Stakeholders in the maritime sector have kicked against the return of the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to the seaports and border posts on the order of the Nigerian Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo.
The stakeholders which include shippers and clearing agents condemned NAFDAC's recall to the port, saying that it is not justified because the Nigeria Customs Service alone is sufficient to man the ports.
National Publicity Secretary of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA); Joe Sanni described the move as another attempt by NAFDAC officials to legitimise their extortionist tendencies in the ports and border stations.
He argued that, "after all, Nigeria Customs ensures that any NAFDAC-related consignment cannot be examined without firstly contacting NAFDAC for first stamping, which is officially paid for. Secondly, Customs will not release such cargoes without a second stamping, which is done after examination"
"If this procedure is not effective, then the blame should go to NAFDAC monitoring officials who, after being compromised, report wrongly.
Once detected, such personnel should be accosted and sanctioned, rather than seek ways and means of justifying a return to the Ports for ulterior motives other than genuinely arresting offensive imports".
He argued that the return of NAFDAC was triggered by the recent increase in dangerous drugs like container loads of Tramadol.
The ANLCA spokesman argued that, as it is already, there is too much human interface inside the port, especially in the terminals; he said this encourages corruptive tendencies, discourages trade facilitation, compromises security and delays cargo clearance.
Also speaking with Shipping Position Daily, a shipper who is a trustee of the Shippers Association Lagos State, Rev Nicodemus Odollo argued that there is no justification for the Vice President to authorise te return Of NAFDAC to the ports. He told our correspondent that all reasons given for the action are unacceptable.
The shipper noted that with Customs alone inside the port, the responsibility of other agencies are well-protected by Customs.
Also speaking on the return, President of the National Association Air Freight Forwarders and Consolidated (NAFFAC); Mr. Chukwuka Agubamah said that "if NAFDAC are not making regular news headlines with real interceptions, it could be interpreted that many shipments are majorly compliant and infractions reducing"
"So what do they want at the seaports? Less human contact in a systems-led clearing environment promotes more systems-based monitoring and reduces corruption. Customs can always invite them if necessary".
On his part, a licensed customs agent, Emmanuel Onyeme said that NAFDAC has never left the port since year 2011 when the Federal government first ordered them to leave.
"NAFDAC are only playing game of hide and seek because of discovering of ban drugs going out of the Port under their watch. They are afraid of what Nigeria Customs Service are doing by seizing those banned drugs that left the Port under their watch", he said.
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