PCS: Adeniyi Customs CG Advocates Robust Stakeholders Engagement

BY FUNMI ALUKO

The Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi has canvassed the meticulous warehousing and use of resolutions reached at various workshops in pursuance of the deployment of the Port Community System being developed by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) for its speedy and effective implementation.

The NCS boss who was speaking at a town hall meeting organized by Journal NG represented on the theme “The Imperative of PCS for Integration of All Players in Nigerian Port System,” noted that every policy thrust of the federal government cannot achieve much without proper implementation.

Represented by the Customs Area Controller of Tin Can Island Port Command, Comptroller Dera Nnadi mni, the customs helmsman equally advocated the inclusion of junior ranking operational officers in conferences such as this in order to maintain a steady succession plan in critical areas of operations to avoid future gaps.

Similarly, the CGC said that the functionality of the Port Community System (PCS) will not be realized in a port environment characterized by disunity and conflicts, that often arise from the misunderstandings among tactical low cadre officers.

The customs boss stressed that some challenges within the PCS and the application of innovative trends at ports are linked to confused tactical officials of participating organizations, especially amongst security agencies.

His words: “Capacity building and sensitization should also include the officials at the rank and file. You would find that PCS is well understood by the elite operators and officers; but at the tactical level there isn’t this high-level understanding. This confusion leads to conflicts between these security agencies and operators”

Adeniyi also lamented what he described as poor culture in collating data, noting that the historical inadequacies of policy making and planning have been results of incomprehensive data management in Nigeria.

He opined that there cannot be proper port expansion planning and infrastructural developments without available data indicating cargo throughput increase.

Meanwhile, he expressed delight that the 2023 Comptroller General of Customs (CGC) conference themed: “Leveraging Data Analytics for Secure and Efficient Trade Facilitation in Customs Operations,” is already making serious impact with manifest change in narrative through noticeable efficient collation and utilization of data.

While commending the federal government for approving the National Single Window domiciled with the Federal Inland Revenue Service, he observed that the Customs NICIS II system which is stakeholders propelled, awaits linkage and connectivity by more players in the port industry.

Delivery his paper, thee MD NPA, Mohammed Bello-Koko represented by the General Manager, ICT simplified the PCS as a single virtual community for critical stakeholders to engage in data sharing.

“It is not creating an electronic solution to services, it is simply a process enabled by ICT. PCS has been around before the single window, essentially they almost the same thing. So it is just to share data and information in terms of vessel arrivals, vessel release, truck call-up system, and general cargo operation.

“The PCS however has more information traffic than the single window. PCS is about change, about business trust, about collaboration in information sharing”, Bello-Koko said.

On his part, the Chairman of the occasion and National President, National Council of Managing Director of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA), Mr. Lucky Amiwero lamented that system interconnectivity and information portals are operating as silos through multiple windows.

Amiwero commended the organizers of the event for giving port stakeholders an opportunity to highlight core challenges whilst brainstorming on possible solutions.