Tremendous improvements over Ports clearances as Ali’s Customs attains 75% automation, cuts inspection hour

“We have reduced the hours of inspection and physical examination; we have also reduced paper processing from 17 to 10,” Hameed Ali said.

The administration of Col. Hameed Ali (Rtd) has continued to bring tremendous improvement to the clearing activities of the Nigeria Customs Service as, according to him, the Customs has attained 75 per cent automation level while cutting down inspection hours of imported items and papers processing at ports and airports to ease business operations.

Col. Hameed Ali, who is the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, disclosed this on Tuesday during the three-day 1st Extra-ordinary Meeting of African Union Sub-committee of Directors-General of Customs in Abuja saying that the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has achieved much in his 18 month stay so far.

He said, “If you have been following the trend of Ease of Doing Business initiated by the Vice President, the Customs is key to that. We have reduced the hours of inspection and physical examination; we have also reduced paper processing from 17 to 10.

It would be recalled that the Customs boss, Ali, had faced frustrations from members of the Nigerian Eighth Senate over his ban on importation of vehicles through the land borders.  The lawmakers, pretending to ask him to explain the policy to Nigerians, ended up achieving nothing because they put the cart before the horse as they insisted that he would not be allowed to talk unless he wore Customs uniform.  But Hameed Ali’s resilience, many have applauded, has brought the Nigeria Customs Service to the current point where it now makes doing business easy for the economic development of the country.

The Customs boss said the meeting was to bring the African Union (AU) Customs Administration together to articulate a common agenda and speak in unison during the World Customs Organisation (WCO) annual meeting in July 2017. It was also to discuss the impact of the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) adopted by WCO this year to enable African countries ratify it, Ali said.

The Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, while declaring the meeting open expressed concerns over illicit financial flows.  She charged the participants to deliberate towards boosting border security to improve revenue collection and enhance trade facilitation.

Secretary General of WCO, Mr Kunio Mikuriya lauded the initiators of the meeting and lauded Nigeria’s effort at border security noting that improved trade facilitation is only achievable with enhanced security at the borders.

It would be recalled that the Customs boss, Ali, had faced frustrations from members of the Nigerian Eighth Senate over his ban on importation of vehicles through the land borders.  The lawmakers, pretending to ask him to explain the policy to Nigerians, ended up achieving nothing because they put the cart before the horse as they insisted that he would not be allowed to talk unless he wore Customs uniform.  But Hameed Ali’s resilience, many have applauded, has brought the Nigeria Customs Service to the current point where it now makes doing business easy for the economic development of the country.