By GODFREY BIVBERE
IN a bid to grasp a fair idea of operations at the ports, the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee probing the Single Window goods clearance project drilled the service providers at the ports.

The service providers namely Cotecnan Destination Inspection Limited, Globalscan  and Societte-Generale du Surveillance (SGS) whose managements were drilled for hours by the Committee with view to ensuring that they adhere to the rules and regulations governing port operation..

The three companies, Cotecna Destination Inspection Limited (CDIL), Globalscan Systems Limited, Societte-Generale du Surveillance (SGS) told the committee members that they had so far done well in view of the prevailing business environment in the country.

Chief Executives Officers of the three companies Tayo Rabiu, Managing Director of CDIL, Fred Udechukwu of GSL and Chief Executive Officer of SGS, Nigel Balchin, noted that despite some initial hiccups in the system, the nation’s international trade had been the better for it under the concession agreements.

The 12-man ad-hoc Committee chaired by Deputy House Leader, Rep Leo Okuweh Ogor, had invited the service providers to give accounts of their knowledge of the Single Window project as well as the contract performance of their respective organizations and their readiness to hand over to the Nigeria Customs Service by January 2013.

Destination Inspection Service commenced in January 2006 under a Build- Own-Operate (and)-Transfer (BOOT) arrangement for a period of seven years.

With a broad-based scope of services, the Destination Inspection companies were to amongst other things, deploy a Computerized Risk Management System (CRMS), provide a Data Base for Price, carry out Customs Valuation and Classification of goods, installed Scanners at designated ports of entries, carry out physical examination of goods in conjunction with Customs officers when necessary, as well Training and Capacity Building of servicemen for the future management of the project.

In his own contribution, the Controller-General of customs, Abdulahi Dikko had announced that as part of the benefits of the scheme, the service had netted soaring Customs revenue being put at over half a trillion naira for the first half of the year.

Speaking earlier, Rabiu had informed the gathering that his organization had successfully installed one 9.0 MeV Fixed Dual view scanner, and one 3.8 MeV Mobile scanner at Apapa port in Lagos.

The Cotecna boss also said that the company now have in place three scanners at the Tin-Can Island port namely, 9.0 Mev Fixed Dual View Scanner; 3.8 MeV Mobile Scanner in Ashaye Terminal; and a 3.8 Mev Mobile Scanner at the RORO Terminal of the port.

The two fixed scanners installed at Apapa and Tincan are of the best technology in the industry and the first to be commissioned in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Similarly, the company has a 145-180 Hi-Scan Pallet Scanner each, at both the Abuja and kano International Airports. On the land border areas, the scanner provisions include a 3.8 mev Mobile scanner at Jibiya with a fully completed office complex, while a similar project in Banki land border is on course and would soon be commissioned.