Delays and challenges associated with the recent introduction of the Pre Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) by Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has been surmounted by Apapa Area 1 Command of the service which have collected N29,315,856,664 for the month of  April 2014.
This increase in revenue is evident in the comparison of collections of the command made in April 2014 which is over 50 percent of the N55 billion collected between January and March 2014 when the command grappled with the challenges. This feat was achieved by a combination of dedicated personnel and apt application of available technology.
Over 28,861 PAARs were issued by Apapa Customs in April alone which surpassed what 3 destination inspection (DI) service providers put together were able to achieve during the Risk Assessment Report (RAR) regime.
The service providers were issuing an average of 900 RARs daily which has now been surpassed with an average of 1000 PAARs daily now that the customs have fully taken charge of the DI implementation.
Speaking at a forum in Lagos recently, Charles Edike, Customs Area Controller in charge of the command described the feat as a product of hard work and increasing Information Technology (IT) knowledge of customs personnel deployed to serve at the command.
According to Edike, the PAAR document which is a new requirement for goods clearance at all customs ports, is now issued within hours of entry submission in Apapa port, provided  importers or agents make declarations that are not self contradictory which may cause the automated system to reject such entries.
Edike who described the initial challenges faced by the introduction of PAAR as teething problems added that such problems were not unusual for any project at inception as they were challenges that are surmountable.
At the inception of PAAR regime, over 99,000 RARs were left unattended to by the destination inspection service providers which made the customs to address the challenge of backlog of imports delayed at the ports.
“We are fully aligned with the patriotic zeal and optimism of our Controller General Customs, Dikko Inde Abdullahi, CFR who has instiller in us the belief and confidence that Nigerians can do better what foreigners do in any sphere of our national, economic and social life” the Comptroller said.
“Initially, dealing with the 99,000 Form ‘M’ that were not perfected by the service providers alone was an enormous task for us and when you add that to the teething problem of PAAR itself, then you will agree with me that, certainly you will understand the kind of challenge the service will be faced with”, he said.
“We are happy that PAAR is coming out beautifully and I must say that we are coming out of the storm gradually and as we speak PAAR is now being transmitted with ease, PAAR is rolling out smoothly and before the importer gets home after processing his form M”, the PAAR will be ready before that same night” Edike added.

Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos