By Stephen Ubanna
For more than one week there were cares of backlog of uncleared cargoes at the Apapa port giving Compt. Babatunde Olomu, described as a workaholic in Customs circles sleepless nights on how to solve the problem to sustain the command’s record as the Service Best in Trade Facilitation and Revenue generation.
With the backing the support of Barshir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, the Custom Comptroller, CGC, he Customs Comptroller General was said to have tackled the B’Odogwu platform problem headlong which many believes had given the importers with their agents the assurance that ”Apapa port still remain the best in fast- tracking the process of taking delivery of imported cargoes” since the implementation of the B’Odogwu , an indigenous technology which had replaced the Nigerian Integrated Customs Information System , NICIS, a foreign technology used in conducting risk assessment activity that facilitates seamless trade while maintaining security measures at the seaports, airports and land border stations across the country.
Compt. Olomu may have alluded to this when he disclosed that the CGC, who is ‘’deeply concerned and persistently overseeing the solution process of the B’ Odogwu indigenous technology had beamed his searchlight on its operations at the Command ‘’to ensure that ‘’the homegrown Information Technology Communication, ICT,’’ popular, B’Odowu initiative thrives’’ at every given time.
Compt. Olomu may have taken advantage of the recent down time at the Apapa port to bring out his expertise in the operation and management of the B’Odogwu facility as he was said to have successfully fixed all the identified problems arising from the system with the Command trained technical officers and the Trade Modernisation, TMP, personnel.
An insider confirmed that he has kept to his words of ensuring that agents take delivery of their importers’ cargoes at the port with ease. This may have given hope tat the Command would surpass the Over N161 billion .00 collected within three weeks of th B’Odogwu running into problem with a significant margin, which stake holders had said will hit the over N200 billion mark or even more.
This because the officers had heeded to the instructions of the Area Command to work extra hours and even weekends which was said to have fastened the process of clearing the backlog of undone jobs at the APM, described as the biggest terminal in the ports in the West and Central African sub-regions and other bonded Terminals under the supervision and control of the Command.
Effort to get to speak to the Apapa Command Area including getting response to a test message on the situation of things at the port proved abortive but a senior officer who spoke to The Value News on condition of anonymity confirmed that normalcy had returned to the port as all the identified problems associated with the B’Odogwu had been fixed.
It was not surprising why there had been reduced delays in processing importers’ documents that are associated with Conventional closing periods have been reduced considerably this time around, making it possible for the aggrieved agents who were said to have piled up pressure on the Apapa Command Area Comptroller to do something fast to restore normalcy in the premier port to beam with smiles as they give kudos to him and his Management team for being there to solve their problems.
While an elated Compt. Olomu, could heave a sigh of relief that normalcy had returned to the Apapa port, he was said to have interfaced with Okutah Pius, a Layer and Executive Secretary, Nigeria Shippers Council, NSC, as they were said to have mediated the process of demurrage waivers with the terminal operators and the shipping Companies which was given to the importers. This is an indication that ‘’the Athletic -built and soft-spoken’’ Compt. Olomu, could bulldoze his way to the terminal operators and Shipping Companies offices to reduce the financial burden on the agent’s taking delivery of their clients’ cargoes at the port when put under intense pressure and shared values with the Patriotic importers with their agents who was to see the Apapa Command sustain its revenue records.
