Against the backdrop of the general shut down of all DTI (Direct Traders Input) cafes across the country, the Nigeria Customs Service has started a training programme for members of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA).
The first batch of the training which kick-started at the association's national secretariat on Monday had 50 participating licensed customs agencies staff class, and it is expected to have ended last Thursday.
Assistant Comptroller General (ACG) in charge of Customs Zone ‘A’ Compt Charles Ekpowei Edike who paid an assessment visit to the ANLCA Secretariat on Wednesday said that commercial DTI operations where shut down because customs had received various complaints from customs agents about their licenses being used indiscriminately to release cargoes, without due process.
He said that this is being done without the knowledge and consent of the owners of the license.
Edike commended the foresight of the leadership of ANLCA, for the initiative of training its members and promised to support the effort, in order for both Nigeria customs and the Agents to be on the same page, for the ultimate benefit of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
He urged licensed Customs Agents to ensure that they continuously practise everything they have learnt in order to be proficient at it, and thereby avoid unauthorised users access to their dedicated passwords.
Also speaking at the event, National President of ANLCA, Prince Olayiwola Shittu commended Edike for his show of affection for especially ANLCA.
Prince Shittu assured the ACG that ANLCA is a major partner of the customs in their avowed commitment to raising and sustaining revenue collection for the Federal Government of Nigeria.
"All that ANLCA requires from Nigeria Customs Service is to identify with ANLCA and ensure a consistent training and capacity building of its membership, so that together, trade facilitation can be enhanced to international best practices level"
"On the issue of the recently introduced exchange rate, the N282 to the $, from N197 to the Dollar, is a federal government directive through the Central Bank of Nigeria, and nobody can do anything about it or change it"
"As this training is key to Customs Brokers operations at the ports and border stations, and to guide against the misuse of our Customs licenses, every participant is advised to take it very seriously" he said
Shittu informed that already, all Customs brokers across all chapters in Nigeria have indicated their interest to undergo the training and subsequently obtain the DTI for their operations.
A second batch in the Western zone will commence training at the National Secretariat of ANLCA this week.
The training is hands-on, as every participant brought in their laptops, which is installed with MODBRK-the software for the traders/brokers zone, and taken through the steps of data capturing.
After the second batch, the training shifts to the Eastern zone (Port Harcourt) thereafter to Abuja and then Kano.
It is instructive to note that, after every Agency has been allocated a DTI – access with a password, any infraction observed through any Agency's DTI, automatically attracts a withdrawal of such license and, prosecution of the offending Agency's promoters. So, absolute care is the watchword when the Agency is pass-worded.
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