By Godfrey Bivbere

The takeover of Destination Inspection (D/I) function by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) earlier this month, has caused  the revenue collected by the Service to rise  from about N500 million to N1billion daily.

Customs Area Controller (CAC) of Apapa Area 1 Command of the NCS, Charles Edike, said the command was collecting between N400 million and N500 million daily until about two weeks ago when the collection practically doubled. Edike attributed the rise in the revenue to measures instituted by the NCS Comptroller-General, Dikko Inde Abdullahi, to address the various teething problems encountered at the onset of the DI takeover.

The CAC who featured as guest at the Maritime Reporters’ Association of Nigeria (MARAN) Roundtable meeting in Lagos, said that it is impossible to hack into the Customs risk management platform used for issuing the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) which was introduced on December 1 by NCS to replace the Risk Assessment Report (RAR) hitherto issued by the former DI service providers.

He said adequate firewall and security measures have been built around the Customs online platform to protect it from hackers in order to protect government revenue.
He also allayed the fears of importers’ agents on the possibility of their paying increased Customs duty on their consignments as a result of the switch from RAR to PAAR.

He said the NCS management was aware that many agents have been apprehensive and concerned that they may be required to pay higher import duty on consignments that have been granted provisional release as stated in the guidelines. He however dispelled such fears and emphasized that if agents were honest with their initial declarations under the RAR platform, there won’t be cause for anxiety.

He said because of the exchange rate given by the Central Bank of Nigeria, there might be slight difference on the duty payable on a particular consignment under the new e -clearance system but this will be very minimal.

“If what you paid abinitiois same thing as what is in the PAAR, we will tell you thank you but if there is a difference, then we will call you to come and pay the difference. This difference is what the agents are afraid of that how will they go back to meet their importers but after we had meetings with them, we explained that if they are straight forward and transparent, there is not going to be any difference between the PAAR and the RAR even if there is any, it is going to be a minor difference so long as you did not go to tailor your invoice and Form M because that same invoice and Form M is what the PAAR would use to assess and give you duty to pay. It is only if you had tailored your document that is when the difference will be significant,” he said.

He disclosed that about 317 applications were received on the first day of commencement of the provisional release but only 43 paid for import duty after the guidelines was issued.

“We noticed that for the first two days, there was a large volume of about 317 applications for provision release was made and approved but surprisingly, they didn’t go to pay, they just applied, in fact only 43 paid. The second day it continued and immediately I call the CGC but before then I called the agents to ask them why they are not paying even after the CGC has given this window, they expressed fear that after they pay and the PAAR comes out and there is increase in value; how will they go back to meet their importers for additional payment,” he said.