Apapa Customs targets 24 hours cargo clearance
.Trains more officers on NICIS II platform
By Silas Onuoha
The Apapa Area Command of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) is putting measures in place to ensure 24 hours cargo clearance, in order to enhance trade facilitation and revenue generation for the Federal Government.
The Customs Area Controller, CAC, of the Command, Comptroller Musa Jibrin, made this known in a chat with Business Update, through the Public Relations Officer, PRO, of the Command, Nkiru Nwala.
According to the PRO, trade facilitation in Apapa port is efficient and at its peak, as the CAC and officers are working tirelessly to ensure 24 hours cargo clearance, in line with the directive of the Service top management.
She stated, “The CAC is doing a lot to ensure we raise the tempo of trade facilitation and revenue generation in Apapa Command always. For instance, every Tuesday, the CAC holds meeting with officers, where he engages Heads of various Units on a brain storming exercise meant to map out new operational strategies for increased productivity in daily operations”.
On the level of efficiency with Nigeria Customs Integrated System II, (NICIS II) platform, she explained, “Intensive training on NICIS II is on-going at Apapa Command across ranks of officers with different functions to perform on NICIS II platform”.
Her words, “In fact, to ensure efficiency in our operations for seamless cargo clearance, the CAC has extended the scope of training on NICIS II to include other stakeholders doing transactions with the Command. Such stakeholders include terminal operators, shipping lines, clearing and forwarding agents, among others”.
She enthused, “Apapa Command has also provided the platform for training of officers from other Commands. For example, the just concluded training of all Asycudar Project Managers, APMs and Technical Supervisors, TS, in the Service. The training of these officers is imperative to enable them perform their functions effectiveness using NICIS II platform”.
