Nigeria & Benin Republic Synergies To Ensure Bilateral Connectivity

LUCKY LAWAL

 In order to bring about ease of importation and business to promote trade facilitation within the West African sub region, the Nigeria Customs Service and her counterpart from Benin Republic Customs have created an automated platform that would ensure bilateral connectivity.

The new system is said to be time saving; it will amount to a single declarations used by customs administration of both Countries in a transparent platform. It will facilitate trade and reduce cost of doing business, monitoring and curb any tendency of corrupt practices.

Speaking at a sensitization event in Seme Border, Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service, Col Hameed Ali, who was duly represented by the Assistant Comptroller and Head of ICT and Modernisation, Benjamin Aber, and his counterpart, the Director of Customs Administration of Benin Republic, Sacca Boco Charles, called on all stakeholders to adjust to the new seamless trading practice at the border which will enhanced import and export trades  between the two countries.

Aber stated that the decision of government to shut down importation of vehicles through the border was because government does not have a reliable system that would assist in controlling importation.

He further said that with the new bilateral connectivity with Benin Republic, Customs declarations made for imports transiting from either of the countries will be electronically shared. He said the process of import and export will now be done at ones, in such a way that there is no repetition of the process.

It means any importer or exporter who has made declarations once in Benin does not need to make such declarations in Nigeria again and vice versa .

This addresses the possible incidents of duty evasion through insincere declarations or attempt to hide and smuggle a prohibited item into the Country. It also means, there will be no manipulations of consignment. Whatever you are declaring on the other side is electronically transmitted to this side which will form the basses for your assessment.

Also explaining further, the National Public Relations Officer of the Nigerian Customs Service, Deputy Comptroller, Joseph Attah, said, “What we mean is that, whatever declaration you make in either country will be known by Customs administration of the other country. It will be impossible to now make a declaration at one end and later change or adjust earlier made declaration in the other country to avoid arrest or payment of appropriate taxes.

“This addresses the possible incidents of duty evasion through insincere declarations or attempt to hide and smuggle a prohibited item into the country. Whatever you are declaring on the other side is electronically transmitted to this side and vice versa and will form the bases for your assessment.

It becomes impossible to change declaration concerning the consignment. By this, we shall be preventing smuggling electronically.
“This does not affect the extant procedures peculiar to both countries on prohibition list, contraband and country by country rules on processing of certain items for importation. Laws of both countries applies to items so declared” Attah said.

He added that in addition to single declarations being used by customs administration of broth counties in a transparent platform, the new system will be time saving and no doubt facilitate trade and reduce cost of doing business while curbing possible corrupt tendencies.

Revenue collection would be more accurate while security will be enhanced with the deployment of non intrusive equipment such as scanners and others that will detect items that could compromise security, fuel insurgency or other criminal acts in both Countries.

He also said the existing trade relationship between both countries would be strengthened by the new initiative as it will forge a more enduring partnership aimed at promoting legitimate trade and discouraging trans-border illegalities.

Governments of both countries, according to Attah, would be able to access more accurate and reliable trade data or statistics for national planning and other economic resource materials. Levels of compliance to trade and fiscal policies by members of the trading community is expected to increase with the new system whose backbone is sustained by an internationally recognised ICT for trade solution.