.L-R: National President of ANLCA; Mr Tony Nwabunike, Governor of Imo State; Hope Uzodinma, Deputy Governor; Professor Placid Njoku and former BoT Chairman of ANLCA; Chief Henry Njoku at last week’s AGM/BoT election of ANLCA in Owerri, Imo state.
The Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma has affirmed the critical roles played by the licensed customs agents in Nigeria, even as he described the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) as one group the government cannot afford to toy with.
Speaking during the National Executive Council (NEC)/ Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the association which held in Owerri last week, Gov. Uzodinma informed that the activities of the members of the association have helped created over 15,000 direct employments to Nigerians.
Uzodinma who explained that he enjoyed his relationship with the customs agents while in the Senate, assured that that the relationship would not stop, noting that the reason for the enactment and establishment of the pre-shipment Act was to regulate the activities of the import and export value chains and in so doing, appreciate the role agents of customs should play.
“Overtime, Nigeria Customs Service saw you as enemies or opponents, but I was able to make the point during my time that your business and your activities must go side-by-side with that of the Customs and Excise. Nigeria Customs must see you as partners in progress and work with you, not seeing you as opponents.
“Your job is also linked to national security. If all security policies and programmes are sabotaged by you, it will not work. So, in the spirit of patriotism and national interest, I will urge you to close ranks with all agencies of government in the security sector and the business sector, so that we will be able to protect our interests as a nation and unite Nigeria further; act as factors for unity, national integration and national cohesion. So, nobody should undermine you.”
“Two years ago, I had an engagement with your leadership when we were trying to identify the leakages in government revenues through the import and export value chains, I made it very clear to your leadership that if the pre-shipment Act is put in place and inspections are done from the ports of origin before getting to the port of destination, we don’t have to wait until a container loaded with firearms will get into Apapa port, before government will wake up to its responsibility. If a clean bill of health is given to a container that is about to leave from Cyprus and the contents inspected, it means that the shipping company will take responsibility if anything goes wrong with the cargo.
“If the number of regulatory agencies at the seaports are eliminated or removed, you will do your businesses seamlessly in a manner that you will be prominent, because there is no point you will go to seaports, you have imported an item, the cost of container from America to Nigeria probably is $3,000, now to clear it, you have to go for clearance from NDLEA to NAFDAC to Police and at the Police, you go to the DPO first, you go to Area Commander, to the Commissioner of Police and then to the AIG. As you finish going round, getting close to the gate, they will say there is an alert. And all these costs, of course, the implication is that you transfer the cost to the consumer. So, an item that should cost N5,000 ends up being sold for N15,000. So, we are going to support you so that we begin to do things right”, Governor Uzodinma assured.
He also invited members of the association to go through the instruments of their profession to enable them to know their rights, to know the roles expected of them and to advance the cause of doing business in Nigeria and by extension, extend the benefits derivable there from.
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