By Ifeyinw Obi
Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service,  Alhaji Dikko Abdulahi, says the service is to  introduce a  method of capturing data called WIFI through Customs server directly by agents.

Abdulahi,  who disclosed this in a stakeholders forum held with Shipping Operators, Freight Forwarders and Clearing agents, said the new method became imperative to achieve high integrity and increase the level of compliance by Customs agents  in the system.

He explained that with the WI FI method, clearing agents could assess the Customs server without going through the Direct Trader Input (DTI). His words,”We will take it upon ourselves to have open classes with all clearing agents to be part of our system and to have direct assess to our system. We shall be introducing a WI FI method.

Alhaji Dikko Abdulahi

It is a system that can give you interface with the Nigeria Customs Service directly as an individual clearing agent without going through Direct Trader Input (DTI).You will have access to our own server with a password.

So if you already have a laptop, you can assess Customs server to connect your own declaration”.Responding, president of the Association of National Approved Licenced Customs Agent (ANALCA), Prince Olayiwola Shittu, expressed appreciation for the CG’’s gesture. He however noted that there is need for stakeholders in the industry to have a standing committee.

According to him, there should be a representative of each stakeholder to resolve issues initiated by the Customs so as to make it realistic and achievable. Speaking on the inclusion of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt and other Related Practices Commission (ICPC) as part  of the joint taskforce, Abdulahi lamented that it is disheartening that the highest revenue collected in the history of  Service was in December 2010 because their was an intervention of the EFCC and ICPC.

He thereby call on stakeholders to make honesty and integrity their watchword so that they would be able to brace up with the challenges ahead of them.