As the two – week deadline given to officers and men of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) expires on Friday, Comptroller General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (retd) has threatened that sanctions would be applied to those who do not comply.
This is against the back drop of reports that some officers may defy the stipulated date as some had yet to pick the forms let alone submitting them.
Ali, yesterday in an interview with Daily Sun at the 2016 International Customs Day celebration at Abuja said the NCS was not opening its door for elaborate celebration, stating that the relevance of this year’s theme which is “ Digital Customs for Progressive Engagement,” cannot be ignored at a time when digitalisation is not only a trend but has made the world a global village.
“The deployment of e-customs has boosted customs role of providing connectivity between nations divided by artificial borders. Collection of revenue and interception of harmful imports have been made easier with the help of technology,” he said. He disclosed that NCS was proud to play a leading role while the Nigeria Integrated Customs Information System (NICIS), Nigeria Trade Hub and the pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) were electronic platforms for effective collaborations and easy way of doing business in Nigeria.
He warned all operators and stakeholders alike not to abuse the process and corrupt system. “Any act calculated to distort and compromise the integrity of e-customs will not be tolerated and will be met with appropriate sanctions,” he said.
Also, in a message from the World Customs Organisation read by Deputy Comptroller Paul Ukaigwe of the Strategic Research and Policy Department, the Secretary General of WCO, Kunio Mikuriya said this year’s International Customs Day aided the launch of the WCO year of Digital Customs in which Customs is encouraged to show case and promote its use of information and communication Technologies (ICT) to collect and safeguard Custom duties.
According to him under the slogan, “ Digital Customs: Progressive Engagement”, the WCO as a Customs Community is signaling their aspiration to further develop digital solutions and services, making life easier for the trading community, other border agencies and Customs officers.
Mikuriya disclosed that to support WCO members the Organisation has developed an extensive portfolio of instruments and application as it recently undertook a mapping exercise to gain an appreciation of these ICT related tools and their intended purpose.
Awards were conferred to deserving agencies and individuals, like the Best Government Agency Website/ Portal Award by Nigeria Technology Award 2015. Award of excellence – e-government project for the year 2015 and Best use of social media government agency award by Nigeria Technology 2015.
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