The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Thursday advocated for the engagement of local operators for the implementation of the new e-invoice and e-valuation policy for imports and exports which the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was planning to introduce in the country.
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Assistant Comptroller General of Customs, Galadima Saidu, made the demand while speaking before the House of Representatives Committees on Customs and Excise as well as Banking and Currency at section organized to address issues arising from the introduction of the new system by the CBN.
The Customs had at the last meeting with the House Committees, kicked against the new policy, saying it usurped their functions and violated international trade laws.
The agency was also against the policy because the CBN did not carry out adequate sensitisation of the project, as well as carry stakeholders along in the process among other issues.
But at Thursday’s meeting, the Representative of the NCS said after a meeting with the CBN two days ago, they decided to give their support to the policy if it was homegrown as this would save money for the country among other benefits.
Saidu, added that the CBN however disagreed with this as they had already engaged some service providers.
According to him, “Let us look at it as a home issue. Every day we have graduates in Computer Science, no jobs. We should give them the opportunity. If the service providers can come in and give us the capacity to do this thing for a period of six months, at least it is okay. CBN should tell us who is providing the service. Who have they engaged to provide this service? If they tell us they are Nigerians and they would employ Nigerians, fine and good, no one is against it.”
However, other stakeholders including the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), the Federation of Agricultural Commodities Association of Nigeria (FACAN) and the Association of Licensed Customs Agency kicked against the new policy, saying it would be inimical to business.
They also complained that relevant stakeholders were not carried along in the process to make inputs on how it would be beneficial to all.
Speaking in defence of the policy, the Director, Trade and Exchange of the CBN, Dr Ozoemena Nnaji, had said that the new regulation was primarily aimed at achieving accurate value from import and export items in and out of Nigeria.
Chairman of the Committee on Customs, Hon Leke Abejide, urged the CBN to get all relevant stakeholders on the same page on the issue.
He directed that whenever they have resolved all their differences, they should notify the committees for further action.
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