Sir Tony Anakebe is a member of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA). In this interview with Oluyinka Onigbinde, he speaks on the current plan for the ‘concessioning’ of the Nigeria Customs Service and other sundry issues.
“Customs CG; Hameed Ali has done his best, but his best cannot be the utmost best”
What’s your take on the recent call for the ‘concessioning’ of Nigeria Customs Service?
The issue of customs globally cannot be undermined by any government, in most countries of the world customs collect revenue for the government and it’s well managed. But our problem in Nigeria is corruption; not only corruption, but the management of resources and the way people are being appointed. For more than a decade we have been calling for one-stop-shop, and that one-stop-shop will make everything very easy for us, rather than this multiple division and the excess of making agents or importers to come in contact with customs there by creating avenue for corruption, and it can never be stopped unless that contact is removed. So e-Customs is the best, where the government appoints technocrats who will harness the customs services. There is no need for any importer or agent to enter the port unless there is any container or goods that are suspected, and if there is, the next thing is for them to book that container for physical examination and all the necessary agencies must be there to examine the container and then post their findings or result online.
If I get you right you are also advocating for a single window platform.
Yes, a completely single window platform. When you go to Dubai you can’t see agents coming into the port, the port is well sealed; you cannot come into the port without any excuse; they do their transaction online, they update their document online, meanwhile the container has been scanned before coming down from the ship. But, on the concessioning of the Customs there is no way the government can concession revenue on importation, because if they concession it, what will Nigeria benefit from it, our ports was concessioned more than 10 years ago, but what are we gaining from it, a lot of money is being made in the port, but the concessionaires are sending it out of the country.
But earlier you said government should appoint technocrats who will harness the customs service, are you talking about technocrats in customs or outside customs?
Yes, technocrats in customs service; seasoned customs officers who can handle this revenue generation, we have serious customs officers who knows their onions in that field, but this political appointment in customs, sometimes they bring in people who don’t know what it takes to be in that office.
What’s your assessment of the ease of doing business initiative of the Federal Government?
As at now we cannot talk of any ease of doing business in Nigerian ports, because nothing is working, in fact for the past two to three years that they are there, it seems they are generating money for the shipping companies and the concessionaires because a lot of things are going wrong in the ports as at now
But recently the World Bank released a report where it said Nigeria moved up 15 places higher than the previous position on the world bank index on ease of doing business, you don’t agree with this?
The World Bank can say anything or rate any country as they like, documentation doesn’t mean everything is working 100 percent, and you can know that the World Bank is not on the field mostly in Nigeria, if there is an improvement in our documentation that doesn’t mean things are moving normal in the port, there is improvement in documentation and revenue generation in Nigeria actually, but things are not 100 percent normal in the port, so that is my own take on the world bank index.
Do you think appointment of a non-Customs officer as the CG of Customs was responsible for the move to concession?
There is no way we can say Hameed Ali, has not tried; he has done his best, but his best cannot be the utmost best. Ali has done a lot in increasing the revenue, check the almost six or seven Comptroller Generals before Ali; they were all climbing steps before it gets to Ali, but now Ali is generating trillions of Naira, all the CGs before him didn’t retire below what they met, so we expect that the revenue will continue to rise. But what we are saying is that if you are a military man what you know will be about military, but as a career officer in customs, there is a lot of administration and training you will go through and you must have gone to conferences on your field on various programmes and generation of revenue, so it’s a simple matter.
But customs is not just about revenue generation, there are other issues too; like trade facilitation, but people seem to be talking about revenue, why?
Because that is the major issue why the agency was set up, we have the CEMA with us, we know the Act that set up customs, it is entirely a civilian matter, even though they are carrying guns, they are not military men.
Are you satisfied with the way Customs is handling trade facilitation in the country?
Wonderful, they are doing well, but there is room for improvement, and I continue to say as far as we leave all these loopholes and physical interface with different agencies in the ports, it will help us. But in a country where we have the Federal Task Force, Federal Operations Unit and other agencies, there must be corruption in one way or the other.
What’s your assessment of the presidential task team assigned to ease flow of traffic in Apapa?
We have been talking about the port access roads for more than eight years and we are getting frustrated and tired, so why should we keep repeating the same thing over and over again. They said they awarded contract for the road to Julius Berger, but the pace is as slow as anything, this kind of road is something they should work on day and night with all the necessary security provided for them, so that the construction will end as quickly as possible. What is happening in Apapa in the last 10 years in terms of the port access road only God knows the trillions the country has lost so far?
How have you been able to remain afloat in this business despite all the challenges being faced in the port?
Nigerians must bring in their goods, industry must import their raw materials, but the problem is how many agents have we lost to the comatose state of the port access road in the last 10 years is uncountable, how many transporters; we cannot count them, it’s a great risk everybody is taking to come to Apapa, even the resident of Apapa some of them have parked out of Apapa, go round the buildings in Apapa and you will see that many of the buildings are for sale, the risk is so much, but everybody must manage their life and keep praying to God for protection.
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