ANLCA Blasts NAGAFF Over DTI Cafe Closure, Passwords

The Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has lambasted a sister association; the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), alleging that its (NAGAFF) members were responsible for most of the illegalities going on at the various Customs Direct Traders Input (DTI) cafes.
ANLCA has equally warned the freight forwarders to stop crying more than the bereaved by kicking against plans by Nigeria Customs Service to close DTI cafes and grant passwords to owners of customs license.
In a press release made available to Shipping Position Daily by the National Publicity Secretary of ANLCA; Kayode Farinto yesterday, the association noted that issuing licensed customs agents with passwords will stop the illegalities being perpetrated on their behalf by “criminals claiming to be freight forwarders”.
Comptroller General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali (rtd) had said that the service is shutting down all cafes, because most of them were being used to perform illegalities and hacking of clearing agents’ practicing licenses.
But ANLCA yesterday said, “one wonders why an association that claims to be for freight forwarders should be crying more than the bereaved, that licensed customs agents should not be issued with password”
“We at this end have been making efforts that our licenses must be protected by the board of Nigeria Customs Service and we are happy that the various DTI Cafes where lots of illegalities are being perpetrated using our licenses names will be proscribed, it goes a long way in sanitizing the maritime industry”
“We as trade experts should be able to monitor our licenses from any acts of criminality from the impostors”, it said.
The association stressed further that shutting the DTI cafes does not pose any danger, because freight forwarders are not expected to perform any custom formalities other than to arrange way bills, export documentation and obtain authority to load from various terminal operators.
The association lamented that clearing agents are currently in double jeopardy because they were being regulated by two Acts; the Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) and the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) Act
According to it, only transporters, freight forwarders, warehouse owners and shipping agents should be regulated by the CRFFN Act ‎and not licensed customs agents.