As part of efforts to fast track efforts to decongest the nation’s seaports currently burdened with excess of overtime cargo, the Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Mr. Adewale Adeniyi, has unveiled a committee on disposal of overtime cargo.
The initiative followed a meeting of the NCS with stakeholders on November 6 in Lagos convened to address the urgent need for the evacuation of overtime cargoes at the ports but more particularly, to discuss the strategies for implementing a 48-hour Customs clearance process to facilitate trade.
Speaking on some of the decisions taken at the meeting at the Customs headquarters in Abuja, Adeniyi pointed out port decongestion remained a key responsibility of the Service based on the Presidential reform initiative aimed at achieveing efficient and enhanced trade facilitation between the country and its trading partners.
He clarified: “It’s worth noting that approximately six months ago, the new NCS Act received the former President Mohammed Buhari’s signature, ushering in substantial modifications to the previous protocols governing the disposal of overtime cargo.”
According to him, the provision of the NCS Act 2023 mandated that the disposal of cargo exceeding its allotted time can now only occur through a court order.
Adeniyi explained that “the Act also stipulates that goods must be disposed of through public auction or tender, to be widely publicized in advance through national newspapers, television, and the service’s official website.”
Commending the NCS leadership on the initiative, the General Manager of the Managing Director’s Office, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Durowaiye Ayodele, expressed the authority’s relief on the inauguration of the committee based on the fact that over 7,000 overtime containers had remained for years across the ports without the owners taking steps to remove them.
He said: “We have containers that have been there for over 10 years, occupying economic space for which we are unable to dispose. So this is a significant relief for our operations. We are delighted that we have reached a point where we can begin to remove some of these lingering containers and overdue cargo from the port.”
In his remarks, Deputy Comptroller General of the NCS, in charge of Human Resources Development, Greg Itotoh, while thanking the NPA for its support for the Service expressed optimism that the changes and new procedures would ensure more streamlined trade operations.
The committee will be coordinated by a senior officer of the NCS with membership from other agencies, including representatives of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Nigerian Police Force, the Department of State Security (DSS), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the National Agency for Food, Drugs and Control (NAFDAC), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), among others.
