THE Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Abdullahi Inde Dikko has said that Inspection of cargoes at Nigerian ports is undertaken by various agencies of the Federal Government alongside the Nigeria Customs in a manner that has instilled transparency in clearing of imported goods.

The multi-agency approach to cargo inspection according to Dikko  has ensured that no one organisation cannot  unilaterally approve the clearing of any consignment and has reduced chances of importation of prohibited goods, the Customs has stated.

The effectiveness of the procedure largely accounted for the interception of 13 containers of arms imported the country by Iranian agents at Tin Can Island Port (TCIP) and another illegal arms cache at PTML.

The Customs boss explained that only  only imports on the prohibited list as well as goods that have abandoned at the ports by their owners beyond the period allowed by law to be auctioned to the public.

Explaining further, Dikko stated that before an auction is conducted, a formal condemnation of the affected goods is obtained from the court, followed by an official gazette listing the entire goods scheduled for auction.

“Only seized goods and over time cargoes can be auctioned. Even then, the exercise is statutorily undertaken by a committee drawn from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the State Security Service (SSS), the federal ministries of finance and transport, the presidency and the Customs”, he added.

He also  said the Customs usually prefers to release over time goods to their owners any time the consignees shown up before the actual auction as more revenue is realized from the demurrage and extra taxes paid than from the auction fee.  Also speaking on the issue of auction, a  maritime analyst and chief executive of Maritime Media Limited, Asu Beks refuted  Dikko’s ,  involvement  in the auction process contrary allegations by a group, the National Conscience Group.

Asu Beks, said that  Dikko’s time as Customs Chief has seen the institution of a well coordinated effort to plug loopholes for revenue leakage.

This he said has led to the  recovery of over N15 billion in 2010 through post clearance audit. adding that  Dikko’s commitment to improving staff welfare led to a 100 percent increase in the emoluments of officers and men of the service.

Although importers deal with the Customs in the payment of duties and other taxes, actual collection is done through deposit to  banks in turn who remit directly to a special account with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The process is designed to eliminate fraud as actual remittance from banks is confirmed with records from the Customs.