Reps to probe abandoned multi-million dollar scanners at Apapa port, loss of revenue

Vice-Chairman of the Technical Committee set up by the House of Representatives’ on Customs and Excise, Hon. Leke Abejide has expressed displeasure over the abandonment of multi-million dollars scanners which was handed over to Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) at the Apapa Port, Lagos State.

Members of the Technical Committee who were conducted round the facilities by Controller of the Apapa Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, Mr Mohammed Abba-Kura, frowned at the loss of revenue, neglect of critical infrastructure and alleged politicization of the contract.

Hon. Abejide who expressed the concern during an oversight function to the Port vowed that the House will carry out a comprehensive investigation with a view to advising the government on the best way forward.

“We have just gone round to see both the mobile and fixed scanning machines. They are in a moribund stage. Nothing is happening there. From what we heard, there are three levels which they were supposed to be trained in. but those that installed them trained them in only one level of maintenance.

“There is the need for us to investigate deeply into the activities of the area of scanning and see how we can come up with a solution to help the system so that their job can be easier and they can generate more revenue. As it is now, nothing is moving here in the port.

“Look at the access road to the port, a place the government is getting N40 billion per month. I don’t think the construction of this road will take N40 billion.

“Politics was allowed to come in when it was taken from Cotecna and given to Global Scan even when Cotecna is higher in terms of capacity, knowledge and innovation. When that politics came in, it crippled the system.

“As a parliament, we will investigate it and come out with a solution. We will work the Customs and all stakeholders to advice government on the best way forward.”

While briefing the lawmakers on the controversies surrounding the management of the scanners, the NCS Controller, Mr Mohammed Abba-Kura explained that the Smiths Heimann 2533 HCV machines which were and managed by a foreign company known as Cotecna have not been put to use since 2015 since the contract was revoked and re-awarded to a Nigerian company known as Global Scan.

While noting that Global Scan lacked the technical capacity to manage the scanners, Mr Abba-Kura observed that the CIR issued by the company were the worst the Customs has ever worked with.

He said: “the issue of politics was brought into the scanning. Even the contract with the service providers, for so many years, Nigeria Customs Service was not part of it. If you want to do a project, you must bring stakeholders to be part of that project because once they are part of it, it will be a success story and a win-win situation.

“These contracts are normally signed and brought down the throat of the Customs to implement. Before destination inspection, from 1978 when we were doing pre-shipment, we were never part of it. The contract will either be signed from the mother Ministry or somewhere in the Executive.

“In fact, the service fought seriously to even collect some of the aspects these service providers were handling such as taking over the scanning machines. Even in the agreement, the service providers need to train Customs officers on all aspects.

“Cotecna is one of the service providers that did very well. They were the ones that installed the fixed scanners and mobile scanners in both Tin-Can and Apapa ports and they did very well managing them and a lot of officers were trained. Many of us benefited from that training,” he noted.

Mr Abba-Kura who called for the House intervention argued that the abandoned scanners have the requisite features that could aid Customs’ operations at the Ports.

“From what we have, you are able to scan the container very well and see what is inside it. But if the service does not have the money to procure the scanners, what do we do. A lot of bureaucracy comes into accessing these funds even when they are budgeted. You have to go to so many places to achieve what you want.

“We have some of the best officers trained in the use of these scanners. Some of us sent over one and a half year attending those training. So, if the scanners are functioning, we will reduce man-hour sent on examination, we will generate more revenue and we will discover so many things that are prohibited. But there is nothing that we can do right now because there are laws that must be followed.

“If money is budgeted and not released, you should be able to know why the money was not released and whoever is responsible should be sanctioned, so that others should sit up and do a thing properly,” he noted.

While responding to questions on the cost of the machines, Mr Abba-Kura said: “to be honest, I don’t know the cost. But I know it is really very expensive. But since it is going to secure the country and will lead to more generation of revenue which will equally translate to more development in the country, I think the government should go the whole hug and get scanning machines for us to work.

“The machines are meant to serve two purposes. One is to generate revenue and the other being security. If consignments are examined non-intrusively, whatever is inside the container can be seen, a proper assessment will be done and more revenue will be generated.”

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