Coming on the heels of the newly introduced Pre-Arrival Assessment Reports (PAAR), the Comptroller General of Customs (CG), Abdullahi Dikko Inde has warned clearing agents and importers to hasten the update of their PAAR, else they risk the blockage of their practicing licenses.
The ultimatum issued from the customs headquarters stated that the agents and importers should update their unused PAAR on or before April 14th 2014.
It will be recalled that, at the wake of the PAAR scheme, last year, the customs had released several consignment based on ‘provisional release’ in order to avoid port congestion.
The Post Clearance Audit Unit of the customs has however said that the PAAR’s are out now but many beneficiaries of the pre-release scheme have failed to come and perfect their unused PAAR.
According to a senior officer of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) who spoke under anonymity confirmed that the new system of PAAR introduced by customs is not effective and is creating a setback for them at the port, especially the nation’s economy.
“If you take a look at the rate of import and export during the time of Pre-release you will see the increase but since the custom closed the window, it has really been a challenge. We have a backlog of vessels in the port now. I hope we do not cry of congestion soon”, He lamented.
However, indications are many of the importers and agents have failed to regularize their PAAR since the Pre-release window was closed.
Confirming this, spokesman of PTML customs; Steve Okonmah said that many of the importers fail to show up to regularise their PAAR.
He further stressed that the customs headquarters has directed that any importer or agent who has not received his PAAR as at 30th of March 2014 should direct his bank to re-upload all their documents to the newly upgraded PAAR platform.
“If this is done, your PAAR will be received in less than 48hours” the statement said.
“You are supposed to have PAAR, but because the PAAR was not out and we don’t want demurrage to be accruing, we used provisional release, but now that the PAAR is out, some people have seen it, but because of the difference in what they ought to have paid which they under-declared, they don’t want to come out”, He said.
“If those that are suppose to normalize their PAAR don’t do so, definitely, action will be taken against them, they might loose their license” he said.