Following the recent importation of guns through the Apapa Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, operators at the nation’s seaport have raised alarm that the development has led to stringent cargo measures and multiple clearance tables at the command.
This is even as the operators berated the Controller of the command; Comptroller Musa Jibrin for snubbing the operators by failing to call for a stakeholders meeting since he assumed office in November 2016.
Speaking with Shipping Position Daily in Apapa Lagos yesterday, Coordinator of Save Nigeria Freight Forwarders, Importers and Exporters Coalition; Chief Osita Patrick Chukwu said that there is need to also curb the excesses of the Post Clearance Audit (PCA) and the multiple alerts issued on cargo.
Osita said that there are rampant cases of criminals using customs releasing officers’ password to release jobs without knowledge of the officer.
He said that most of the challenges confronting the command could be addressed and tackled at a stakeholders meeting but that the Comptroller has not called the stakeholders together.
"The challenges at Apapa command are enormous, the most among them is the multiple alerts and curbing the excesses of the Post Clearance Audit (PCA)"
"Secondly the cumbersome system of clearance, multiple system of clearing cargoes, you have to visit so many offices before getting your cargo out of the port. Imagine a cargo would be queried and taken back to the CPC, the job would waste so much time and still come back to the terminal, it would go to valuation and stay there for several days"
"Some people are using customs password to release jobs un-known to the officer, this happened in the case of the importation of guns through Apapa port, the officers did not release the job but the container went out" he alleged.
Osita acknowledged that the Comptroller just came newly, so he is still trying to see how he could deal with the stakeholders and the heads of units.
He said Comptroller Jibrin had called the meeting in December 2016, but by the time stakeholders went for that meeting, he was not there.
"We were told he went to Abuja, the mistake he made was that he should have given directive for the meeting to go on, and later, he would get the communiqué” he said.
Also speaking with our correspondent, a popular clearing agent, Mr. Frank Aliakor lamented that, as a result of the arms seizure in Apapa, customs officers are now being very careful and strict measures are now being taken against clearing agents.
He said Customs officers are now carrying out ‘120%’ cargo examination.
He also said that the fact that Comptroller Jibrin has failed to called a stakeholders meeting is another problem.
According to him, since the arrival of the Comptroller in November 2016, no meeting has been held. He said it’s at the meeting that stakeholders can bring out some vital issues.
"Agents are now suffering, at the examination bay, when customs un-stuff the container, you suffer to put it inside back"
"APMT has now supplied more fork lifts to pull out the goods, but to load them back is a problem, especially the used items, agents are going through hell now. All these is also causing delays because with 120% you cannot actualize 48hours delivery"
"Apapa has always been peaceful with a clean bill of operations, but with the messy situation, it has warranted tightening up every area of doing business at the port" he lamented.
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