A total of 125 officers attached to the Kirikiri Lighter Terminal (KLT) Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) have been trained on how to handle export processes.
Controller of the command, Benjamin Aber disclosed this in Lagos when the Zone ‘A’ Zonal Coordinator, Assistant Comptroller General Charles Edike visited it and other commands in Apapa on Tuesday as part of his year end review of their operations.
Aber said the training of the officers became necessary following the resuscitation of export seats at the command.
He said the drive was in line with the efforts to encourage export in order to achieve a balance of trade, while noting that no export transaction has taken place at the command in five years.
“The last export transaction was in 2011, and export business died naturally. Now we have reactivated the export seats and trained 125 officers at the Apapa Training Centre. We are taking export more importantly so that we can earn foreign exchange for our economy,” he said.
The CAC also disclosed that the command had established what it called the Nigerian Trade Hub, a concept that would accommodate an e-system and a physical location where issues concerning export processes would be handled.
“The e-system and a physical location will afford the Nigeria Customs Service discuss with the trading public and handle issues concerning export. The Trade Hub will allow for a platform to simplify the export processes to the benefit of all traders,” he said.
Aber added that his Command was working toward standardization of exportable goods, which meant achieving proper certification of products according to international standards.
ACG Edike applauded the Command for its revenue generation efforts but further charged the controller and other officers to work at improving on their achievement.
Edike had earlier visited the Tin Can 2 Command, Apapa Area Command, Tin Can Island Command and the PTML Command where he equally commended the efforts of the commands and tasked them on improvement.
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