The Comptroller General of Customs, Hammed Ali, has highlighted the importance of having harmonised screening of passengers and their luggage at the nation’s airports to reduce wastage of time and resources.
Speaking while conducting the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, round the customs’ facilities at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, Ali said the process of duplicating screening of passengers by the agencies of government at the airports is not the best practice and should be discourage.
He promised to propose a solution to the Minister of Aviation in order to harmonise such practice, adding that Nigerian airports must reduce bureaucracy in order to attract the traffic it deserved.
He said it has been estimated that the nation’s airports require equipment worth N20 billion in order to meet global standard.
He said the customs command would soon meet with the Minister to discuss the funding requirement of Customs in detail. He expressed confidence that with the support of the Minister, the problem would soon be fixed.
The Finance Minister said the current administration is committed to empowering the Nigerian Customs Service to enhance its performance and increase revenue generation.
She also faulted the absence of functional scanners at the nation’s airports, seaports and land borders.
Copyright Ships & Ports Ltd. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit given to www.shipsandports.com.ng as the source.