The House of Representatives Committee on Customs
and Excise has described the ETO Electronic Call-up System of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) as an electronic fraud, designed to milk port users.
The Chairman of the committee, Hon. Leke Abejide called the ETO Call-up System an electronic fraud while responding to the speech of the Customs Area Controller, Apapa Port Command, Comptroller Babatunde Olomu Ph.D, when the committee was on its oversight function to the command last week Wednesday.
In the Committee Chairman’s words: “Another issue is this Eto Call-up System, it is an electronic fraud whereby people buy the ticket and hoard it, and they would later force you to buy at exorbitant prices, the President would not like to hear this. We shall select among our colleagues to handle this anomaly.”
Hon. Abejide gave the assurance that a technical committee is being set up by the lawmakers to beam searchlight on the activities of some terminal operators, which are inimical to the growth of the port system and therefore not helping Nigeria and the stakeholders working at the port.
He pointed out that people outside do not understand that most of the delays at the port do not originate from Customs, but from terminal operators and shipping lines who behave like lords.
“We are going to form a technical committee to make sure we look deeply into their activities because it is not helping Nigeria and the stakeholders working at the port.
“The Nigerian stakeholders making use of these facilities are losing money, but these foreigners don’t want to lose a dime, we would tell them we are not animals. We shall invite them to Abuja, and the stakeholders would also be invited to join them,” the Committee Chairman declared.
Earlier, Comptroller Olomu while receiving members of the House Committee led by its Chairman lamented that the lack of scanning machines was hampering activities of the command. The controller stressed the need for terminal operators, specifically Eko Support, ENL Terminal and APM Terminals, to upgrade their operating equipment in line with the concession agreement signed with the Federal Government of Nigeria.
According to him, one of the key challenges facing the command is the shortage of scanning machines, an essential technological equipment. He stated that the lack of scanning machines is hampering the efficiency of cargo inspections, leading to delays in processing shipments.
His words: “Scanning machines play a critical role in non-intrusive inspection, allowing Customs officials to quickly detect contraband cargoes and hazardous materials without manually opening the container.
“The absence of these machines results in longer inspection time and this could lead to human error which could also lead to security breaches or passage of un-inspected cargoes.”
Comptroller Olomu added that the shortage of technological equipment could also impact data collection and record keeping. He noted that without advance cargo tracking system and automated inspection tools, the command struggles to efficiently monitor the flow of goods, which can lead to inaccuracies in cargo documentation, making it difficult to enforce regulation and track compliance effectively.
“Though, as we speak, some of these challenges are being addressed, a scanner with the capacity to scan containers coming into the port is currently being installed at the shipside of APM Terminals.” he said.