By Daniel Gumm
THE National Coun-cil of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA), who served as members of the technical and main Committee of Destination Inspection Committee of 1999/ 2006 and the initiators of the memo to commence Destination inspection in 2001, have expressed their concern about Nigeria’s trading system and the economy that is vulnerable to terrorist exploitation due to our cargo inspection (Destination Inspection) (DI) regime.

The body wrote a letter to President Goodluck Jonathan; Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr. Segun Agagan, and Secretary to Government of the Federation, Senator Ayim Pius Ayim, entitled Global Perspective on Cargo Inspection for Security, Safety and Revenue Based on (WCO) Framework for Standard to Secure and Facilitate Global Trade and the Adoption of ISO TC 104 on Freight Containers.

The body  pointed out that “the Destination Inspection Regime (DIR) allows influx of unwholesome goods into the country, such as arms and ammunition, contraband and dangerous security item that exposes the nation to serious security threat, which is not in line with global best practice of the Safe Framework of Standard to Secure and Facilitate Global Trade and the ISO TC 104 on Freight containers.”

The Customs agents said that before 9/11, Customs authority were responsible for clearance of imported goods at destination, but the event of 9/11 precipitated a change in cargo inspection from destination to manufacturing site or Port of Loading, due to monitoring of supply chain mechanism of unwholesome products  to destination, explaining that the (WCO) Safe Framework to Secure Global Trade and the (ISO TC 104) on Freight Containers developed a regime that will enhance the security and the facilitation of international trade through the followings:

(i) Nigeria operates a system that focuses on revenue, the scanners by the service providers are supposed by now, based on the recommendation of the Presidential Task Force on the Reform of Customs (RCTFCR) to have installed security modules to enable the scanners to scan and detect arms, ammunition, human trafficking, drugs and other unwholesome products, which is the main function for scanning globally.

(ii) The implementation of the global practice on Advance Cargo Information (ACI) is yet to be implemented as no provision or procedure for pre-information before loading of containers or requirement in line with (WCO Safe framework and ISO TC 104 on Freight containers).

(iii) The Risk System in our import procedure is yet to be harmonised from the various service providers and Customs, which creates Multiple Risk based on individual approach, which is fundamental to harmonised Risk process for data process on Customs-to-Customs (RCTFCR) to have installed security modules to enable the scanners to scan and detect arms, ammunition, human trafficking, drugs and other unwholesome products, which is the main function for Scanning globally.

(ii)           The implementation of the global practice on Advance Cargo Information (ACI) is yet to be implemented as no provision or procedure for pre -information before loading of containers or requirement in line with (WCO Safe framework and ISO TC 104 on Freight containers.