The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) says the Tincan Island Port cargo Time Release Study (TRS) is almost ready and baring any unforseen circumstance, will be unveiled to the international trade community in September.
Comptroller Dera Nnadi, Area Controller, Tincan Island Port command of the NCS, said this in a statement on Sunday.
Recall that the World Customs Organisation (WCO) assisted TRS was launched in Tincan Island Port (TICP) in February 2024 to determine the length of time it takes to clear a cargo at the port.
The WCO Time Release Study is a strategic and internationally recognized tool to measure the actual time required for the release and/or clearance of goods, from the time of arrival until the physical release of cargo.
This is with a view to finding bottlenecks in the trade flow process and taking necessary measures to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of border procedures.
Nnadi who supervises the ongoing Time Release Study at Tincan port, Apapa said his officers and men encountered several challenges during the course of the study.
He, however, said that despite challenges faced, the report would be released in September.
He said: “We had challenges in carrying out the Time Release Study and the biggest challenge was apathy on the side of port users.
The port is a very dynamic environment and people are always hurrying to clear their goods. So, it is tough to have them respond to questionnaires. “But we had to be very creative to get the responses of the importers. We had to organize physical and Zoom meetings to get the importers and clearing agents involved in the study.
“We were given a target of 600 respondents but we had to increase the number to 1,000 because Nigeria is a big country.
We needed to ensure that we are able to cover an extensive sample large enough to fairly represent the population of the international trade community in Nigeria,” he said.
Nnadi further explained that Tincan Port was chosen for the TRS because of the delay in cargo release which was already known about the port.
He, however, noted that there had been a significant improvement since after the clearing of the port access roads and reactivation of night operation at the Tincan Port.
He said all agencies in the port and captains of industry who make up the country’s National Trade Facilitation Committee are involved in the TRS.
“The outcome of the committee is expected to show the way to shorter period for release of goods from the port and improve cargo turnaround time significantly,” he said.
