The Apapa Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has announced plans to introduce three cutting-edge scanners capable of examining 200 containers per hour, thereby improving efficiency and trade facilitation.
The Customs Area Controller of the Command, Comptroller Oluwadare Oshoba, urged port users and stakeholders to prepare for a more seamless trade process following the giant strides achieved by the NCS modernisation project with the commencement of fixed scanner installations.
Speaking shortly after inspecting the location for the installation of the three new scanners at the port, Comptroller Oshoba expressed the Command’s readiness to exceed expectations with this new development.
While describing the quayside location for the scanners as an operational masterstroke, he assured that no consignment would escape high-tech driven, non-intrusive inspection at Apapa port as the scanners would be strategically positioned close to the berthing area.
The CAC commended the Comptroller-General of Customs, CGC Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, for his relentless commitment to NCS modernisation and urged officers to prepare for intensive train the trainer sessions as the next phase after installation would be training ahead of full deployment.
He also advised NCS ICT officers to enhance capacity building for tier one and tier two levels of scanner maintenance, noting that these scanners are the first of their kind in the West and Central Africa subregion.
Comptroller Oshoba described the upcoming feat as a great achievement and advised port users, especially importers, exporters and their agents to uphold the tenet of sincere declaration, warning that false declarations and concealment would be exposed by the technology.
He expressed gratitude to CGC Adeniyi, saying: “I want to on behalf of our officers and men, thank the CGC for leading us through an era of revolutionary customs modernisation. The coming of these scanners is one of the many great fruits we shall be harvesting from the modernisation project
“Our partners, the Trade Modernisation Project (TMP), have assured us that the installation would last for 45 days, and we are expecting two units of scanners from them with an additional one from APM Terminals. These three scanners would ensure that there is no downtime for cargo examination here and reinforce our position as the number one destination for port activities in Nigeria
“All hands must be on deck to see to the full realisation of this dream which would save time, increase revenue, enhance national security, promote trade, and prevent port related crimes from the earliest point of entry.”
The TMP Team Leader at the site, Aliyu Suleiman, also spoke about the development and highlighted details of the scanners produced by Nuctech in China.
Suleiman described the scanners as the NUCTECH FS6000 with a high-throughput, non-intrusive, drive-through X-ray inspection system for cargo and vehicles.
He added that the scanners use high-penetration dual-energy X-ray transmission technology to inspect trucks and containers in one pass at speeds up to 15 km/h, allowing for non-stop inspection at busy locations like ports and border crossings.
According to the expert, the system provides detailed images that help identify concealed contraband and dangerous materials, and its compact, modular design allows for easy relocation and integration with other systems, such as License Plate Recognition (LPR) and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID).
Similarly, APM Terminals has promised to provide a mobile scanner to serve as support in the event of unexpected downtime.
