Chief Superintendent of Customs, Adeiza Emmanuel Ibrahim, is the Assistant Technical Supervisor, TinCan Island Port Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service. He also works as one of the Special Assistants to Customs Area Controller, Dera Nnadi and a recent awardee of the Assistant Comptroller General of Customs/Zonal Coordinator Zone ‘A’, AGC Yusuf ‘Commendation letter’. In this interview with ZAINAB JUNAID, he elucidates on allegations put against Nigeria Customs Officers over deliberate delay of cargo clearance at Sea Port and also revealed how TCIP has achieved over 65% of its year 2024 revenue target. Excerpts:
There are allegations against Customs Officers for deliberately delaying cargo clearance at seaports. What’s your perception on this, being one of the officers dealing directly with agents on the field?
I think it’s important that the stakeholders understand that we have other sister agencies that are involved in the trade cycle and we all play critical roles when it comes to cargo clearance. Customs will not deliberately delay consignment at the Ports because we understand the importance of trade facilitation. Boosting trade facilitation is our core function as Customs Officers and we know the advantage of releasing cargoes as and when due. We are not the reason behind cargo clearance delays at the Port.
In fact to buttress this statement, the Service has achieved 81.5% increase on the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Committee ranking, this year 2024. We jumped about 33 places to increase our ranking. We expect the stakeholders to understand Customs procedures, that we are just implementing government fiscal policies. Also, on the exchange rates, the majority of them believe it’s Customs that fixes that, whereas it’s just government policy being implemented through the Central Bank of Nigeria. The stakeholders are very important to us because they play a critical role in the trade cycle. We would not move to inconvenience them.
Being the Assistant Technical Supervisor, that deals directly with freight forwarders (agents), would you please narrate your ordeal with the stakeholders at TinCan Port?
As I’ve said earlier, the stakeholders take a very critical role in the trade cycle, and Customs administration sees their needs as a primary function. The World Customs Organization also highlighted their importance at International Customs day 2024 as it coined its theme titled ‘Customs engaging traditional and new partners with purpose’ in line with having mutual collaboration with them.
This depicts that Customs values the critical role played by stakeholders when it comes to international trade. Engaging with them at TinCan Command is a plethora of tasks we are pre-trained for. We’ve garnered the skills and knowledge prior before we are assigned for the task.
…Any measures put in place to ease business for these stakeholders?
Yes, the Service through Section 24 of the new NCS Act 2023 has given stakeholders the opportunity to request for information needed to ease their business.
Taking cognizance of the Advance Ruling concept, an innovation (trade tool) carved in line with Revised Kyoto Convention that gives room for stakeholders to provide prior information on their consignments. This information includes- issues on dispute, valuation, and classification on goods. Advance Ruling makes it possible for disputes to be resolved prior to the arrival of goods.
Also, Section 29 of this Act concentrates more on transparency and stakeholders’ consultation. This section states that the Service shall institute and maintain formal consultation with traders and other interested persons to increase cooperation and compliance to facilitate trade as well as participation to establish effective administrative policy.
Procedures and methods of our workings commiserate with this act. Just as Nigeria Customs identified stakeholders as an important part of trade facilitation we have constantly engaged them with the introduction of trade facilitation tools in line with the policy thrust of the Comptroller General of Customs. Some of these tools are –
TRS- Time Release Study, which is simply about identifying bottlenecks in the supply chain and eliminating them to increase faster clearance time.
AEO- Authorised Economic Operator programme, a concept that identifies compliant traders and helps them in cargo clearance. However, they need to meet up with AEO requirements for them to have access to this.
PCA- Post Clearance Audit, it is a strategy to recover lost revenue. The management has also created a help desk at the Public Relations Section and there’s constant engagement with the stakeholders on whatever issue that arises. All these are aimed at easing business for the stakeholders. If you can recall, the Area Controller of the Command, Comptroller Dera Nnadi, declared 2024 as the year of stakeholders, it’s also to motivate and encourage them and also let them know that we are partners in progress.
The mutual collaboration maintained with the stakeholders has in turn boosted the Command’s revenue because as at August 2024, we have generated more than 65% of our 2024 revenue target.
Are there any challenges with the stakeholders on this new tool?
Most of them have no proper understanding of the new concept which really caused dispute sometimes back. They thought it’s basically for Customs operations. The Comptroller General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, in his wisdom, had to engage them virtually in a separate session, more of training, before they could get what the concept is all about.
The Area Controller, Nnadi also mandated the technical working group, that is the ad-hoc team in the Command alongside the national working technical group of TRS to continue to educate the stakeholders on the importance of the concept, which is basically to make them more compliance, make them understand the transparency of NCS.
Has TRS improved their level of compliance, making honest declarations?
With the introduction of TRS, the sincerity level of stakeholders has improved between 30 and 40%, considering the fact that the TRS is still under observation, but I’m sure when it’s properly launched later in September, we will have a very good percentage.
“Boosting trade facilitation is our core function as Customs Officers and we know the advantage of releasing cargoes as and when due. We are not the reason behind cargo clearance delays at the Port”
You were recently awarded a commendation letter by the Zonal Coordinator of all Customs in Zone A, ACG Saidu Yusuf, what impact does this have on you sir? How have you been motivated with this development? Has it driven or inspired any new target for you?
Well, on behalf of myself and other 17 awardees, I would like to extend our profound gratitude to the CGC through the Zonal Coordinator Zone A, ACG Saidu Yusuf, for counting us worthy of this award. As you know, every commendation creates room for improvement. It calls for more hard work, commitment and dedication. I was highly honored to be awarded and with this encouragement, I will like to continue to key into the policy thrust of the CGC and also contribute vigorously in supporting the Service to achieve the set goals, especially the revenue target for the fiscal year 2024. The commendation letter is for dedication and commitment to service delivery for the Command, which all of us have vowed to achieve.
Prior to this commendation letter, has any or current Area Controller awarded you for an outstanding performance in your task?
Yes, The Customs Area Controller, Dera Nnadi gave me an award of excellence in May 2024 and I’ve also received NLNG’s award for Service efficiency at Port Harcourt.
What is your perception about Area Controller Dera Nnadi? Has he impacted positively in your activities since his assumption as the helmsman of the Command?
Well, I would like to categorically state that positivity has been in the air since the CAC took over the realms of this Command on September 14, 2023, a lot of Officers have understood the role they need to play when it comes to enhancing trade. This is because Comptroller Dera Nnadi constantly engaged the Officers, by motivating us with words of encouragement, diving into insightful contents to help actualize our goals.
He is a determined and liberal leader that carries his Officers along with respective ideas needed to discharge their duties. He is a leader that can be defined by results and great attributes. All his methods are in line with the policy thrust of the CGC- collaboration, consolidation and innovation. Comptroller Dera is unequivocally resilient, always flexes his influence while communicating the vision and always shows gratitude.
TCIP is known for successful anti-smuggling activities and unprecedented revenue generation from time being. With the presence of Area Controller Dera Nnadi, this feat has been sustained. And you are one of those behind the scene of the success story, what message do you have for both junior Officers of the Command and the stakeholders at large?
We all play major roles when it comes to national growth. For this reason, the existing mutual collaboration between us should be sustained between the stakeholders and Customs Officers and other sister agencies. I will implore the stakeholders to understand that all the tools introduced by Nigeria Customs Service are aimed at enhancing their activities, improving their turnover and practically facilitating trade.
Also at the forefront of the trade cycle, all other critical sister agencies cannot be taken for granted, because our work is closely interwoven and here in Customs we always ensure we maintain cordial relationship with other sister agencies to hasten clearance of goods at seaports and achieve the common goal of the President of Federal Republic of Nigeria.
To the Officers and Men in the Command, we’ve all understood our major roles in trade facilitation and we’ve played critical roles in making the Command achieve over 65% of its revenue target for the 2024 fiscal year. These roles cannot be over emphasized and the CAC is full of words of encouragement to motivate Officers, we should continue to be committed, as excellence is always its own reward.
