Aare Sanni Shittu is the Vice Chairman of Finance Committee and member of Education Committee of the Governing Council of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN)
He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA). In this interview with Dapo Olawuni, he talked about the crisis that has engulfed the Board of Trustees of ANLCA, and other sundry issues.
“It is easier to make money at the airport than at the seaport”
We learnt that members have been given committees in the governing council of the CRFFN, which do you belong?
The committee thing is not part of the law that sets up the CRFFN, it is just an internal arrangement so we cannot be seen to be struggling to become part of it, but then again, in absentia, I was nominated, I am in Finance Committee which I am the Vice Chairman, I am also in the education committee of which I am just a member. So it is an internal arrangement to ensure that we deliver.
As a former president of ANLCA, what effort have you made to resolve the crisis in the BOT?
Day in and Day out, we have been trying our best as individuals and collectively to ensure that the association comes back alive to what it used to be. ANLCA is an embodiment of creativity, human resources, ideas and ensuring that the maritime sector has its rightful place; since we had the crisis, this have not been the same, our members are in disarray, and in an environment like this, you cannot expect her to function, we are the pressure group that keep government agencies on their toes including Shippers Council, Shipping Companies, whenever things are going wrong , we come out to shout and react to it, but since we have been in disarray, everything has been standstill. However, we are trying to get ourselves together, the problem is self made, the ANLCA Board problem is about human being, I am one of the figures, I was Vice Chairman of the BOT, but in order for us to have our senses back and get it right, I have since relinquished my post as the Vice Chairman for peace to reign. In ANLCA, we have an internal democratic arrangement which says that if an Igbo man is President, a Yoruba man should be Chairman BOT, it is not a constitutional thing, but it is a working arrangement that would bring about peace. So far, the Oodua Maritime setting which I belong has said that when an Igbo man is president, a Yoruba man should become BOT Chairman, So, as an individual I cannot go against this agreement, based on this, I have agreed that Chief Henry Njoku should move out as Chairman of BOT and let the other party stay. There are more dimensions to it individually and collectively, but for me as a peace maker, I have moved on, I have relinquished my position as Vice Chairman.
It seems the needed peace is not yet there, what do you think can bring a lasting solution?
Like I said, we are working to ensure that the needful is done; we are still talking to one another.
Is it true that former President Olayiwola Shittu gave so much power to the Board?
Even Nigeria as a state has its own constitution just like ANLCA and it is not President Shittu that designed the constitution, for instance the Association Electoral Commission (ASECO) derives its powers from the board and this is what the constitution says, nobody can query the board on this unless that aspect of the constitution is amended, everybody has been speaking against it, some speaking for it, but the ANLCA constitution is supreme and nobody can change it unless it is amended. We were not involved in the day to day running of ANLCA but the ASECO, it is only when there is crisis in the association that we come into it and resolve it, it is unfortunate that the board itself is having its own crisis and cannot resolve it. What we are for is that, if there is any crisis in any chapter nationally, we come in and resolve it; we equally own the properties of the association which can sue and be sued.
Two factions of the association have appointed executives at some chapters, which one are stakeholders expected to recognise?
We have a constitution, and when we conduct an election and a president emerges with his executives, he becomes the constituted authority; anything outside this arrangement is nullity. The election conducted in December was organised by a faction, and how was that faction created, we considered it that all the hullabaloo we were having was not necessary, so the seating president who has all the rights, called for a NEC meeting in Abuja, but because some people are having some differences with him or the association, they decided that they are not coming, what the constitution says is that if you disobey, we have a standing authority who would decide your punishment, and what is the punishment- suspension. For this, some people came together and said the President is no longer their president, they created their own ASECO and started conducting elections, this cannot stand. When we now decided that irrespective of our differences, association must continue, all chapters whose elections are due should conduct another election, this is what we are trying to do and the other faction which held a kangaroo election quickly rushed down to the court to say their own election should stay. But because it is an authority signed on law which is the court that has given an order, we are trying to vacate it, anytime we vacate it, we would move for proper election. So, the election the other faction held, no authority would even respect them, they wrote letters to government agencies including customs but it was not honoured.
How would you rate the present administration in terms of port infrastructure?
The present administration is talking about execution, but how many times has the Vice President visited Apapa to inaugurate one body or the other to control traffic and ease of doing business, the moment he turns back, everything goes back to how it was. We at CRFFN, we would ensure that we get it right, we would mount pressure on the government and ensure that things are done as in other climes, apart from oil and gas, maritime is a money spinner, if we can get it right, we at CRFFN, you would soon hear from us.
Stakeholders expect the CRFFN to have swung into action two months after inauguration, what is causing the delay?
In life, even as a baby, you have to crawl, then you start walking and running, this is exactly the situation with CRFFN, but I can assure you that you would start seeing wonders as from next week. We had to put the various committees in place and give ourselves direction, this is different from the Council we used to have, people like us are the ones wearing the shoe and we know where it pinches, this would be a different Council entirely.
When should we expect POF collection to kick start?
For us in the CRFFN, the POF collection is not a priority for now, although it’s a government policy which nobody can change, but then it must be seen as interactive and representative of your paying members, let the freight forwarders first of all see that we have come to serve them, then the issue of POF would be seamless.
You have operated at both the seaport and at the airport, what are the peculiar challenges?
At the airport, because of the speed attached to operations, jobs are not to be delayed, under 36 hours you must get jobs out and this makes the difference. At the seaport, there are still too many documentation in cargo clearance and moving from table to table, but here at the airport, every clearance is centred in one place, so it is easier to make money at the airport than at the seaport.
Harmonising the various signatures and documentation at the port is a questions of getting everybody, individuals and institutions to get our acts right and be alive to our responsibility, the documentation are too many because the regulators who are supposed to be watchdogs are not alive to their responsibility and this is what the new CRFFN is coming to correct, we would ensure that agencies and regulators are up and doing, where necessary we would query and enforce.
The airport is volatile with regular disagreement between Customs and agents
Everybody has their style of administration, and I think we have began to understand the woman now, Mrs Shoboiki, you know women have a way of doing their things, but at the same time when we come in as an association and interact with her, she comes to terms, she is not just creating it on her own, it is what the law says.
What is your appraisal of the Customs under Col Ali, considering the N1.2 Trillion revenue in 2018?
I would be happy anytime revenue target is lowered down, Nigeria should be export-driven and not an import economy, we should move away from just consumption to production, it is only then that I can be happy. The various revenue projections by Customs is solely based on how much cargo is imported, and this type of arrangement is not good for any nation to grow. Bye and large, it is a welcome development because apart from oil, the maritime sector is where our economy lies. However I want to be happier when I see more containers going out with export, rather than bringing in goods.
In fairness, there has been some significant improvement since Ali came onboard as CGC, especially in terms of revenue collection, he has been able to stop the leakages, he has also improved welfare of officers, this doesn't mean he does not have his own shortcomings.
Do you believe it is necessary to review of the Automotive Policy?
The policy is a rip-off on Nigerians, it was brought by government of Goodluck Jonathan, that policy is a 419 agenda, they said Nigeria wants to go into manufacturing of vehicles, and for that you want to discourage importation of new vehicles so as not to compete with the one you are about to manufacture. Meanwhile the ones you want to be manufacturing, there is nothing in place and they have started collecting 35% levy, what I had expected this present government to do when they came in was to take away the 35% levy. However I am happy that lately, the Customs Comptroller General has made a case for the policy to be reviewed, it is a rip-off, they are telling us that Innoson was manufacturing cars, how many vehicles has he manufactured that would satisfy all Nigerians, and the government has been collecting this 35% which is a colossal amount.
What is your take on the influx of ‘accidented’ vehicles into our ports?
It is a policy thing, accidented vehicles is allowed but it has been subjected to abuse, ordinarily if an accidented vehicle comes into the country, there is a rebate for it, either 20% or 10% but before officers will give you this rebate they would demand something from you, this is a rip-off, these are situations that we as an association should endeavor to intervene and say the policy is not being well implemented. If an accidented vehicle comes into the country, you put in an application to the Customs Area Controller who would call for assessment of the vehicle, after this, you should enjoy the rebate, but now they place personal conditions for you to enjoy the rebate, it does not make any sense.
Discussion about this post