A Destination Inspection service provider, Global Scansystems Ltd, on Friday in Lagos awarded certificates to six customs officers who completed training on scanning and maintenance operations.
Global Scansystems’ Chief Executive Officer, Fred Udechukwu, said the officers were part of the 350 customs officers that would take over scanning operations at the ports when the firm’s contract expired.
Udechukwu said the capacity building was one of the major aspects of the company’s DI contract with the Federal Government.
The contract states that we should train 350 customs officers over the period of the contract (seven years).
Udechukwu, who was represented by the firm’s General Manager, Site Operations, Hassan Adeogun, said the company would soon begin the training of customs officers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.
Udechukwu said his company planned to train four officers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport command every two months from January, 2011.
He said the company was committed to capacity building of officers of Nigeria Customs Service to take over handling of the scanning machines at the end of its contract.
Besides, he disclosed that the company had begun the training of 10 customs officers in Calabar and 10 others at its headquarters in Lagos.
The Customs Area Comptroller at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Command, Michael Adewole, urged the officers not to hesitate to ask the service provider questions whenever they ran into any hitch.
Adewole urged the officers to grasp the proper maintenance of the scanning machines so that the machines would function at optimal capacity.
Global Scansystem was contracted to scan cargoes at Calabar, Warri, Lagos Grimaldi, Murtala Muhammed International airports, Seme border post and the Lagos Free Trade Zone.
The Destination Inspection scheme was re-introduced at both the seaports and airports all in the country on Jan, 1, 2006 after the first attempt in April 1999 failed.
The scheme was introduced to address the lapses in Pre-Shipment Inspection Scheme which Nigeria had adopted in the last 27 years.
Its objectives include trade facilitation, getting value for money, capacity building for customs and modernisation of customs operations.
The scheme is based on a seven-year Build, Own, Operate and Transfer.
Three companies Global Scansystems, SGS and Cotecna Destination Inspection Nigeria Ltd were appointed by the Federal Government to provide scanning, inspection and risk management services under the DI scheme.
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