• Login
NORVANREPORTS.COM |  Business News, Insurance, Taxation, Oil & Gas, Maritime News, Ghana, Africa, World
  • Home
  • News
    • General
    • Political
  • Economy
  • Business
    • Agribusiness
    • Aviation
    • Banking & Finance
    • Energy
    • Insurance
    • Manufacturing
    • Markets
    • Maritime
    • Real Estate
    • Tourism
    • Transport
  • Technology
    • Telecom
    • Cyber-security
    • Cryptocurrency
    • Tech-guide
    • Social Media
  • Features
    • Interviews
    • Opinions
  • Reports
    • Banking/Finance
    • Insurance
    • Budgets
    • GDP
    • Inflation
    • Central Bank
    • Sec/Gse
  • Lifestyle
    • Sports
    • Entertainment
    • Travel
    • Environment
    • Weather
  • NRTV
    • Audio
    • Video
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
NORVANREPORTS.COM |  Business News, Insurance, Taxation, Oil & Gas, Maritime News, Ghana, Africa, World
No Result
View All Result
Home Business

Multiple Customs queries hamper port clearance

2 years ago
in Business, Features, highlights, Home, home-news, latest News, Trade
2 min read
0 0
0
78
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linkedin

Multiple Customs queries hamper port clearance

Cargo clearing at the nation’s seaports has suffered setbacks as different units of the Nigeria Customs Service now issue indiscriminate queries on laden containers, leading to long delays for cargo owners.

As a result, importers and their agents now spend a minimum of two to three weeks to resolve the queries and clear their goods from the ports.

The development, which hinders the ease of doing business and adds to the cost of doing business for importers, is contrary to the Federal Government’s 48 hours cargo release policy.

Sharing a recent experience, Agbasonye Nnamdi, a Port Harcourt-based freight forwarder, said Customs now create a huge bottleneck to cargo clearance at the port by issuing of multiple queries on cargo clearing documents, popularly known as ‘alerts’.

Citing an example, he said a container recently being cleared from the Onne Port by his company was given 31 different alerts from Customs headquarters in Abuja, a development he said was a strange occurrence in Customs clearing procedure.

According to him, clearing a container from the nation’s seaports now takes between two to three weeks due to the multiple alerts that slow down the clearing process.

RelatedPosts

Ghana in Trade Talks With US Over Tariffs and Renewal of AGOA, Says President Mahama

Local Bourse Posts 70% YTD Gain on Renewed Interest in Large-Cap Counters

Central Bank Advances Virtual Asset Regulation With Draft Bill and Industry Registration Drive

Nnamdi said it was a 40-foot container that Customs examined using 100 percent physical examination in such a way that an observer can see the end of the container from the outside, and it took serious efforts to repack the items in the container but at the end, the container was held back due to multiple alerts from Abuja.

“Having a clearing document with queries forces the agent to go from table to table to resolve it, after which the command will report back to Abuja, and Abuja will report back to the command before the container will be released. Within the three weeks, the shipping company and the terminal operator must collect demurrage and rent charges for not taking delivery of the goods as and when due,” he said.

Nnamdi said the delay has huge cost implication on imported goods as the importer find a way to pass on the cost to the consumers through high prices of goods, adding that it is part of the reasons prices of goods keep skyrocketing in the market.

He blamed the lack of transparency in the Customs cargo clearing procedure for the development, adding that there was no need for multiple alerts to come up as the different units of Customs are supposed to have access to the containers ‘C’ number as soon as the agent captures the container in the system.

Tony Anakebe, a Lagos-based Customs licensed agent, said the problems being experienced by port users in Nigeria seaports are man-made.

Anakebe said Customs units have been issuing alerts indiscriminately on imported cargoes, making cargo clearing a hard nut to crack.

While pointing out that clearing goods from the port has become a struggle for the strongest, he said alerts could come from the Valuation unit, Customs Intelligent Unit (CIU), Abuja and many other units.

“The Customs have duplicate units including the Strike Force, CIU, Enforcement, Valuation, CGC Force, and FOU, among others. Some of these units also erect checkpoints immediately outside the port gate to impound containers cleared by Customs at the port. Customs are supposed to unify these units into one to make things easy for importers and their agents,” he said.

Obi Nwabunwanne, a Lagos-based importer, who confirmed that Customs procedure is slowing down clearance at the port, said Customs claimed it’s doing electronic clearance but it is not translating to trade facilitation through speedy clearance.

“Electronic cargo clearance does not exist in Nigeria because Customs has scanning machines yet they are doing 100 percent physical examination. This is one of the biggest bottlenecks that we have in the port and it now takes more than three weeks to clear a container from the port,” he added.

Reacting, Gambo Iyere Aliyu, deputy comptroller in charge of Enforcement at the Tin-Can Island Port, said that Customs management has given a directive that will stop alerts from coming from Abuja going forward.

According to him, the management of Nigeria Customs has agreed that an alert can only be issued from the Office of Deputy Comptroller in charge of revenue at the command level.

No Result
View All Result

Highlights

In the Balance: Manchester United’s Dreams Hang by a Thread as Amorim’s Future Wavers

FIFA Vice-President Warns European Fans of Late Nights for World Cup 2026 Kick-Offs

UEFA Champions League: Late Drama as PSG, Arsenal, and Qarabağ Continue Winning Streaks

EIA Rattles Oil Markets With Reports of Crude Oil, Product Builds

Dams for Development? Unpacking Tensions in the World Bank’s Hydropower Policies

Chart of the Week: Dollar’s Share of Reserves Held Steady in Second Quarter When Adjusted for FX Moves

Trending

Business

Ghana in Trade Talks With US Over Tariffs and Renewal of AGOA, Says President Mahama

October 2, 2025

Ghana in Trade Talks With US Over Tariffs and Renewal of AGOA, Says President Mahama Ghana has...

Local Bourse Posts 70% YTD Gain on Renewed Interest in Large-Cap Counters

October 2, 2025

Central Bank Advances Virtual Asset Regulation With Draft Bill and Industry Registration Drive

October 2, 2025

In the Balance: Manchester United’s Dreams Hang by a Thread as Amorim’s Future Wavers

October 2, 2025

FIFA Vice-President Warns European Fans of Late Nights for World Cup 2026 Kick-Offs

October 2, 2025

Who we are?

NORVANREPORTS.COM |  Business News, Insurance, Taxation, Oil & Gas, Maritime News, Ghana, Africa, World

NorvanReports is a unique data, business, and financial portal aimed at providing accurate, impartial reporting of business news on Ghana, Africa, and around the world from a truly independent reporting and analysis point of view.

© 2020 Norvanreports – credible news platform.
L: Hse #4 3rd Okle Link, Baatsonaa – Accra-Ghana T:+233-(0)26 451 1013 E: news@norvanreports.com info@norvanreports.com
All rights reserved we display professionalism at all stages of publications

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Business
    • Agribusiness
    • Aviation
    • Energy
    • Insurance
    • Manufacturing
    • Real Estate
    • Maritime
    • Tourism
    • Transport
    • Banking & Finance
    • Trade
    • Markets
  • Economy
  • Reports
  • Technology
    • Cryptocurrency
    • Cyber-security
    • Social Media
    • Tech-guide
    • Telecom
  • Features
    • Interviews
    • Opinions
  • Lifestyle
    • Entertainment
    • Sports
    • Travel
    • Environment
    • Weather
  • NRTV
    • Audio
    • Video

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Create New Account!

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
NORVANREPORTS.COM | Business News, Insurance, Taxation, Oil & Gas, Maritime News, Ghana, Africa, World
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.