Dikko Flays Non-Payment Of Levies By African Countries

The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS)Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko,  last Saturday announced that only 10 countries out of the 23 West and Central African Regional Countries paid the 10,000 euros annual contribution for capacity building in the World Customs Organisation (WCO).

Dikko made the announcement while presenting the report of the Eighth Meeting of the Committee of Experts of the West and Central Africa (WCA) Region of the WCO in Cotonou, Benin Republic.

Dikko, who is also the vice-chairman of the WCA Region of the WCO was represented by Deputy Comptroller-General of the NCS, Mr Manassah Jatau, at the meeting of the committee of experts.

He said that the payment of the annual contribution was adopted during the 15th conference of customs director generals of WCA in Bamako, Mali in 2010.

The Vice Chairman said that out of the 10 countries that honoured the commitment of paying the contribution, Cote d’Ivoire was the only country that paid in advance for the 2012 in 2011.

He said that the annual contribution was meant for the enhancement of capacity building in the region to deliver best practices in customs administration operations.

Dikko said that regarding to the annual contribution, the 10 countries that had paid include DRC Congo, Cameroon, Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria, Liberia, Guinea Bissau, Benin and Cote d’Ivoire.

He said that due to unsatisfactory responses to the contribution, the Regional Office for Capacity Building (ROCB) had requested for one year extension of the regional strategic to allow all member states to implement the scheme.