An electronic auctioning platform has been unveiled by the Nigerian
Customs Service with which cargoes that have been forfeited to the Federal
Government could be sold
to Nigerians through a transparent bidding process.
The e-auctioning exercise was performed at the Nigerian Customs
headquarters by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali (Rtd) on
Monday. Members of the e-auction committee present at the event included
representatives from the Central Bank of Nigeria, Standards Organisation of Nigeria,
and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control among
others.
Speaking at the exercise, Col. Ali described the launch of the platform
as a game-changer for the service as it would bring about transparency and
consistency in the disposal of seized vehicles back to the general public.
He said, “The launching of the e-auction platform today marks a complete
departure from the manual process of the past that was opened to abuses. In the
past, stakeholders had accused the Service of nepotism, short-changing the
government of revenue through arbitrary auction fees to be paid by allottees
and sundry corruption allegations against the Service.”
“Consequently, since my assumption of duty as the CGC, suspension order
was placed on the manual auction to give way to development of an electronic
platform that will be secured, transparent, capable of increasing revenue as
well as providing equal opportunities for all Nigerians who are interested in
the process.
“It’s been a long walk to an era
of a system that will ensure transparency and accountability in such a way that
leaves nobody in doubt that NCS has the capacity to discharge its
responsibilities with utmost sincerity.”
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