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Tag: PAAR

  • Why PAAR was introduced, by Customs chief

    Why PAAR was introduced, by Customs chief

    COMPTROLLER-GENERAL,  Nigeria Customs Service  (NCS) Alhaji Dikko Abdullahi  yesterday in Singapore told the international business community that the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR), a risk management tool that replaced Risk Assessment Report (RAR) was introduced to boost the economy.

    He added that it was also instill discipline in the service, to facilitate trade, build better business relationship, transform cargo processes and see to the free flow of trade at the nation’s sea ports based on the global trend.

    Represented by a Deputy Comptroller General of Customs, Mr Akinade Adewuyi at the Nigeria-Singapore Business and Investment Forum (NSBIF),  he said the implementation of the initiative has helped to boost the revenue profile of the Federal Government.

    NSBIF was held to boost trade and promote bilateral relation between the two countries.

    The role of the NCS in facilitating trade and promoting business at the nation’s sea ports, air ports and border stations was appreciated by the business community at the forum.

    Speakers at the forum organised by the Nigeria High Commission in collaboration with the Singapore Business Federation (SBF) and International Enterprise (IE) Singapore said they were happy over the succes of PAAR.

    Theme of the second edition of the forum  is Deepening Nigeria-Singapore Bilateral Relation.

  • NCS makes N100b from PAAR

    NCS makes N100b from PAAR

    The Pre-Arrival Assess ment Report (PAAR)  introduced by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) last year has increased the Service’s revenue generation by N100 billion.

    In 2013, the NCS generated N833.39 billion, while the revenue increased to N999 billion last year – a feat that has been attributed to the introduction of PAAR.

    The Customs Area Controller, Apapa Command, Mr. Charles Edike, said the Service is upbeat about this achievement, and also satisfied that PAAR is boosting its revenue drive.

    “We are talking of about a difference of N100 billion that PAAR has brought into our economy. This is really worthy of commendation. We must not for the sake of trade facilitation, loose revenue; so we try to strike a balance between revenue and trade facilitation,” Edike said.

    This feat has drawn applause from the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA). ANCLA’s National President, Prince Olayiwola Shittu. Praising the NCS for the implementation of PAAR at the seaports, he said the NCS management had demonstrated high level of competence in the handling of PAAR since it was introduced.  He added that PAAR has blocked all leakages, leading to the boost in revenue.

    “We are in support of PAAR and we have given the scheme a pass mark because of the effective manner it was implemented by the Customs. The scheme has no big problem and I can tell you that it has come to stay and it is better than RAR, which cannot in any way be compared to the PAAR as far as ANLCA is concerned,” Shittu said, adding that PAAR is an indigenous concept that has proved to be effective when compared to RAR, which he classified as a foreign investment which is not suited for the benefit of the people and economy.

    Another executive of ANLCA, Mr Kayode Farinto  said the PAAR regime has increased cargo clearance process at ports, urging officers of the service to increase the tempo.

  • PAAR increases Customs’ revenue, saves govt $25m monthly

    PAAR increases Customs’ revenue, saves govt $25m monthly

    The introduction of PreArrival Assessment Report (PAAR) scheme fetched the Federal Government over N977 billion last year and saved it some $25million monthly revenue loss, the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGS), Alhaji Dikko Abdullahi has said.

    PAAR was introduced by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) management as the new method of Destination Inspection (DI) after the Government terminated the contract of the service providers in December 2013.

    The transfer of DI to Customs, it was gathered, had allowed the government to save about millions of dollars.

    Investigation revealed that Customs would not have got 50 per cent of the amount it generated last year, if it was using Risk Assessment Report ( (RAR) employed by the service providers.

    Sources close to Customs said there was improvement on Customs’ revenue last year, when compared to the performance of the service the year before.

    “There is no doubt that there was a tremendous increase in the revenue collected by the service last year, when you compare its performance in 2014 as against 2013.

    “Customs has been able to use the scheme to block all the major areas of revenue leakages and improve on its revenue collection through the trade facilitation programme of the Comptroller General.”

    Its Public Relations Officer (PRO), Tin-Can Island Port, Lagos, Chris Osunkwo, said the increase in generated revenue by the Service was also due to the Service’s insistence on blocking leakages.

    He said the system audit put in place by the Customs Headquarters also helped to enhance compliance by shippers and clearing agents and boost the trade.

    Osunkwo said the Customs Headquarters invested in capacity building for its officers and men to block revenue leakages and promote trade at ports.

    He added that such exposures have also assisted officers and men of the service to understand classification and evaluation of goods to enable them to collect appropriate duty for the Federal Government.

  • ANLCA gives PAAR a pass mark

    The Association of Nigerian Li-censed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has given the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) a pass mark for the effective implementation of Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) at the seaports.

    Its National President, Prince Olayiwola Shittu, said the NCS management had demonstrated high level of competence in the handling of PAAR since it was introduced.

    He said the Federal Government lost a lot of revenue when the destination inspection was being done service providers, adding that PAAR has blocked all leakages.

    “We are in support of PAAR and we have given the scheme a pass mark because of the effective manner it was implemented by Customs. The scheme has no big problem and I can tell you that it has come to stay and it is better than RAR, which cannot in any way be compared to the PAAR as far as ANLCA is concerned. Make proper declaration and get your goods out of the port on time.

    “PAAR is our own; RAR is a foreign investment and that investment is not for the benefit of our people and economy and that is why we are in support of PAAR,” Shittu said.

  • How Customs made N950b in 11 months, by comptroller

    How Customs made N950b in 11 months, by comptroller

    The Nigeria Customs Service generated N950.1 billion between January and November.

    The Comptroller, Apapa Area Command, Charles Edike, who  gave the figure at the inauguration of the Executive Council of the Maritime Reporters’ Association of Nigeria (MARAN) at Apapa, Lagos,said it is a 23. 4 percent increase on Lagos, last year’s figure of N769.3 billion.

    He said Customs saved N36.9 billion from the one  percent Comprehensive Import Supervision Scheme (CISS) charges on import hitherto paid to service providers since it took over the Destination Inspection Scheme last December.

    On the impact of the Pre Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) on the economy, Edike said Customs has overcome the challenges, receiving 201,330 requests for PAAR. Of the figure, 188,424  have been released and 108,169  uplifted with a total Cost Insurance and Freight (CIF) of N5.6 trillion.

    He  said  the new clearance procedure has not only increased  the revenue profile of the Service but   helped in reducing cost and time of clearance of goods at the ports.

    Edike said the Service has gained the recognition of the World Customs Organisation because of the successes it recorded since the introduction of PAAR, thus, according it a model organisation status among Customs administrations.

    He, however, noted that the biggest challenge of the new clearance procedure is lack of compliant  to trade regulations by importers as a total of 14, 259 PAAR have so far been rejected.

    He said the non compliant status of importers is the reason why some PAAR documents are queried.

    “The biggest challenge is about compliance. Your PAAR will not be queried so long as you are transparent and don’t cut corners. But when you want to cut corners, your PAAR will be queried because the system is robust enough,” Edike said.

    Also speaking, representative of the Comptroller General, Controller KLT command, Comptroller Frances Enwereuzor, while congratulating the new executives, said the role of the media in the development of the maritime sector is important  hence it must be discharged with great sense of responsibility and dedication to duty.  She urged the executives to continue to promote the existing relationship between the Service and the association.

    In her speech, President of the association, Mrs. Ifeyinwa Obi noted that the industry is beset with various challenges, including the traffic gridlock along the port access road which require urgent attention from the government.

    She said the association in fulfilling its responsibility through wide reportage, will continue to work with other stakeholders to proffer solution to the challenges.

    She promised to continue to sustain the valuable leadership style of her predecessor, Mr. Bolaji Akinola.  Meanwhile, the Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone “C” Owerri, of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS,) recorded another major breakthrough in the onslaught against smuggling of contraband frozen poultry in the country.Two trucks loaded with  685 cartons of frozen poultry with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N30, 595,050.00 concealed in 4,400 cartons of La’casera apple drinks and  50 bags of locally made animal feeds were impounded by the eagle eyed officers and men of the Nigeria Customs FOU Zone ‘C’ on the Asaba/Onitsha and Calabar axis respectively.

    The Customs Area Controller of the unit,Dimka Victor David, told The Nation  that a Renault trailer truck was used by the smugglers to conceal 450 cartons of the imported frozen poultry with the 4,400 cartons of Lacasera apple drinks, while a Mercedes Benz truck with number plate XU 465 PHC was used to conceal 235 cartons of the imported poultry with 50 bags of locally made animal feeds.

    Dimka, who decried the incalculable harm being inflicted on the nation’s economy as a result of unabated smuggling of prohibited products into the country, warned those still involved in the act to desist forthwith or  have themselves to blame if arrested.

    “We will continue to make this zone very hot and uncomfortable for smugglers to remain in business and we are not mincing words about this.

  • Customs sacks 52 officers

    •Urges importers to key into PAAR

    The Management of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has approved the dismissal of 52 officers for corruption, warning importers and clearing agents still handling non-compliant cargoes to key into the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) programme of the Federal Government or face its wrath.

    The dismissal order, findings revealed, had been approved by its Comptroller-General Alhaji Dikko Abdulahi based on a report.

    The Customs boss, it was gathered, told the top executives of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), who met with the management team of the service last week, in Abuja, urging them to tell their members to stop finding faults in PAAR.

    The meeting, it was learnt, was called by Customs to find solutions to some of the challenges confronting ANLCA at ports.

    A senior official of ANLCA at the meeting, who craved anonymity, said an effort by him and other clearing agents to plead on behalf of the affected officers was rejected by Dikko.

    The CGC, it was gathered, said  when he first received the unsubstantiated news, he called about 15 senior officers among them and warned them one by one to desist from the act but all to no avail until the new report about their involvement was brought to his attention.

    The Customs boss, it was gathered, also told the ANLCA chiefs that he needed to take the drastic step against the affected officers to serve as a deterrent to others.

    Dikko, it was learnt, however, told the visiting ANLCA chiefs that he was happy with the crop of Customs Intelligence Unit (CIU) officers.

    He described the CIU officers as the best ever, praising them for displaying professionalism in their work.

    The ANLCA President, Prince  Olayiwola Shittu, said PAAR was working.

    He said the initial challenges faced by the agents were caused by human errors which had been addressed by the Customs.

  • PAAR is working, says ANLCA

    PAAR is working, says ANLCA

    The President, Association of  Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Alhaji Olayiwola Shittu, has said the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) is working.

    The ANCLA chief told The Nation that the challenges facing the agents were caused by human errors which would be addressed by the Customs.

    ANLCA, he said, was not against the new guidelines, urging other stakeholders to key into it.

    Shittu also urged the Federal Government to pay more attention to security at the ports, especially the Tin Can Port, Lagos where touts and ‘port rats’ are a nuisance.

    Shittu said many unwanted persons entered the port daily, despite recent efforts by Customs.

    Shittu said the call became necessary because the sector was the second largest source of revenue after oil and gas.

    Besides, he said multinationals and others who invest in the industry, pay huge taxes or duties and import charges into the Federal Government’s account.

    He said poor facilities, incessant sea piracy and insecurity at the ports could scare away investments  and hamper port operations.

    He further said importers and clearing agents were not left out of the menace.

    Shittu said the gridlock on the major roads to and within the ports and insecurity were some of the problems that needed to be addressed to sustain investments and growth in the sector.

    “The high level of insecurity at the seaports has become so widespread that, every importer must have, at one time or the other, experienced losses arising from theft within or on the roads that lead to the ports. As a Nigerian, I think it is not too much to ask the government to secure our ports,” he added.

  • Customs sabotaging PAAR’s implementation

    The Nigeria Customs Service ( NCS) Investigation Unit is sabotaging the implementation of the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) at ports, The Nation has learnt.

    The scheme was introduced by the Comptroller-General, Alhaji Dikko Abdulahi about nine months ago after the Federal Government suspended the contract of the former service providers to boost trade facilitation.

    Some of the Customs Investigating Unit (CIU) officers, findings revealed, are using the scheme to extort importers and clearing  agents.

    Importers and clearing agents, it was learnt, are no longer happy with the manner the CIU and Valuation Officers are implementing  PAAR, mostly in  quantity and value of cargoes.

    Importers and the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), it was gathered, have started picking holes in the implementation of the scheme based on the attitude of the officers and are demanding the abolition of queries on values of the cargo to stem crisis at ports.

    Importers and the clearing agents, sources said, are not happy over the incessant querying of cargoes by CIU based on low value and alleged inflation of values payable on consignments at various commands.

    An importer, Felix Aderibigbe,  urged the Customs management to publish data value of all cargoes on the internet in order to make it accessible for those transacting business at ports.

    Contacted, ANLCA President, Alhaji Olayiwola Shittu said his association supported the Customs management when PAAR was introduced despite the out-cry by other stakeholders.

    The ANLCA chief,  however, said his members are worried over the attitude of some  officers of the outfit on the implementation of PAAR and urged its management to address the challenges facing the scheme.

    “We gave Customs all the necessary support in the last  nine months and this is the time for us to re-appraise PAAR, get our acts together, put down our observation and conclusions and make sure they go to the right channel for a review,” Shittu said.

    Another clearing agent and former Chairman of Tin Can Chapter, Kayode Farinto, condemned the re-routing of PAAR document by Customs officers to the tune of N30,000.

    “The CGC has said that PAAR is a final document, but we understand that PAAR is now being re-routed to the tune of N30,000 and our members are suffering.

    “If there is no discrepancy in quantity, nobody has the right to query PAAR, the CGC cannot be everywhere, but there are some officers trying to sabotage his efforts.

    “PAAR can be queried based on quantity or wrong declaration, but it cannot be queried based on value, whoever is doing that is a criminal,” Farinto said.

    The Coordinator, ANLCA Board of Trustees,  Alhaji Taiwo Mustapha, also condemned the payment of 25 per cent penalty on every PAAR document queried by the Customs.

    He urged Customs to stop blocking cargo manifest an hour after it was keyed into the its computer system.

    ANLCA, investigation revealed, has set up a committee to collate the position of its members on the challenges of PAAR and other operational challenges facing the group at in the port.

    Shittu, it was learnt, assured his members that ANLCA will demand from Customs a publication of the value database for regularly imported items, just like it is being presently done for vehicle imports.

    Also PAAR , ANLCA said, should be declared sacrosanct for cargo clearance as the functions of Q and A office, CIU, gate officers, enforcements, and valuation units in the cargo clearance process should be expressly declared.

  • PAAR: Customs at Seme generates over N1b

    The Nigeria Customs Service, Seme Command has generated N1,084,644,883 through the implementation of the Pre Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) and the Vehicle Import Transit (VIT) at the border.

    It wsa gathered that the schemes have eased vehicles importation and other items.

    Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC) Abdullah Dikko, it was learnt, introduced the schemes to secure the country, reduce smuggling, improve revenue collection and facilitate trade at ports and border stations.

    Investigation revealed that Nigeria-bound trucks are scanned by Customs officers, while100 per cent physical examination is carried out on suspected trucks by the scanning machine to avoid the importation of prohibited and dangerous goods.

    With the introduction of the schemes, the Customs officers no longer engage in the hazardous task of chasing smugglers through the bushes.

    Its Public Relations Officer, Ernest Olottah said: “The scheme has reduced smuggling of vehicles and increased the revenue  generation of the command.”

    He attributed the increase in revenue to the VIT scheme.

    Meanwhile, Olottah has warned the public against the purported sales or auction of vehicles at the command.

    In a statement, he said: “Our attention had been drawn to the news that some internet fraudsters have been impersonating the Nigeria Customs Service by defrauding unsuspecting members of the public with the purported ‘Auction Sales at Seme Command.

    “The NCS has often warned the public on our Customs Duty programme broadcast on NTA International at 8:30pm every Monday. Yet, it appears some people are not paying attention. We, therefore, plead with the media to assist us in enlightening the public that there is nothing of such at Seme Area Command.”

  • Banks sabotaging PAAR, Customs alleges

    Banks should be held responsible for the delays in the issuance of the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR), Customs  Area Controller, Lilypond Area Command in Apapa, Lagos Mrs Talatu Isa, has said.

    At a stakeholders’ meeting, Mrs Isa said since the upgrade of the PAAR platform by the Nigeria Customs Service, PAAR documents could be generated in less than 48 hours.

    She said the Customs management had set up a committee to address genuine cases relating to PAAR, urging the agents to take advantage of the committee instead of going to Abuja to seek solutions.

    “Everybody here will agree with me that PAAR is now efficient. This was made possible by the grace of God and the Comptroller-General OF Customs and his team. They have given us a new platform, a platform where you can upload your documents, and that very day, you can get your PAAR, or at most the next day. So, if you have any problem, contact your bank, they might be the saboteurs because for us, we don’t have any problem. That platform is very efficient and robust,” she said.

    Mrs Isa said the Command generated over N5.2 billion between January and March, including the N2.2 billion collected last month.

    “Your contributions and effort in ensuring seamless trade facilitation has yielded results. This month we have been able to make N2.2billion as revenue,” she added.

    Soliciting for the cooperation of the agents, Mrs Isa charged them to ensure honest declaration to avoid delays in taking delivery of their consignments.

    “When you raise false declarations, that is where the problems start arising and the moment we start having issues, you start crying delays. There cannot be delays if we don’t have issues. If your declaration is contrary to procedures, certainly, there would be problems,” she said.