The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Adewale Adeniyi, has stated that overtime cargoes contributed less than one per cent of the N6.105tn revenue generated by the Service in 2024.

The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service has stated that, over time, cargoes have contributed less than one per cent of the N6.105tn revenue generated by the Service in 2024.

Adeniyi disclosed this on Monday in Lagos while addressing consignees, customs brokers, terminal operators, and officers at a sensitisation programme on the automation of overtime cargo clearance.

In August, The PUNCH reported that NSC issued a two-week grace period to importers and agents of 905 cargoes, currently domiciled at various ports in Lagos, to clear them or risk forfeiture to the Federal Government. The two-week ultimatum given by the service ended in the first week of September.

Overtime cargoes are consignments that have stayed beyond the estimated time at the ports. The service warned that, at the expiration of the two-week grace period, it would initiate the process for disposing of the overtime cargoes.

In January, the CGC announced that the Service collected a total sum of N6.105tn as revenue for the year 2024.

Giving details of the ultimatum, Adeniyi reiterated that the aim of the overtime auction is not for revenue generation but to boost port operations.

“In 2024, we collected N6.3tn in revenue, but less than one per cent came from overtime cargo sales. Our focus is transparency, reducing corruption, and freeing space at the ports to boost efficiency and not for revenue generation,” Adeniyi said.

He added that over 50 per cent of the complaints he handles daily are linked to overtime cargoes congesting Nigerian ports.

“Over 50 per cent of letters, emails, and complaints I receive as CG are about overtime cargoes. Some of these disputes end up with the ICPC, EFCC, and even reach the President’s desk. One case has dragged on for nearly 15 years, resurfacing with every administration,” he said.

The CGC also announced that special desks have been set up in headquarters and key commands to fast-track the clearance of imports for government projects, manufacturers, embassies, and international agencies.

“These goods are vital for power, road, health, and education projects. They must not spend one extra day in the ports,” he said.

Adeniyi described the new automated system as a game-changer, designed to balance the interests of cargo owners, custodians, and other stakeholders while speeding up clearance times and cutting costs.

He also promised more engagements with stakeholders, starting with terminal operators and shipping companies, to ensure smooth implementation of the system.

“We are more interested in exiting the cargoes from the ports rather than having them as overtime,” he remarked.

Also speaking, the Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs, Isah Umar, in charge of Administration at Headquarters, described the automated system as a defining moment that would break long-standing barriers in the management and disposal of overtime cargo.

He said the dynamic nature of port operations made it necessary to constantly review and upgrade clearance procedures to align with emerging technologies and global best practices.

Umar noted that the repeal of the old Customs and Excise Management Act and the enactment of the NCS Act 2023 had created a fresh mandate for the Service to modernise its overtime cargo procedures.

“This end-to-end automation is not just a reform; it is a transformation that demands active collaboration between Customs and stakeholders across the import and export sectors,” he said.

He listed the benefits of the automated system to include greater transparency, improved data integrity, elimination of bottlenecks, reduced human interference, and harmonised documentation.

On his part, the General Manager of Ports and Terminal Multiservices Limited, Mr. Babatunde Keshiro, recommended that the automated system be structured in a way that prevents deliberate jettisoning of goods at port for overtime to evade import duty and other port charges.

He, however, assured that PTML will continue to partner with the NCS in ensuring the new automated system works perfectly, even as he added that the new system should be institutionalised.