National Publicity Secretary of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) Kayode Farinto has faulted recent claims by the Tin Can Island Command of the Nigeria Customs Service that it has stopped the re-examination of duly cleared containers at the port gate by men of its Customs Intelligence Unit (CIU)
Farinto in a statement sent to Shipping Position Daily at the weekend described the claim by customs as untrue and a fallacy, even as he alleged that stoppage of dully released consignments was the invention of the Customs Area Controller, Bashar Yussuf 's administration.
Presently, the ANLCA spokesman lamented that there are still a lot of irregularities in the operations of the Tin Can Island Customs and that clearing agents are compelled to part with huge sums of money by arm-twisting customs officers at the port exit gates.
Other operational areas he faulted the customs includes; query and amendment seats, gate procedures and sighting of containers at the exit gate, as well as abuse of automation of customs cargo release.
Farinto said “Compt Bashar was a member of our Subcommittee that gave the road map on the presidential directives on Ease of doing business and one expects him to implement this recommendation to the later being a signatory to it”
“I read with Consternation and disbelief the claims by NCS Tincan Island command ,that Compt Bashar has directed that the customs intelligent units (CIU) stoppage of containers at the exit gates be discontinued, in line with the Federal government presidential directives on Ease of doing business”
“This is fallacy of the century because CIU stoppage of dully released consignments was the invention of Compt Bashar 's administration. It was not part of clearance procedure in Tincan before the advent of his administration”
Farinto also alleged that eexaminations are still being conducted on duly released consignments from the various terminals under the pretext of sitting of containers.
He said “Some of the gates officers are Incorrigible and above anyone's control, agents are made to part with money if their containers will not be sited. i Wish to state Unequivocally that, there are preponderance numbers of officers at the two port gates. The worse are officers in the cadre of ASC 1 that have worked with comptroller Bashar in ICT Abuja ,numbering about 20 are posted to the two gated to query their bosses job. Meaning that, an ASC1 at any gate may disallow a container that has been exited by his boss from going out”
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