The Customs E-Auction platform is being used to dispose off impounded cars

The Nigeria Customs Service on Tuesday said that only Jazz Bank was able participate in the first bidding of its e-auction exercise last week.

The e-auction platform was launched by the Customs on July 3.

Mr Joseph Attah, the Customs National Public Relations Officer (PRO), said that Jazz Bank was the only one out of the 23 customs duty collecting banks that accessed the e-auction platform.

Atta said that the 22 others complained of technical anomalies as reasons for their failure to participate in the first bidding which kicked off last week.

The PRO said that all the 23 Customs duty collecting banks were carried along and properly trained in the process, while the process was subjected to user acceptability test when the platform was developed.

“Throughout this period, no bank indicated any problem with the platform.

“However, upon launch of the platform – https.app.trade.gov.ng/eauction, only Jaiz Bank was discovered to be ready and active on the platform.

“In the light of the above, the service immediately wrote a letter to all the designated banks requesting them to “integrate with the e-auction application for the recharging of e-wallet same day, 3rd July 2017.”

Attah said that on Wednesday, July 5, another letter was sent to CBN expressing the need for apex bank to confirm the readiness of commercial banks under its supervision to perform their roles in the process.

He said that it was to ensure the success of the project that other banks were encouraged to make efforts to sort out whatever technical problem they had in hooking up to the platform.

“This clarification is necessary to correct whatever wrong insinuation that could be generated as a result of having only one bank presently on the platform.

“In spite of the initial hitches, the service is happy to announce that the first 48 hours bidding period, Monday 12 noon to Wednesday 12 noon produced 43 winners.

“Items uploaded were 130 vehicles, 43 bidded for and won,’’ the PRO