The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has blamed the Nigeria Customs Service for the corruption at the nation’s sea ports. The Minister made the remarks during the commissioning of the Command, Control, Communication and Intelligence System, (CCCIS) by the Nigerian Ports Authority.
He noted that rather than allow for the much talked about single window system prefers 100 percent physical inspection of containers.
Amaechi revealed that customs officials are presently frustrating the single window regime at the sea and airports so as to continue in their old ways. He however expressed happiness in the installation of a modern cutting-edge security technology, capable of tracking, recording and delivering ships movements within the country’s ports domain.
The minister who confirmed that with the installation, maritime activities within and beyond the ports of Lagos, Port Harcourt, Calabar, Onne, Warri can now be meticulously monitored, simultaneously in Lagos also described the achievement as a remarkable milestone in the nation’s port operational system.
Speaking in the same vein, the NPA Managing Director, Hadiza Usman stressed that by virtue of the equipment, the NPA as a worthy stakeholder, will be capable of assisting the country in networking to surmount security and safety challenges, not within Nigeria, but within the entire Gulf of Guinea.