Determined to write his name in gold as the only President to enthrone an enduring regime on the ease of doing business at Nigerian Seaports Ports, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on April 16, 2024, inaugurated a steering committee for a National Single Window Project.
The Committee made up of critical stakeholders such as the Federal Ministry of Finance, the CBN, Federal Inland Revenue Service, the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, the Nigeria Customs Service, Nigerian Ports Authority, Nigerian Shippers Council, among others, remains a bold statement by Mr President to break long standing developmental barriers in advancing the progress, prosperity and well being of every Nigerian.A single window is clearly a trade facilitative measure. It permits the trader or transporter to submit all the data needed for determining admissibility of the goods in a standardized format only once to the authorities involved in border controls and at a single portal.
Those familiar with the various layers of port reforms in our nation’s seaports over the past three decades or so would have observed that the call for digitization of port operations which the National Single Window project by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu seeks to introduce ,is not alien to stakeholders in the maritime Sector. History is replete with several failed attempts to thinker with a more transparent approach to doing business at our ports. But to most Stakeholders, the present approach by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, appears, in all intents and purpose, more profound. Speaking at the inauguration of the steering Committee last year at the State House, Mr President described the NSW project as a game changer, adding that by simplifying government trade compliance through a digital platform, Nigeria will unlock the doors to economic prosperity. He said , “This initiative will link our ports , government agencies, and key stakeholders , creating a seamless and efficient system that will facilitate trade like never before “. The President further explained on that occasion that papersless trade alone is estimated to bring an annual economic benefit of around $2.7billion,noting that countries like Singapore, South Korea, Kenya and Saudi Arabia have already seen significant improvements affecting implementing Single Window systems . Tinubu said Nigeria cannot afford to lose an estimated $4billion annually due to red tapism, bureaucracy and corruption at our ports.
Expectedly, this wake up call has not been taken lightly by Marine and Blue Economy Minister, Chief Adegboyega Oyetola . He has asked agencies under his watch , specifically Nigerian Ports Authority and the Nigerian Shippers Council to fold their sleeves and rise up to the challenges which Single Window project pose to the economic well being of the nation.Speaking at a workshop in Lagos about a fortnight ago , Oyetola was optimistic that ” the implementation of the Single Window System can enhance efficiency, potentially reducing these costs by at least 25per cent.” , even though he did not specify when full implementation would begin. But despite these lofty dreams by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu about the envisaged gains of this project, most stakeholders are still sceptical about the full realization of its shared vision and how it would benefit port users.
Skeptics are concerned that if past experiences on actualization of such dreams are anything to go by, it may still be business as usual at Nigerian Seaports. Remarked a freightforwarder who pleaded for anonymity: “I am waiting to see the day when i can sit in the comfort of my home or office, without contact with a Customs officer, the NPA and Shipping company and take delivery of my consignment. We know this is what happens in other climes but the endemic corruption in our ports would never allow this happen. He continued: ” I bet you, the same people who are putting this law in place will sabotage it.” Even the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, who is a strong advocate of the Single Window project is worried that ” the deployment of advanced digital platforms must be accompanied by a meticulous process of reengineering, capacity building and proper change management. He said past efforts in Nigeria failed because so much emphasis was placed on technology without adequately addressing the human operational dimensions. And this is why i want to seize this opportunity to call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately establish a compliance team or task force made of Incorruptible individuals. Their duty as the name implies is to enforce 100 per cent compliance once the scheme is officially flagged off. Members of the Compliance Task Force should include the Media, Civil Society, NACCIMA, the Manufacturers Association of Nigerian, the Customs CIU unit, CBN, FIRS , the NPA, Nigeria Shippers Council and the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs AGENTS, and any other bodies that Mr President feels that can effectively play the role of an ombudsman at the nation’s points of entry including, Seaports, land borders and airports. This compliance team may look like another layer of bureaucracy but in my opinion this is certainly a necessary “evil” if His Excellency, Adegboyega Oyetola, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy and his team must get the Single Window Project off to a smooth and seamless take off.