This was as the establishment warned Nigerians to be wary of fraudsters who are on various online and social media platforms eager to defraud the gullible lot. The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of Customs, Joseph Attah who made the disclosure yesterday in Abuja while interfacing with journalists assured of adequate sensitization before the e-auction was rolled out. He said those without Tax Identification Numbers (TIN) were ineligible to participate, even as he said that the new product in the offing would be secure. According to him, the online auction platform was undergoing user acceptability tests, adding that once that exercise was completed, the management would formally unveil the package to the public. “It will be in our trade portal and very user friendly,” he said. Attah said the Comptroller General of Customs, Hameed Ali conceived the e-auction, to replace the manual version that was largely fraught with corruption. His words: “This is one of the initiatives of the CGC who assumed office with a three-prong mandate to reform, restructure and improve revenue. To participate, you must have your TIN. It is very vital. When you log in, the system requests for it before you proceed further. You will also need a copy of recent passport photo and pay a non-refundable administrative fee of N1,000 into Customs e-wallet,” Attah said. The Customs spokesman said the manual auction was open to abuses, acrimony and favouritism thus portraying the establishment in bad light. “The manual style was non-competitive, non-transparent and people accused the NCS of being selective in auctions. Our integrity was at stake. “So when the new CGC assumed duties, he suspended it and set up a committee to build a secure and transparent online platform that will modernize the entire system. It will give Nigerians equal opportunities regardless of status. It will roll out in few weeks time,” he explained. The PRO, however, said that Customs officials and their immediate families were not allowed to participate. “Same goes for owners of seized items. They are prohibited from bidding for their items that were seized.” Attah added that the item to be auctioned would be displayed clearly with accompanying detailed information on it. “So, the highest bidder gets it and will be notified via sms. Item will be sold as it is. “Successful persons are expected to make payment within five working days and failure to pay within that window, the second highest bidder gets it. After payment, you must evacuate the item within 14 days or forfeit same because the item will revert to pre-bidding status.”]]>