By UCHE USIM
The House of Representatives Committee on Customs has described Web Fontaine, which powers the Automated System of Customs Data (ASYCUDA), as a drainpipe as the services it provides are not commensurate with the $6 million dollars government pays monthly. Chairman of the committee, Nakudu Sabo disclosed this on Monday, when he led members of the committee on an inspection tour of scanning services in view of the six months federal government granted service providers in the destination inspection (DI) scheme.
Their visit was also to ascertain the readiness of the Nigeria Customs Service to take over the DI scheme. However, in a swift reaction to the submission of the committee, a Maritime Analyst and President of National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (MD ANLCA), Lucky Amiwero told Daily Sun in an interview that the company’s investment was massive, adding that the coming of the company has changed the face of the port and cargo business for good. He added that same commission the company enjoyed was the same the Customs hitherto spent during the old era. “You need to see how the ports were before the coming of Web Fontaine.
The need massive investment, optic fibre and all that. Connectivity and all that is superb. We should not play politics with maritime technologies”, he said. However, the House Committee Chairman, Nakudu, who frowned at the problem of interconnectivity which came up in virtually all the customs command they visited in Lagos said the volume of investment by the firm in Apapa is very poor compared to how much they collect from government. The Nigeria Customs Service management in Apapa could not even give the firm a pass mark in its assessment.
“I keep hearing Web Fontaine every where I go. Just look at what you have here, very few computers, one scanner, dilapidated airconditioners etc, and you collect $6 million from government every month whereas the whole investment here is even not up to N2 million,” said Nakudu at the ASYCUDA office in Apapa area one command of the Nigeria Customs Service. He also picked holes in their inability to remodel the system till date when their contract was supposed to expire in December 2012.
“When where you planning to remodel the system, where you waiting till after your contract has expired? Are you conscious of the fact that Apapa area one command is the number one revenue generator for governnment and you did not deem it necessary to remodel it? You were given a job that is supposed to expire by December and also supposed to be remodeled, yet you are still trying to remodel in January 2013.