FG Inaugurates Transition Monitoring Team for Customs’ ICT Services

Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja

The federal government has inaugurated two sub-committees of the Transition Implementation Committee (TIC) on the handover of information communication technology (ICT) services provided by Webb Fontaine Nigeria Limited (WFNL) for the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).

WFNL has successfully developed and deployed the Nigeria Integrated Customs Information System (NICIS 1 & 2), which presently enables Nigeria to facilitate trade and boost its revenue collection.

The federal government, had through the Ministry of Finance, inaugurated the TIC on August 16, 2018 to midwife the seamless handover of the ICT project to NCS by WFNL.

After a thorough work on the assignment, the TIC submitted its report to the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, with various recommendations, including, among others, the setting up of a Transition Steering Committee (TSC) and a Transition Monitoring Team (TMT) to implement its recommendations.

The minister, who inaugurated the TSC and TMT in Abuja, Thursday, said the Cusoms’ infrastructure was designed to ensure the integrity of the nation’s export and import as well as enhance revenue collection.

The minister, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in her ministry, Aliyu Ahmed, noted that the journey started in 2005 with the execution of a contract between the federal government and Messrs Webb Fontaine Consortium (WFC) for the installation, operation, management of ICT hardware and software, training and power supply equipment and associated services for implementation of ASYCUDA++/World in Nigeria.

She said: “As we are all aware, the project was initiated to build an integrated customs information system on a Build, Own, Operate, and Transfer (BOOT) basis for a period of seven (7) years which was subsequently extended on two occasions (1st Extension-1st January 2013 for 6 months, and 2nd Extension – 28th June, 2013 with no terminal date).

“At the commencement of the contract, an addendum to the BOOT agreement was signed in May, 2006, to cap the amount of Nigeria’s import FOB chargeable by WFL to US$14,000,000,000.00 in any given calendar year for the period of the contract, which in turn brought WFL’s maximum chargeable fee to US$58,800,000.00 in any given year.”

According to her, a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to drive the project, Webb Fontaine Limited, was incorporated in Nigeria by WFC, adding that the relationship between the federal government and Webb Fontaine as represented by the project had achieved the desired result.

Describing it as commendable and clearly shows that a well conceived project that is properly managed can achieve its set goals for the mutual benefits to the parties involved, Ahmed expressed the belief that the committees so constituted are well positioned to deliver on their mandate and discharging the terms of reference which are essentially to oversee the implementation of the transition agreement as well as monitor the implementation of the ICT services provided by WFNL to the Nigeria Customs Service in line with the project plan.

Among others, the TMT is to ensure that the outstanding services to be provided by WFNL under the transition agreement shall be all the services outstanding under the BOOT agreement, as more particularly defined in the appendices of the transition agreement.