The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA),Seme Chapter has lamented that business activities within the border post is experiencing an all-time low owing to the current economic downturn.
Chairman, Seme Chapter of the association; Barrister Lasisi Fanu made this known during a chat with Shipping Position Daily in Lagos, yesterday.
He confirmed that the rise in value of Cfa being used in most Francophone countries vis a vis the Naira is another factor affecting business activities at the border.
Fanu lamented that the current recession in the country is eating deep into all sectors of the economy and that the border post is not an exception.
The ANLCA chairman added that apart from the border post, the seaports are also affected because the issue of exchange rate and some of the government policies have affected the sector adversely.
Fanu urged members of the association to adjust in their respective ways of spending; assuring that the harsh economic situation will surely become a thing of the past.
According to him, the Nigeria Customs Service at Seme can not perform magic as afar as revenue collection is concerned, because the business is not favourable at the moment.
"We must adhere to the system on ground at the moment because the situation at hand is affecting everybody at the border post", he said.
He also stated that the current economic situation has affected capacity building programme for ANLCA members, but added that once the situation stabilises, “we will put in place training programme in line with international best practice"
"The recession has affected every aspect of life in Nigeria; customs, agents and car sales are all affected in this current situation but we know it will fizzle out soon," Fanu added.
The ANLCA chieftain further maintained that despite the recession and low business activities at the border post, members have been able to encourage themselves in order to remain in the business of freight forwarding.
"Everybody understands the situation and it is not peculiar to Seme and environs alone but we know the situation is not permanent," he noted.
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