An importer and member of the Customs Consultative Committee (CCC), Mr. Reginald Okpara has urged importers to broaden their knowledge of the modalities for the clearance of good at the nation’s seaports.
Okpara spoke with newsmen last week, in Lagos, after members of the committee, including traders and freight forwarders, visited the Controller in charge of the Federal Operations Unit, Lagos.
An importer and member of the Customs Consultative Committee (CCC), Mr. Reginald Okpara has urged importers to broaden their knowledge of the modalities for the clearance of good at the nation’s seaports.
Okpara spoke with newsmen last week, in Lagos, after members of the committee, including traders and freight forwarders, visited the Controller in charge of the Federal Operations Unit, Lagos.
He explained that by broadening their knowledge, the importers would be helping to move the maritime industry forward and assisting the Nigeria Customs Service to realize its goal.
According to him, the importers encounter a lot of challenges because they have yet to fully understand the process involved in clearing their goods at the seaports.
Another member of the CCC, Mr. Jude Okere, said their visit was to make traders, the Nigeria Customs Service as well as shipping agents to discuss measures that would ensure fair play in bringing out goods from the ports.
Okere, who is also the President of Progressive Traders at the Trade Fair complex, Lagos, said:
“We have bottlenecks from the shipping lines and some organizations involved in the clearing process.
“We have to facilitate and make the trading public to understand how to clear goods without hitches,’’ he said.
Okere said that their familiarization tour was to get themselves acquainted with the NCS and determine how the committee could assist traders to understand the clearing procedure at the seaports.
The president lauded the government’s effort in making the maritime industry conducive for importers and exporters.
Mr. Jude Maduka, a Freight Forwarder said that most traders had informed the committee of the challenges they encountered in clearing their goods from the ports.
According to him, the traders usually accuse customs officers of intercepting their goods even after they had followed due process in clearing them goods from the ports.
He said the committee’s visit to the FOU was to find out how these problems kept cropping up under some of the officers under the command.
“We are the bridge builders who represent the customs and the trading public to facilitate trade,’’ Maduka, who is also a member of the CCC, said.
Another member of the CCC, who spoke, Mr. Chinedu Ukatu, said that most traders regarded the FOU command as an enemy, adding that to them, the fear of the command was the beginning of wisdom.
He said that their visit to the CCC was to familiarize themselves with the challenges confronting the customs service and find solutions to them and those the traders equally faced.
Earlier, Mr. Isa Nuhu, the controller in charge of the FOU, had told the CCC members to reschedule their visit as he was deeply involved in preparing for a visit by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Dr Abdullahi Dikko.
However, he added: “I am still studying the terrain. And I want you to judge me by what I do.
“At the same time, I want when I give you commitment I want to stand by it.’’
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