Lilypond Customs boss accuses banks of sabotaging PAAR

Customs Area Controller, Lilypond Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Comptroller Isa Talatu, has said that banks are to be blame for the delays experienced in the issuance of the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) on imported goods.

Addressing stakeholders at a meeting held at the command on Wednesday, Talatu said that since the upgrading of the PAAR platform by the Customs management, PAAR documents can now be generated in less than 48 hours.

“Everybody here will agree with me that PAAR is now efficient. This was made possible by the grace of God and the CGC 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.

She said the NCS management has set up a committee at the command to address genuine cases relating to PAAR hence agents do not have to go to the customs headquarters to lay any complaints.

She said the concerted efforts of stakeholders and officers of the command have yielded positive results as the command generated over N5.2 billion in the first quarter of the year including N2.2 billion collected in April.

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

While soliciting the cooperation of the agents, she charged them to ensure honest declaration to avoid delays in taking delivery of their consignments.

“When you raise false declarations, that is where problem start arising from 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.