By Joshua Yousouph
The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) says it members have been withdrawn from being part of the ongoing protest at Lagos seaports against the controversial Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) policy.
This is even as it has petitioned the operators customs’ service providers; Webb Fontaine for inefficiency leading to loss of revenue by freight forwarders and the government.
Recall that clearing agents have since Monday, February 21 commenced protests at the Lagos ports, specifically the Tin-Can Island Port and PTML, over the VIN e-Valuation system introduced by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) for imported vehicles.
However, while addressing journalists in Lagos on Wednesday, the National Coordinator of the NAGAFF 100% Compliance Committee, Alhaji Ibrahim Tanko, noted that the e- valuation implemented by the NCS has come to stay.
He confirmed that the VIN was introduced as a result of freight forwarders’ request for the need to centralize Customs valuation process.
He however stated that freight forwarders need to know how the NCS came about the exorbitant value placed on vehicles.
Tanko also noted that intelligence reports have indicated that hoodlums from Ajegunle and Mushin are ready to hijack the protest from aggrieved freight forwarders and licensed customs agents which might lead to violence at the port environment.
He specifically stated that members of NAGAFF have been instructed to withdraw from the protest in order not to tarnish the image of the noble association.
According to him, national executives of NAGAFF are in talks with the management of the Customs service on the best way to address the VIN policy. He urged agents to be calm as the teething problems faced would soon be resolved.
“You may recall some time ago that we raised this issue about the need for Customs to centralise their valuation. For instance, we sometimes get a duty value of N1Million for clearing a type of vehicle at Apapa and get a duty of value N500,000 and N700,000 naira for the same type of vehicle at Tin Can and PTML respectively. This has been our complaint.
“Our eyes and ears are on the ground and we need to protect our people. We had a strong information yesterday (Tuesday) night about Mushin and Ajegunle boys coming to hijack the protest. The Police and Navy have been alerted and that is why we have to withdraw from the ongoing protest. We can remember what happened to ENDSARS where some people hijacked the peaceful protest and at the end we lost some lives. This time around, we have confirmed that people from Ajegunle and Mushin are already participating in the protest.
“They don’t know what freight forwarding business is and with such kind of people, before you know it, the situation will be out of control. We don’t want anybody to tarnish the image of 100% Compliance task team of NAGAFF, because of the protest. As we said, we are going to engage Customs on how they arrive at the value and valuation on vehicles.
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“I repeat that NAGAFF 100% Compliance team is not part of the protest at Tin Can Island Port. I have already addressed that issue, because we are going to meet with management of Customs from tomorrow” Tanko concluded.
Speaking on the petition against the alleged inefficiency of Webb Fontaine, a service provider appointed by the Federal Ministry of Finance to implement Customs Single Window Portal and the provision of Information Technology/Telecommunication infrastructure which include the Nigeria Customs Integrated System (NICIS II), Tanko noted that the incessant network failure faced by freight forwarders during the delivery of their consignments had led to a great loss of revenue.
According to him, the network failure may last for more than four days at a stretch leaving freight forwarders with huge backlog of demurrages from shipping companies and terminal operators running into Millions of Naira.
“Imagine the quantum of losses incurred by thousands of containers trapped by the downtime at most of the ports and terminals. Even the Banks cannot transmit information about duties collected on behalf of the Federal Government. Our businesses are in deep depression” Tanko said.
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