By Izuchukwu Ozoemena

The Seme Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has always adhered to NCS Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) while disposing seized goods which is guided by transparency, due process, and strict adherence to extant laws and guidelines.

Therefore, the Command is in no way connected to the rumour making the rounds that it circulated seized rice alleged to be killing its consumers.

The Command’s Public Relations Officer, Isah Sulaiman, made the clarification in a release, Sunday.

“The attention of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Seme Area Command’, he stated, “has been drawn to a widely circulated unfounded and baseless allegation claiming that the Command seized and distributed bags of rice without the knowledge of the purported owner, who then allegedly invoked traditional powers leading to the death of individuals, including a soldier at Badagry.”

“The Command wishes to categorically state that this narrative is entirely false, misleading, and does not reflect the reality of the matter.”

“It is instructive to say that no incident within the Command’s Area of Responsibility (AoR) or among personnel corroborates the false claims of deaths resulting from rice consumption linked to the NCS. Unfortunately, some unscrupulous elements wearing the garment of journalism (a credible profession) to disinform members of the public with baseless, fictitious and malicious accusations to score cheap points instead of the social responsibility they are supposed to uphold.

Describing the story as false and unfounded, the PRO urged the general public and the purveyors of news to disregard the news being circulated and refrain from spreading false information that could incite fear or tarnish the image of the security agencies working tirelessly to safeguard the nation.

“The Seme Area Command, under the leadership of Comptroller Ben Oramalugo, PhD, remains committed to its mandate of revenue generation, suppressing smuggling, and facilitating legitimate trade professionally and responsibly in accordance with extant government fiscal policies and laws,” he concluded.

By Izuchukwu Ozoemena

The Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO) has expressed concerns that efforts being made to grow Nigeria’s export trade and encourage exportation through automation are being brazenly thwarted by unscrupulous exporters and transporters in the business trade, reports say.

According to Adeshina Ajibola, AMATO’s Head of Research and Development, the whole essence of encouraging export trade stands to be rubbished if the trucking system to access and exit the ports are not automated.

“Once there is any loophole for abuse, trust Nigerians, they will take advantage of it to the point that racketeering will now come in and this is why AMATO has been pushing for full automation of truck movements in and out of the ports.”

He regrets that when the export process is left open, there is a free-for-all and the tendency for abuse is enhanced. What is currently being experienced for import cargoes will also be seen in the export process.

There are indications that the nation’s export trade is currently being threatened

As some unidentified exporters and transporters have devised means to undermine the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the movement of export cargoes to the port from designated Export Processing Terminals in Lagos, established rules and regulations governing port entry are being circumvented without taking into account the consequences on due process and the economy.

This development, findings show, has led to congestion of Export Processing Terminals in the princit of the Lagos Ports as cargoes meant for movement into Apapa ports are currently stuck at these approved Terminals.

Reports suggest that unscrupulous exporters may be working to sabotage the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) initiated by the Nigerian Ports Authority through sidestepping the official protocols for port entry.
This development, Vanguard gathered, has disrupted the operation of the approved EPTs in Lagos as exporters that comply with the protocol for port entry have had their cargoes stuck as they are not regularly called into Apapa port due to the activities of exporters that operate outside established protocols.

The unauthorized movement of export cargoes outside established protocols typically takes place under the cover of night. Under special arrangements and compromise, several government officials at Eleganza Roundabout in Apapa allegedly oversee such unauthorized operations.

Vanguard’s investigation reveal that trucks carrying export goods now occupy the service lane at the Sunrise end of the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, Commercial Road, opposite Guaranty Trust Bank all the way to Mr. Biggs Junction, as well as Creek Road, turning it into a waiting area, truck park for night movement of cargo to the Lagos Port Complex.

Vanguard further gathered that movement of export cargoes into the ports was caused by an approved ETP that is far from the port corridors.
This particular ETP, it was gathered, admits in their facility and exit trucks into port in virtual circumvention of the call-up system instituted by the NPA, a development that is at variance with the Standard Operating Procedure through which trucks are admitted into the port.

Admitting trucks virtually is also against the established process through which NPA makes requests from EPTs for export truck and container manifests before such cargoes enter the ports in a regulated manner.

The seamless movement of export trucks into port, it is observed, has been managed for a long time until about a month ago when the ugly trend of bypassing the SOP started.
The Task Force constituted by the Nigerian Ports Authority to manage the movement of this category of cargoes has been overwhelmed by the situation.
The Task Force, it was gathered, has begun to turn these illegal trucks back to wherever they were coming from. But these trucks would always find their way to the established export lane on Wharf Port access road.
This is because the compromised government officials at Eleganza Roundabout keep allowing them to come back to export cargo lane and eventually gain access into Apapa port.

Reacting to the development, the Apapa Port Manager, Mr. Debo Lawal, denied the suggestion that many trucks that enter the port may have not been manifested. No truck gets access to the port without a manifest, he added.

However, this does not distract from the reality that many trucks access the Apapa port without manifest following the trending irregularities.

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By Izuchukwu Ozoemena

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has pledged to continue to pursue strategic automation initiatives in order to deepen and consolidate her role in trade facilitation, revenue generation and national development.

The National Public Relations Officer (NPRO), Assistant Comptroller Abdullahi Maiwada stated this, Monday, while

announcing, on behalf of the Customs Comptroller-General,

Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, the

successful commencement of the pilot phase for processing Form M through the B’Odogwu (Unified Customs Management System) in all Commands of the Service.

“This initiative represents another bold step in the Service’s technology-driven reforms to modernise trade procedures and enhance operational efficiency”, the NPRO stated.

He explained that following the Service’s approval to integrate the Form M process into the B’Odogwu Trade Portal, preparatory activities commenced across three designated Customs Commands: Port and Terminal Multiservices Limited (PTML), Tin Can Island Port, and Apapa Area Command.

“These sites were selected to drive the pilot phase in a controlled and strategic environment, allowing for close monitoring, stakeholder engagement, and performance assessment.”

“During this period, a total of five hundred and forty-four (544) Form M entries were processed. Of these, 283 were successfully registered, 10 were validated, and 26 were stored for further action. Additionally, 41 entries were submitted, 120 were returned for corrections, 11 were queried, 14 had their PAARs locked, and 39 were recommended for approval.”

These figures, he said, reflect the robust testing and interactive learning across all participating commands.

Maiwada said a total of 37 Pre-Arrival Assessment Reports (PAARs) were generated from the processed Forms M out of which 7 were registered, 12 had their Single Goods Declarations (SGDs) processed, 2 were fully approved, 8 were recommended for further review. 4 were submitted for processing, and 4 were queried.

“This outcome confirms the operational capacity of the B’Odogwu system to support end-to-end trade documentation during live implementation”, the release said.

The successful implementation of the Form M pilot on the B’Odogwu platform signals the beginning of a nationwide transition that will streamline customs documentation, enhance transparency, and promote faster clearance timelines.

Consequently, to enhance trade facilitation and supply chain security in the ongoing pilot phase, NCS encourages all carriers (shipping lines and airlines) to commence transmission of manifests to the B’dogwu platform while ensuring that all key stakeholders, particularly the financial institutions and traders, are adequately engaged and prepared for full deployment.