By Uzor Odigbo
The Area Apapa Command, Nigeria Customs Service has reassured stakeholders in port operations of the monthly meeting in line with proffering solutions to some of the hiccups affecting trade facilitation and revenue drive.
Newly deployed Area Controller, Comptroller Mohammed Abba – Kura disclosed this on Monday during a brief handing over ceremony held in Lagos.
Abba Kura who took over from Bashir Abubakar, now acting Assistant Comptroller General (ACG) in his brief remarks ,reiterated that the service would welcome and support interactive platforms with stakeholders.
Abba-Kura assured that the service would continue to put in place measures that will encourage the ease of doing business at the nation seaport , in furtherance to promote an enabling environment for international trade to thrive.
He said :”We will do everything possible to promote trade in our ports and our stakeholders in the industry are part of us.
” We are going to welcome any idea or suggestion that will enable us do our job diligently ,therefore we are going to continue with the stakeholders meeting “,he added.
It was reported that members of the Association of Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA),had appealed to the service to revamp the monthly meeting in addressing some of the challenges affecting clearance of cargoes for the Lagos Ports Complex (LPC).
Chairman of the Apapa chapter of ANLCA ,Mr. Dom Onyeka in a chat with newsmen over the weekend tasked the new Area Controller to revive the interactive section between government agencies and the operators.
Onyeka however posited that the stakeholders meeting would address most of the challenges of the freight forwarders operating under the command.
His words, “What we are looking at is for us to be having constant stakeholders’ meetings because for a long during the administration of the outgoing ACC, we have not been having stakeholders meetings.
“Among our members, a lot of things are agitating our minds and because there is no room to discuss It, sometimes you go and confront the officer and it becomes personal.
“But if it is at such forum, everybody will hear and take caution and it will be addressed there.