Customs Advocates Cargo Clearance With A Single Document, PCS

AHEAD of the implementation and the integration of the Port Community System, PCS, to the Single Window Project, the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, has recommended the adoption of a single document that will be accessible by every stakeholder involved in the clearance of cargoes with a view to eliminating bottlenecks militating against seamless cargo clearance.

Speaking at a town hall meeting in Lagos, Comptroller General of Customs, Mr Adewale Adeniyi, said that the use of a single document will not only remove barriers to Customs operations but also remove barriers to trade.

Adeniyi, who was represented by the Customs Area Comptroller of the Tin-Can Island Command, Controller Dera Nnadi, said that a single document for the clearance of cargo is where the industry is headed ultimately.

He explained that the idea is to have one document that should be able to accommodate all stakeholders in the cargo clearance process.

He stated: “What we try to present here today is not just to remove barriers to Customs processes, it is how to remove barriers to trade. Customs is part of the global supply chain just like every other member of the port community system.

“So we are not just discussing Customs here, we are discussing trade generally and like I said, trade is very significant for every nation, the success and development of a nation depends on how to manage trade.

“For us as Customs, yes, our revenue comes from this and for the aspect of national security, the management of trade also has a significant role it plays in what comes into Nigeria and what goes out of Nigeria.

“Most significantly, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has a target of 2025 for every nation including Nigeria to have attained the PCS and we are working towards that. Since 1997, we have been working to modernize our system cumulating in the Nigeria Customs Integrated Information System which will further embrace other community users.

“Almost every other major player in the maritime sector, some of which include Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, National Bureau of Statistics, NCS, Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN are all hooked up to the Customs system.

“Ultimately, that is where we are heading to, where you will have one document that should be able to accommodate the interest of Standard Organization of Nigeria, SON, the interest of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC and every major player alongside the interest of Customs.”