Comptroller-General of Customs, Hamman Bello Ahmed, has said that the service would support full take-off of business activities in Tinapa, provided they are done within the ambit of the law.

The customs boss stated this when he visited Tinapa during his familiarisation tour of Cross River/Akwa Ibom Customs Command, Calabar.

While debunking media reports that the service was working against the take off of the resort, he said that customs would rather make efforts to ensure its proper take-off.

His words: "We have in the past been accused of hindering the take-off of Tinapa. The new customs management would work in line with guidelines on free trade zones; and we are going to partner with Tinapa management for its full take-off."

The CG added that the service does not have power to operate within Tinapa but to escort goods from free trade zones, including Tinapa. He urged operators in the resort to go ahead and do their business.

Earlier, Segun Ologunleko, technical adviser to Tinapa, had told the CG that over N14 billion was spent to construct Tinapa and that 40 percent of the shops had been occupied by investors.

Chief Executive Officer of Tinapa, Bassey Ndem, said that the Nigeria Customs was consulted in the conception of the resort and that it would continue to need the support of customs.

He said that customs was in the team that drew up the master plan of the Tinapa project. He explained that the service raised objection against the plan and it was thought the service was against Tinapa.

He stated that payment for transactions at the resort would be done electronically and would bring about transparency, which would allow customs to take stock.

On the security at the resort, which the CG said was porous, Ndem said management had deployed modern security technology to protect investors, visitors and water territory of the resort.

In another development, the Comptroller General of Customs disclosed to stakeholders that the new fiscal (tariff guidelines) policy for 2008 - 2012 would be presented to the public by the Federal Government in the next two weeks, as the committee on the new tariff had finished its work.

This was consequent upon a question on tariff regime asked by chairman of Cross River/Akwa Ibom state branch of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Obong Johnson.

The CG told the stakeholders that the Federal Government had reduced items on the prohibition list from 45 to 23 in order to reduce smuggling, falsification, as manufacturers would import raw materials at five percent.

He told the operators in the trade zone and others across the country to be transparent in their declarations, saying it should be clear to them that no prohibited goods would be allowed to be exported from trade zones.

Operators had earlier alleged that customs officers were indifferent whenever they demanded customs' escort. But Ahmed said importers, who needed customs' escort should request for transfer order and submit the same to the Nigerian Export Processing Zone Authority (NEPZA) manager in the zone.

A top official of NEPZA in the zone said in some situations customs officers who escort goods often disappear or give excuses, advising the CG to prevail on officers in the zone to live up to their functions to save importers undue delay, which results to demurrage.

The CG, however, warned the controller of the zone to sit up and advised importers also to make joint transfer applications rather than officers escorting one container. This, according to him, is because the service has limited number of officers.