Nigeria Customs begins Assessment, Duty Payment October 12

Nigeria Customs begins Assessment, Duty Payment October 12

From October 12, this year, The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) will begin a new Assessment and Duty payment procedure that will enable importers to pay to banks all duties without needing to pass through any of its officials.

Furthermore, any shipping or airline that fails to make available the electronic manifest of the goods they are trying to import into Nigeria would no longer be allowed to berth or land in Nigeria.

This disclosure was made in Lagos yesterday by the Public Relations Officer of the NCS, Mr. Wale Adeniyi during an interview with Business and Maritime Summit.

The new procedure, Adeniyi explained, was adopted by the service in response to the yearnings of maritime stakeholders for improved Customs clearance system.

While giving insight into the new procedure, the Customs spokesman stressed that importers, under the new regime, are to generate assessment for their goods and make duty payment by themselves in any of the designated banks.

In doing these, the importers are not expected to visit any Customs premises so as to guarantee transparency and accountability.

Importers or licensed Customs agents who have the requisite ASCUDA ++ facilities, the PRO stated further, are expected to initiate the assessment and pay appropriate duties to the banks in the comfort of their offices.

Those who do not have these facilities, according to Adeniyi, are required to visit and access the system through licensed Direct Traders Input cafes already designated for the purpose.

Explaining the new regulation guiding the electronic Transmission of Manifest otherwise called e-manifest, the Customs image maker dsclosed further that any shipping company of airline that fails to submit its electronic manifest to the Customs would no longer be allowed to berth or land in Nigeria.

In order to facilitate this, he stated that shipping compaines and airlines were already being sensitized on the new procedure to facilitate their preparation and compliance.

The new e-manifest procedure, he stressed, would now take effect from October 12, 2009.