ABUJA: The 6hours cargo clearance through the achievement of the Single Window environment, and also achieve the presidential declaration of zero tolerance to counterfeit drugs in the country, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) donated 50 computer sets to the National Agency of Food and Drug Administration Control (NAFDAC).
The donation according to the comptroller-general of Customs, Abdullahi Dikko, was informed by the fact that NAFDAC is the strongest ally of the NCS in the achievement of the single window environment.
Dikko, who stated that the Service would continue to extend the gesture to identified agencies in need of such, explained that achievement of 6hours goods clearance would facilitate trade and reduce the burden of cost on the consumer, while also increasing traders’ turnover.
“NAFDAC is one of the strongest allies of the NCS in the achievement of the single window, we found out that apart from the training we gave them, we have to help them with equipment to facilitate trade to enable them key in with Mr President’s transformation agenda whereby we are able to achieve 6hours goods clearance,” Dikko said while presenting the computers at the Customs headquarters.
Receiving the computers, the director-general of NAFDAC, Paul Orhii, who commended the NCS for the gesture, said the computers would be used to further consolidate the seamless relationship with the Service.
He noted that the relationship with the NCS has further helped NAFDAC to better carry out its mandate of safeguarding the nation adding that on several occasions, Customs have helped NAFDAC to intercept fake products that would have made its way into the country.
He said, “Especially now that we have keyed into the Customs ASYCUDA system which allows us to view the contents of a container before they arrive and because of that, we are able to decide which container we must do 100 per cent examination on, so some of these computers will be used for that programme.
“Some will also be used in our laboratories and some in our offices. We have received gifts once in a while from other organisations but, this is the most meaningful gift been given to us by a fellow agency because of the collaboration we have with the NCS,” Ohii said.
