A shipping expert and Managing Director, Widescope Nigeria Limited, Dr. Segun Musa has condemned the planned re-introduction of International Cargo Tracking Note (ICTN) in Nigerian ports and its proponents, insisting that the trade tool “is a fraud and a surest way to further kill the economy.”
During an interaction with the leadership of the Maritime Reporters Association of Nigeria (MARAN) at the headquarters of his company in Ogba, Lagos, Musa, who is the National Vice President of the Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), said the ICTN is not different from the Customs Risk Assessment Report, which profiles all cargo coming into Nigeria.
According to The Nigerian Economy findings, the ICTN, also known as “waiver certificate,” is a shipping document mostly used in Central and West African ports, which contains essential information about the cargo being imported/exported and the ship. The ICTN is promoted by the Nigerian Shippers’ Council as needed in Nigerian ports to further ease the international trade system.
But Musa said the reintroduction of ICTN would further add up to the cost of cargo clearance, explaining that with the intervention of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) acting on his petition, the ICTN was suspended at the airport. He wondered why the ICTN, already jettisoned by the government, is being reintroduced by the government.
“ICTN is a fraud. This is a fastest way of killing the economy. We are waiting for them,” Musa insisted.
He called on the Nigeria Customs Service to implement automation of cargo clearance and delivery, stating that the Customs had promised that the B’Odogwu would address cargo clearance and facilitate trade.
“I want to believe it is achievable. What we need is the full automation; we are against use of companies but rather individuals with their identity number in cargo clearance. Everything from inspection to delivery should be automated. This is where the integrity of the Nigeria Customs Service will come to play,” said Musa.
Whether Customs will allow the automation to work or Customs agents will declare correctly, Musa averred that the world is changing and Nigeria cannot be left behind, saying “Nobody wants a change. The world is migrating away from analog. This is why investors do not want to come to Nigeria. To advance our economy, we must embrace change – automation.”
