The Customs Area Controller, Tin Can Island Command, Mohammed Musa, has urged terminal operators to work towards reducing the time of doing business at the port.
Musa made the call on the sideline of a training session for terminal operators on the implementation of the Nigeria Integrated Customs Information System (NICIS 11) in Tin Can Port.
“You have a crane in your terminal but the availability of the crane is zero. It means you cannot deploy it to perform its functions.
“Please, you have to put your equipment in order. Where it is not available, you have to provide quickly before the inspection. It is very, very important.
“Sometimes there is no enough space either because of the way you pack your containers or because you don’t have space.
“I think there is an opportunity for you to expand the terminal. Most of you are in the areas that you can acquire more space.
“If it is a serious business, then I think we have to take it very seriously too,’’ he said.
He also called for collaboration between terminal operators and customs in the area of containers examination in order to protect the country from unwanted goods.
Musa said that the Customs & Excise Management Act had explained the movement of cargo to government warehouse in order to decongest the ports after containers had stayed for more than 28 days.
He advised the terminal operators to stop using terminals as their warehouse, saying that the service would also assist them to enable them to take away their empty cargo.
In his response, the representative of the terminal operators undergoing NICIS training, Mr Jude Ekwenike, assured of the operators continued support to the Customs to enable the service to achieve its mandate.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRVT39EeFWo]
