Assures Ports Users of Prompt Services

The server of the Nigeria Customs Service has not caused any major delays in importers and freight forwarders transactions as reported by a section of the media.

Our findings in four customs commands in Lagos showed licenced agents going about their businesses around the various Customs Processing Centres (CPC) without complaints.

At Apapa, Tincan Port, Ports Terminal Multiservices Limited (PTML) and Kirikiri Lighter Terminal (KLT) Commands of Customs, port users were seen working normally in line with the various Covid19 prevention protocols and guidelines without complaints about server breakdown as reported.

Speaking on the issue,Uche Ejesieme, Customs Public Relations Officer for Tincan Island Port in Lagos described the scanner issue as one not under the purview of the Service.

Ejesieme said Webb Fontaine and Interswitch were contracted to handle that aspect of the Service operations.

He added that slight hitches experienced in the course of processing transactions only resulted in minor delays as engineers working for the service providers were on ground to address the issue.

Ejesieme also said, alternative channels were provided to ensure that the short hitch never stretched long . He confirmed that the NCS have more than one method of data transmission. If one is down the other ones will function

In his words “It is not an issue with our service because Webbfontain and Interswitch were contracted to handle that aspect of our technical operations. Once in a while, as it’s common with any human endeavour or arrangements , we experience slight challenges.

“Sometimes, it could be due to the weather condition for one or two hours, but the good thing about it is that their engineers are on ground to quickly attend to any technical complaints identified at the CPC”.

“They are like resident officers in our CPC always ready to swing into action to rectify technical issues whenever they are called upon”.

“It has not delayed transactions to the extent that jobs could not be exited. For instance in Tincan Port here, if a server is down in Port and Cargo Terminal, you can come to CPC to release the consignment. If you have issues in SCOA terminal, you can come to TICT to release”.

“So we have multiple options to facilitate trade. We have never had reason to wait for days to release consignments. We have other platforms and alternatives we use in handling such issues”. Ejesieme said.

His position was corroborated by Nkeiru Nwala , Customs PRO at Apapa Port who described the server breakdowns as minor issues that were attended to within short period

Also speaking on the issue, Dr. Eugene Nweke a frontline freight forwarder and immediate past National President of Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) attributed the minor failure to weather conditions.

According to him, no system is perfect and issues associated with weather conditions are acts of God that shouldn’t be blamed on anyone.

Nweke said if the complaints were serious enough to disrupt transactions, freight forwarders and licensed customs agents would have protested at the ports.

Further findings reveal that mild challenges are not only issues with server as it is simply data transmission as there have been issue of fallen masts.

Some agents spoken to said Webb Fontaine is not always the internet service provider but provides a backup in case the ISP fails to avoid delays