There are indications that the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) is set to carry out training and sensitization session for members of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) in Lagos.
National President of ANLCA, Prince Olayiwola Shittu dropped the hint last week at the association’s national secretariat during a one-day training session organized for his members by the Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON).
Shittu said that the association is trying to empower its members on the Nigeria Customs Integrated System (NICIS) as well as the operations and procedures of the various government agencies on the NICIS platform.
He said that the one-day sensitization with SON one out of many other sensitization programmes billed to come for his members. According to him, the NAFDAC would also be training licensed customs agents soon.
The ANLCA president appreciated SON for training its members, even as he noted that the training is for the agents to know how to use the new platform introduced by SON in order to obtain SONCAP.
“We are trying to empower our people with knowledge because e-transaction is the latest thing in Nigeria, when customs brought the NCIS every other regulatory agency cued into it in other to enhance genuine declaration for compliance and for smooth clearance of cargo”
“As part of our mandate as leaders in ANLCA, we have this continuous training which we seek from regulatory agencies. One of the ones we are expecting now is a training from NAFDAC”
“In the maritime industry today, licensed customs agents are one of the most educated in the sense that the licensed customs agents of old do not bother about training , but since 2010 since we came into office, training has been part of our responsibility, we do not only train locally, we also train internationally” he said.
Highlighting the importance of training for clearing agents, Shittu said that it would make them stand out among the crowd and make them knowledgeable in e-transaction. He also said it makes their job easier.
“What we are looking out for is an Eldorado period where you don’t have to leave your desk to clear cargo from the port”
“It is done in South Africa and it is done in other advanced world, so I see no reason why we should have human interface at the port, those who encourage human interface are the creator of the corruptive tendencies of the regulatory agencies, but we want to stand out from the crowd and this is why training is important to us”
Also speaking during the second leg of the SON training at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Chairman of the chapter; Mr. Alloy Igwe congratulated SON’s Director General; Dr. Joseph Odumodu for taking time to sensitize agents on how to facilitate trade.
He said agents at the seaport and airport are still ignorant of SON procedures, but noted that the drive to sensitize members on trade compliance and port operations is something that should be appreciated.
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