Cargo Scanning Without Content Integrity Is Recipe For Physical Examination’ – Nnadi  

New Customs Area Controller, Tin Can Island Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, Comptroller Dera Nnadi mni, has said the greatest single threat to the success of cargo scanning is the lack of trader’s character, noting that the end result of every flagged scanning process is an indisputable reversion to physical examination. The Tin Can Customs helmsman lamented that the ratio of compliant traders is abysmally low and hence the demand for trade facilitation has been largely made difficult by the self-same stakeholders who regularly throw spanners on the equal demand for compliance, being also the lever of trade facilitation. Nnadi in this chat with Eguono Odjegba of Pinnacle Time made a number of startling disclosures such as saying that payment of duty is not the same thing as compliance, even as he hinted that part of the current effort to shore up revenue collection in the command is combating the concealment of high duty paying items. Excerpt:Congratulations on your appointment as Area Controller, Tin Can Island Port Command. Why is Customs paying such huge attention to Tin Can?

Sometimes, I find it a bit bewildering that someone should be congratulated for being posted to carry out an assignment. Nevertheless, I understand the sentiment considering that Zone A of NCS contributes over 70 percent of the Service revenue. Tin Can specifically is ranked to contribute the second highest revenue for the NCS. In that light, I see my posting here as a measure of confidence in my ability by the leadership of NCS. However, this doesn’t mean that I am being sent here to be congratulated. I’m delighted that I can be trusted to carry out this crucial role for Customs at this Command, and for that reason, I think your congratulations are in order.

Within your first 11 days, you set a new revenue record like you did at  Seme area command, by exceeding the 2023 revenue target with a full quarter to the bargain. What are you doing differently?

Let me start from Seme Border where we were able to surpass our target by collecting 125% of the 2023 target. However, we didn’t do anything different apart from encouraging and motivating our officers. We also deepened our relationship with stakeholders by making them understand their role after the border was reopened for trade. They knew that they had a strategic partner in Customs because we showed empathy for their pains as they were just coming out from several years of border closure which led to tough economic times. So, we encouraged the people to have encouraged the people to have confidence in their environment.

In Tin Can Port, the revenue target that was surpassed was for a single day. The target given to the Command on a daily basis is N3.3billion, but for that day we collected N5.2billion. People were excited because for a very long time that didn’t happen at the Command. Nevertheless, we have gone beyond that figure because we recently collected N7.6 billion in one day. We are making a steady increase in our drive to generate revenue. The truth is that so much confidence has been reposed in us and we mustn’t just live up to but seek to surpass this expectation from the NCS management.

Nonetheless, revenue generation is a function of cargo throughput. In recent times, the volume of cargo coming in has dropped, but we are maximizing the few that have come in by blocking identified previous loopholes. Some infractions are so obvious that we just have to address them, issues of undervaluation, and concealment of high-duty paying items, among others. When such items are identified, we issue them Debit Notes to pay for the shortfall. We also engage the stakeholders to explain why they have to pay, even as we state the impact on the Nigerian economy. The support from stakeholders has been massive and it could be because they see me as a ‘homeboy’. The compliance level is increasing and we keep educating the stakeholders that payment of duty isn’t the same thing as compliance.

What does that mean?

If someone ought to pay a Customs duty of N1 million and he pays N700,000; it’s true that such a person has paid the duty but he hasn’t complied. We encourage them to pay the appropriate duties because my presence here isn’t just to ensure that stakeholders pay duties but to ensure they pay the correct duties. Compliance is paying the correct duties at the prevalent exchange and declaring the correct quality and quantity of items in a container.

Upon resumption, I went around the port and observed that we still suffered from the old issue of late resumption to work. Why should we have a maritime system where we find people resuming work by 10 a.m. or 11 a.m.? I stressed that it was unacceptable. To lead by example, I offered to come to work by 8 am. Some of the encumbrances that made people come to Tin Can Island Port late like the deplorable state of the road, but which has been addressed. It may not be perfect at the moment but it has improved by 70%-80%. There is relatively free movement into the port environment and everyone within the port can come early. Currently, terminal operators, freight agents, banks, and even food sellers resume work by 8 a.m. at Tin Can.