The Tin can Island Port command of the Nigeria Customs Service said it has commenced training of officers on the advanced stage of the processes and procedures of the Nigeria Integrated Customs Information System (NICIS) II.
A statement made available to newsmen by the Public Relations Officer of the command, Uche Ejesieme said the training is part of the Service effort to upgrade its ICT base.
Controller of the command, Comptroller Yusuf Bashar while declaring the training open admonished participants to take advantage of the training to improve their capacity and competence in the discharge of their functions.
He stated that the course curriculum was carefully articulated to cover vast areas in the 21st Century Customs Operations in line with the WCO standard.
He noted that the training became imperative so as to prepare officers and men on the anticipated NICIS II which was coming as an advancement to NICIS 1 as a major tool for facilitation of legitimate trade.
The Controller highlighted the importance of ICT to 21st Century Customs Operations and charged participants to remain focused towards acquiring the needed skills that would aid a quick comprehension of the provisions of NICIS II.
Comptroller Bashar thanked the Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali and his Management team for approving his request to send resource persons from the Customs Headquarters for the training programme.
The statement stated that the NICIS Integrated Report Interface System (IRIS) was aimed at providing participants with knowledge on how to use NICIS IRIS module to generate a report and print integrated report interface system adding that the training provided a template for chief examiners to be proactive such that cases of infractions could be detected and appropriate sanctions applied.
He pointed out that training and re-training of his personnel had resulted in the high revenue being generated by the command despite the low volume of cargo traffic.
The controller charged the trading public to ensure honest declarations and stated that the Service would continue to facilitate legitimate trade in line with global best practices.
“It is the wish of the Area Controller to sustain our benchmark rating, especially in relation to the achievements of last year, when the Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (Rtd.) sent four different commendation letters to the Command in recognition and appreciation of the great strides and milestones recorded in the command.
He has stated repeatedly that there would be no room for complacency and that is why he has been engaging the Chief Examiners, Releasing Officers and O/C Terminals to ensure that all areas of Revenue leakages are identified and blocked,” the statement quoted the controller as saying.
Bashir called on patriotic Nigerians to oblige the command with reliable information that would help in enhancing its capacity to deliver on its mandates.
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