformation of the Customs Service, even as he commended the government over the termination of the pre-shipment inspection previously contracted to the private sector.
While expressing satisfaction with Nigeria Customs modernisation and its role as vice chair of the WCO West and Central African region, he harped on the diversification of revenue for the country through trade facilitation and ease of doing business.
In his remarks, Comptroller-General of Customs, Abdullahi Dikko, noted that up till December 2nd 2013 when the service providers contracts was terminated by the federal government, the scheme did not impact on the capacity development of officers.
Dikko noted that the scheme was about a profit making venture to the contractors and commended government for the termination.
