Customs deploys ICT to boost revenue at Tin Can Port
A MAJOR agenda of the Tin Can Island Port, Lagos, is to generate more revenue for the country.
In light of this, the Nigeria Customs Service, Tin Can Island Port Command, in the last few years has been one of the major drivers of the nation’s economy, generating over N1 billion daily and contributing about N25 billion monthly, aside from the Apapa Port that contributes about N30 billion to federal revenue.
Speaking on how the command aims to boost revenue, Customs Area Controller, Bashar Yusuf, during the command’s recent training series for officers, disclosed that the NCS would deploy latest ICT tools to buoy up the service, in line with 21st century customs operations. He emphasised that the upgrading of ICT facilities would propel more revenue for government’s purse.
Yusuf, who spoke through a statement signed by the command’s public relations officer, Uche Ejesieme, said, in line with the efforts of the service to upgrade its ICT base,full automation and computerisation of processes and procedures have received further boost.
Said he: “The course curriculum was carefully articulated to cover vast areas in 21st century customs operations in line with the World Customs Organisation (WCO) standard. The training became imperative to prepare officers and men on the anticipated Nigeria Integrated Customs Information System 2 (NICIS 2), an advanced version of NICIS 1, a major tool for legitimate trade facilitation.”
Applauding the Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hammed Ali, for approving the training and sending resource persons from the headquarters, he noted that the training would go a long way to provide a template for chief examiners to be proactive in case of infractions, which could be easily detected and appropriate sanctions applied.
“Training and re-training of personnel have resulted in the high revenue being generated by the command despite the low volume of cargo traffic. And it is the command’s wish to sustain its benchmark rating, especially in relation to 2016 achievement.
“Officers’ performance must be seen to have a significant effect on our revenue, attitudinal change and self-transformation is also key.
“My style is to use ICT to control the behaviour of officers and those who are found wanting will be sanctioned to act as deterrent to would-be offenders,” he said.
Blockchain, digital currency summit to hold in Lagos, August 14
A Blockchain and Cryptocurrency summit will hold next week in Lagos, from August 14 to 15, with the theme “Learning to Glow with the Flow.”
The purpose of the conferece, according to the organisers, Blockchain Education Network, Blockchain Nigeria User Group and Web Print Express Services, is to spur a wave of startups in the blockchain and digital currency ecosystem.
“ It will also be an eye-opening event for those interested in leveraging digital currency revolution as an alternative hedge in an economy struggling to get out of recession,” the organisers said.
The event would be graced by a number of key industry players including Mr. Femi Daniel of NITDA, as a guest speaker, Dr. Daniel Isiavwe, ISSAN president, as keynote speaker, and Mr. Musa Itopa Jimoh, director at the Central Bank Nigeria (CBN), as keynote speaker, as well as the CBN’s Committee on the Study of Virtual Currency as an Emerging Medium of Exchange as panelists and observers.
Others are Dickson Nsofor, Humaniq UK; Oladapo Ajayi, founder, SuperDAO, USA; Miklos Denker and Ida Froyda, Corion Platform, Switzerland; and Joshua Hawley, Everei, Dubai, who have all confirmed their participation at the upcoming event. There will also be brands like Accenture, KPMG and Deloitte.
The conference isn being sponsored by Paxful, SuperDAO and Humaniq, with partnership support from CEX.io and StartUP Bits.
Blockchain technology, a distributed ledger system, offers tremendous opportunities for young startups in Nigeria to solve many national problems, such as inefficient banking systems, expensive remittance services, poor land recording system, embarrassing document verification systems, fraud-laden voting system and so on. Many of the problems facing Nigeria can be solved using blockchain technology, the conference conveners said.
