By GODFREY BIVBERE

The Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, has challenged banks to defend themselves over allegations that they collect money from stakeholders in the name of helping them to facilitate quicker release of their Pre-Arrival Assessment Report, PAAR through the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS.

Speaking with Vanguard in Houston, Texas, at this year’s Offshore Technology Conference, OTC, Deputy Controller of Customs in charge of ICT Ruling Center, Bashir Yusuf, said the Service does not charge money for processing PAAR and therefore no one should give money for that purpose.

Responding to allegation that banks collect money from importers to facilitate PAAR issuance through the Customs, Yusuf said, “Well the banks should defend their actions, I know that PAAR is free today in Nigeria. Customs is not charging a kobo to process PAAR. The chances are that we have pulled many people out of business, those who are not genuinely supposed to be in the port.

“Generating the PAAR is free of charge, assessing the Nigerian Trade Hub is free of charge, unlike other things that you pay for but if there are people collecting money on behalf of anyone to process the PAAR, then every Nigerian should resist them.”

On whether it is possible for any Customs officer to facilitate PAAR issuance by collecting money, Yusuf explained that Customs gives the banks assess to the platform. You know the way PAAR is done is that importer will go to the bank for form ‘M’. Once he seeks for the form ‘M’ the banks will approach Customs for approval.

“If Customs approves the form ‘M’ they notify the banks and the importer as well. Once he is notified importation starts, whatever document the importer has he gives to the bank which in turn uploads it on the PAAR platform; you know that before they use to bring it to us (physically).