In a bid to make the nation’s seaports efficient and competitive, the Ministers of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola and his Transportation counterpart, Senator Said Ahmed Alkali; as well as the Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi have resolved to join forces together.
To this end, they have met and agreed that physical inspection of cargoes at the nation’s seaports must be phased out.
Giving an insight into the decision, the ministers and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) boss in a statement made available to Maritime Bits, reasoned that the use of modern technologies like scanners was important to addressing the issue of ports congestion, so as to ensure efficiency and competitiveness.
“The primary thrust of this collaborative venture was to deliberate and actualize initiatives that would not only open up ports but also foster seamless cooperation and trade and facilitation. A key focal point of discussion was the strategic integration of the Non-Intrusive Inspection Technology (NIIT) to bolster operational efficiency in Nigerian seaports”, the statement added.
To this end, Adeniyi has been charged to enforce the use of scanners at the ports, just as they encouraged private investors to come in and invest in the deployment and maintenance of scanners at the nation’s ports.
“Acknowledging the pivotal role of NIIT in actively decongesting ports, the meeting entrusted the Comptroller General of Customs with the mandate to champion and prioritize cargo scanning over traditional physical examination methods”, it said.
According to the statement which was signed by the Media Aide to Oyetola, Ismail Omipidan and the National Public Relations of NCS, Abdullahi Maiwada, the meeting which had the Managing Director of Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Fidet Okhiria attending virtually, also resolved to ensure a new construction that will bypass the fixed scanner at Apapa, so as to ensure the unhindered progression of scanning process during crucial infrastructure development.
