Prince Segun Oduntan is the Vice President of Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents. In this interview with Oluyinka Onigbinde, he speaks about the association and issues concerning the clearing of goods at the seaports.
Some people are still skeptical about the recent intervention on soaring Customs duty. Will this new approach not backfire in the future ot are you satisfied with that?
As a Nigerian, we can only go along with whatever the government says. There is no skepticism about it. Even those who said Customs have not gotten the circular and that they are not going to use it, however, they have been using it. So there is nothing about skepticism. It is for you to even know what you are supposed to do. Once you know your left from your right. It has been pronounced. We are about to tell the headquarters of Customs to officially communicate to them, unlike they just seeing it on the pages of the newspapers. We are working on that, so that whatever that is brought out becomes a law and that is the way it should go. Now, the only one that we have been talking about is the clearing of used vehicles; that 25% percent NAC levy on used vehicles, we are appealing to the government to help us to scrap it. If that one is scrapped, the duty of the vehicle will come down.
In the light of that, the 90 days’ window given by Customs, some stakeholders have argued that they have issues because of the NAC Levy.
That one is a different issue. That one is for people that are smuggling vehicles who did not pay duty to come and regularize their papers. You know, before there were embarrassments where they stop people on the road and take their vehicles. Customs don’t want to go back to that era again. So they said if you have not done proper documentation, come and go and do it within 90 days.
Is this 25 per cent NAC levy also applicable in other countries?
It is the way it is applicable to you that you use it in your country. How many automobile companies do we have in the country that we are paying all these levies? NAC levy is for development of automobile business. If you talk about Innoson, yes we know Innoson. Apart from Innoson, which other major ones are we talking about? So, the NAC and the levy should be taken away. That is an appeal to the federal government to cushion the effect for commercial vehicles. Let us bring it at 0% so that transportation will come down. They have done it before. The former government has done it before. Commercial buses were given 0%. When that NAC levy is removed, the calculation for duty will come down. It is not even good for used vehicles because it is made for automobile people using new vehicles. So the used vehicles are for the downtrodden people. You must give them an allowance to be able to get into the system. If they cannot get money to buy new vehicles, they should be able to but the used ones. Then this issue of terminal and shipping company operators, at this age and time that we are talking about electronic digitalization and information technology, why we are still doing ‘authority’ manually that they have to be taken to shipping companies. All these things are supposed to be online. Those are the things the media is supposed to be clamoring for us. Every year, we are still doing ‘authority’ for shipping companies. These are supposed to be things to be done online seamlessly.
Can you explain to us what ‘authority’ means?
For me to operate at TICT now or SIFAX, I must have authority. That is, I’ll type my letter and attach my photograph on it. They approve and we give them some stipend. We are supposed to have gone beyond that. It is supposed to be paperless. In my office, authority to shipping and terminal can be almost about 200 pages. We would attach our photographs, append our signatures and we take it there. They said they want to collect it every year at this age and time. Shipping and terminal operators are still using manual authority to release cargo.
Sir, what is their reason for demanding this?
That is what has been in place all the while before now and they refuse to change. They don’t want to invest into automation. I can release my cargo now in PTML from my office. You don’t need authority from PTML.
Then other terminals should follow suit…….
That is why we want you to write on that and we are going to stand on it. It is not at this age and time that we will continue to do this. If we are talking about that, how are we going to talk about the issue of trucks at the seaports? You go to Ghana; you don’t even need to be there when your truck is going to take your goods. The drivers’ associations are already on biometrics and have access to enter the port. Once you just send your TDO to them, they go there, they have the authority, and they access the port and go in and take your goods out. You can only be monitoring how it goes on your system.
Even NPA is still doing yearly registration for port pass and license which is supposed to be online. I can send you a copy. We have to get NPA license every year. You have to go through a process and they collect money from us. Everything they do for us is collecting money, so that’s the next fight. From ANLCA table, anything from the next quarter, the shipping and terminal operators must go digital.
ANLCA is yet to conduct elections into positions in the BOT and Chapters. What is delaying it ?
Today makes it exactly six months after the election. Part of what you saw regarding the issue that happened about the acceptance is what you see coming up now. Before we came in through this election, there was no money. We didn’t meet any money. Maybe the money we had is not up to 1 million naira. When we just came in, we did not know what was left in the coffers. When we were preparing for the election, money was realized from the sales of forms that we bought. After they look at all the money, the money was not even enough to go ahead with the election. Some members of the BOT brought that money. After asking the ASECO chairman how much will be required to conduct the elections, he mentioned some millions of naira. He was told that he had some money already in the coffers and the other funds will be provided later. So when we came in, I can tell you we don’t have access to the accounts of the association. After about two months since the beginning of the tenure, we had access to one of the accounts of the association. So, the amount in the account was nothing to write home about. We that did the election of the NECOM that was just chapter based generated about almost N20 million. If you now want to do an election that will comprise all the chapters, excos and AN AGM, you know what it means and the amount of money that is going to be needed. So the President said we don’t have enough money. He even told the CCC Chairman and even the CGC that we are trying to settle down and trying to look for money to conduct this election. And he said we should just let that election hold. Now, there’s a debate that is going to go on. You need to persuade some people to come and contest elections so that they can buy forms and we can raise some money. Even if the money is not going to be enough, we would have just little to augment it. Anybody who is willing to be carried must first of all lift up his hands. So it is only funding that is the problem of the BOT elections. It is not that we don’t want to do the elections. We want to do the BOT elections, so that the chapter elections can follow as it has been stated. But if you don’t have money to pursue something, you don’t do a plan. So it is just about finance that is holding us behind.
There have been allegations that the chapters have not been paying their dues and that is why there is no money. Why can’t the national executives put up interim committees at those chapters so that funds will be coming in to stabilize the center?
When we came in and found out that there is no money, luckily the former financial secretary, who is now our treasurer, was part of the last government. She gave us the account, stating those who are owing. They have bastardized the whole system to the extent that Chapter Chairman are just coming in to collect money from them. So there was no accountability. So those owing were saying they did not owe. There was a lot of intrigue and that was shameful. You know when people know how to get away with some things and when a new sheriff comes into town, you will have to carefully sit down to be able to know what is happening. Sometimes when you interview some people, what they are telling you is a lie. So you need to put your eyes and feet on the ground to be able to see what is happening.
We had a meeting with the chapter Chairmen telling them that this is a new era and they should come and start paying. They know the amount they are to pay. We now have a new financial secretary. Somebody that is supposed to pay N500 is now bringing N150 or N200. At least he is now starting somewhere. Don’t also forget that there is polarization and factions in some chapters. Some will say they did not get any money while the other will say the same.
Why can’t ANLCA being a household name write to organizations and relevant agencies for financial support, based on your good will?
Let me put it this way. If you know a man that has gone mad before, tearing people into pieces with cutlass and then tomorrow, the same man appears in your office putting on a suit. How will you look at him or address him? So that is what is happening to us. People are still looking at us if we have settled our scores. The president is just being magnanimous. If not, he would have said we don’t have money. But if you want to come out for the BOT election, come and buy the form for about N3million, so that we know we are not dealing with rubbish people. So that anybody we call a BOT, that respect will be there first of all. But the President doesn’t even want to collect money from people, but wants only people who have integrity. But we are going ahead with the election with whatever we have on the ground. All what you are seeing is just a playground of some people who think that they may not fall in line because it’s a new era now.
We also observed that it seems many of the members are not too enthusiastic to contest. How is the NECOM trying to motivate them to contest in this election?
If you want to abstain from politics, It’s your personal decision. Somebody was telling me that as the Vice President I have to be coming to office every day so that by tomorrow I would be able to become the President. I asked if they are seers that can see tomorrow. That is, if I tell you I want to contest, and if I tell you I don’t want to contest, are you going to force me? Someone has contested before and he has been a chairman. So why did you want to contest again? That is not a factor. It’s not news. There are some things that are not news. You will see how people will rush to contest if they say they are contesting. How many times have people been doing happy hour celebrating here every Friday, drinking and eating, killing goats and ram? These are some of the souvenirs they give me when they come. They are contestants. If you need to confirm anything, call me. I will tell you the way it is.
So how soon should we expect the election?
Very soon, the election will be conducted. The new ASECO is going to roll out the timetable. You will hear from the President of the association soon. There is no cause for alarm.
