Local: Tincan Island Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has deployed its Time Release Tool Study (TRS) to enhance trade facilitation and revenue generation

Mr. Uche Ejesieme in a statement signed by Command’s Public Relations Officer, stated that the Nigeria Customs Service's Tincan Island Headquarters, NCS, has deployed its 'Time Release Tool Analysis,' TRS, for strategic planning to assess the exact period needed for the release and clearance of merchandise, from the time of arrival to the physical release from customs control.

He also claimed that the TRS is a strategic instrument capable of finding bottlenecks in the supply chain of trade and providing an encouraging climate for productivity and quality in operations.

Ejesieme claimed that it was on the strength of the tool and other factors that allowed the Command to realize a total of N117.8 billion between January and April 2020, despite the COVID-19 pandemic which has posed a great challenge. The figure is against the sum of  N106.6billion generated during the same period in 2019.

While responding to issues bothering on challenges amidst the COVID-19, the Command reiterated the readiness of its officer and men to ensure adherence and compliance with the extant protocols by Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, and World Health Organization, WHO, towards containing the spread of the virus.

The Command’s spokesman disclosed that prior to the declaration of the virus as a pandemic disease, the Command had conducted series of seminars and awareness campaigns, targeted at sensitising the officers/men as well as stakeholders on measures to adopt in dealing with the menace. These measures according to the CAC would be sustained even after the COVID-19 era.

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He stated: Even at the onset of this pandemic when pressure, anxiety and general apprehension was the order of the day, the Command demonstrated resilience, sagacity and compassion in its approach to the novel pandemic, such that tension was reduced from the psyche of the operatives with confidence inspired that enabled them to attend to their functions without let or hindrance.

With this pandemic, the Command will upscale her sensitisation on the need for Nigerians to fully take advantage of the operations in export trade, especially at this moment when it has become compelling for diversification of the economy for national development.

He also spoke about the focus of the NCS trade facilitation, saying, “We use this medium to remind Nigerians to seize the opportunity of the numerous incentives by the Federal Government in the area of export, to draw and attract the consciousness of Nigerians to the advantages in export trade.

With the Time Release Studies tool, we have generated statistical data on the actual time declarations were made up till the time of release from Customs Control. It is on the basis of this that the Command realised that the Nigeria Customs Service is only involved in two major functions in the Trade Value Chain (Examination and Release of Cargo) from Customs Control. The unwavering commitment of the Command necessitated the need to work assiduously towards it.

In addition, he claimed that, given the few obstacles that militate against the results, the Command would not let its guards down in the fulfillment of its official mandate.

The Command will continue to promote and promote a culture of compliance with fiscal and monetary policies, while also rewarding traders who are compliant.