There was tension at the Apapa Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) when news filtered in that some officers of the command tested positive for Coronavirus (COVID-19).
As a result, some Customs Licensed Agents that do business at the command, expressed concern over the likelihood of community transmission of the virus within port environment judging by manual inspection of goods that contradicts social distancing rule.
Nkiru Nwala, Public Relations Officer of the Command, who confirmed the report, said some officers of the command contracted the virus.
According to her, the officers contracted the virus, but the incident was no longer recent as the officers have recovered.
“All is in the past now and when it happened the command ensured that all the required protocols were observed with the relevant agencies of government in order to make the port environment healthy for people to work, ” she said.
Nwala gave God the praise for the grace to serve our fatherland even in the most difficult times of the outbreak of COVID-19.
Reacting, Lucky Amiwero, president national of the Council of Managing Director of Liscenced Customs Agents (NCMDLCA), called for the redesigning of port operation to meet the current reality.
According to him, Customs officers must be commended for coming to their duty post during the period of the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic but all the ports whether Apapa,Tin-Can Island or Onne must be redesigned for present day reality.
“We have raised this issue with the Presidency because the problem is a holistic problem that has to do with all port system. The men who contracted the virus was as a result of no spacing. And when you look at the port, it is not only Apapa port, it is everywhere. You go to Tin-Can, you have the same problem,” he said.
Amiwero, who described the timing as an emergency one, said there is need for the Nigerian Ports Authority(NPA), Customs, Licenced Customs Agents to be able to sit back and look at how the port can be redesigned.
“Customs officers at Apapa port might have gotten the virus as a result of a traveler who have come there or someone who is exposed to it. Agents are also exposed to the virus because manual cargo clearing requires them to go from one place to another. For instance, if you go to the bank, you see people clustering, you go to the shipping companies, you see people clustering. This thing happened as a result of the way you have your bill of entry, there is a query and you want to go and attend to it. You don’t even know if the man attending to you has it or not,” he said.
He pointed out that government needs to look for how to reorganise the port to have coodinative center. “The virus is not the problem of Apapa, it is the problem of the whole ports. Every port area has the same problem.”
On his own, Kayode Farinto, vice president, Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), called for invocation of Customs Excise and Management (CEMA) Act to curb spread of the virus at Ports.
He said the bill of sight in CEMA Act will curb the spread of Coronavirus in the maritime industry.
Farinto warned that the failure of the Customs to invoke section 28 and 29 of the Customs Excise and Management Act which give Customs the power to invoke the ‘Bill of Sight’, would continue to allow for the spread the deadly Coronavirus pandemic within the port.
According to him, the Bill of Sight will help reduce human contacts which may leads to the spread of the pandemic in the maritime industry.
“If there is an outbreak of Covid-19 in the maritime industry the NCS management should be held responsible. We are in a period of war and we suggest that Customs should invoke section 28 and 29 of the CEMA law,” he added.
