By Sabiu Abdullahi
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, spearheaded a pivotal roundtable meeting with maritime and excise stakeholders to address challenges impacting port clearance processes nationwide.
Held in Lagos as a continuation of the CGC’s Conference 2023, the session brought together Customs Officers, Terminal Operators, Freight Forwarders, Licensed Customs Agents, and Excise Stakeholder Representatives.
The focus was to foster collaboration, identify obstacles, and devise time-bound solutions to enhance customs operations. CGC Adeniyi noted the need to tackle issues such as multiple alerts, CPC downtime, checkpoints, and port accessibility.
He stated, “Today’s decisions will lead to time-bound policies aimed at resolving these challenges and improving cargo clearance.”
A dedicated panel, comprising stakeholders and Nigeria Customs Service representatives, was formed to address concerns hindering effective port operations.
The goal is to implement cumulative recommendations by the first quarter of 2024.
Comptroller Dera Nnadi, part of the panel, urged stakeholders to optimise weekend operations and explore non-commercial barge usage.
Stakeholders expressed gratitude for the renewed focus on their concerns, with Tochukwu Ezeisi of NAGAFF stating, “Our issues are being discussed, and decisions are taken immediately.”
Alhaji Kazeem Isa Adua from NCMDLCA commended the CGC for organising the conference, expressing optimism about a smoother and optimised clearance process.
The commitment to collaboration and timely policy implementation signals a positive step towards enhanced service delivery.