Sir John Oforbike is a former Western Zone Coordinator of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA). In this interview with Joshua Yousouph, he shares his frank views on the challenges plaguing port operations—from corruption and automation failures to the growing B’Odogwu platform. He also speaks on the role of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria, freight forwarders, the need for stronger leadership, and his hopes for a more efficient and transparent maritime industry.
I’ll advice the brains behind B’Odogwu that they should not let it be like a military order
ANLCA President is a good man; a godly man; and a fatherly figure who wants the best for the association
Sir, we are now in the second half of the year. From January till now, how would you assess the maritime industry?
Honestly so far, so good. I will rate the industry very low because there is nothing visible in terms of real improvement. Corruption thrives left and right. The so-called ease of doing business is nowhere to be found. Law and order, nobody is obeying. Infractions are happening left and right. There is no one in charge. As for the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, to me, he is still experimenting. From what I understand, he was drafted into this ministry by fiat or whatever—appointed first to another ministry before being moved here. As far as I’m concerned, he is not doing anything. That is my view.
Since he came in, I have not seen any real change. Just the name of the ministry has changed. Everything else is stagnant. They are not on the ground to show what they are doing. Maybe he is always in Abuja, I don’t know. But as far as my knowledge goes, nothing is happening.
The Nigerian Customs Service recently introduced the B’Odogwu platform to improve automation and solve network problems, aiming for full automation of customs processes. How would you assess the progress, and how can it be improved upon?
Automation is not new. It’s supposed to mean that everything goes electronically. But in reality, things are still going manually. There are still interventions in the system. Yes, the new CGC is an IT person, and I must say he has been doing wonderfully well. Compared to the past, where promotions in Customs were stalled for 10 to 15 years—people stayed on one rank for over nine years—this new leadership has improved. Many senior officers have been retiring in groups, and most of the good hands have gone. The CGC is trying. He brought the issue of B’Odogwu which is purely local content. He wants to make sure that things work out well.
But let me be frank: Network has always been a problem. Interruptions have been the order of the day. Even when you replace equipment, the network issues still persist. My advice is that we should not rush the process. We should go step-by-step, hand-in-hand, and NICIS will gradually phase out. When you have your NICIS Form M and you want to migrate to B’Odogwu, it becomes a problem for practitioners. The container pays demurrage and the bills are accumulating day by day. When cargo is delayed at the port, the shipping companies and terminal operators are businessmen, immediately they will start counting demurrage and rent. And this cost is high and will always be passed on to the masses—the end users. The economy is already very bad. Prices change every day. We must think about the interest of the masses, not just revenue collection. It is not enough to say “we collected revenue.” If the end users cannot afford goods, the whole system suffers. I’ll advice the brains behind B’Odogwu that they should not let it be like a military order. They should just allow the process to flow.
When B’Odogwu was introduced at PTML, it created very big problems. And there is another truth: corruption will not allow any good system to work. Late Buhari said “If we don’t kill corruption, corruption will kill us”.
When my father was in the civil service, there was code of conduct for civil servants. The house he lived, the shoes he wore, the car he drove. You don’t see such a thing again. You see a civil servant driving a vehicle of millions of Naira that you can’t even buy. Where did he get money from? You see a civil servant sending his children abroad to a very big university. Until we check the lifestyle of public officers, check their wealth, enforce a real code of conduct, nothing will work. Even if we bring angels from heaven, they will be corrupted from the system we have. The top is very cool. But the middle class and the bottom class who form the major workforce are essentially corrupt. They are struggling with who will beat each other in corruption. And the moment you report to somebody, you become an enemy. They will attack you and the top will defend them.
Recently, MSC shipping company was summoned by the National Assembly over container deposits and alleged sharp practices. How do you think the issue of container deposit refunds can be resolved?
When you mention the National Assembly, I laugh. From my experience, most times, it ends up being about “what did you bring?” I have seen it before. When I was PTA Chairman at Queens College years ago, there was an epidemic in the school and the school was closed down by the Lagos state government. The principal was summoned by the Senate Committee on Education. I followed her. When we got there, they called her into a room and the first question was, “What did you bring, so we can open the school?” I was shocked. So when you talk about the National Assembly and corruption, I know what I’m saying.
They are all money bags. Everything is monetized. Recently again, there was one organization having issues with export. I could remember we were summoned to the National Assembly. We were asked how much we brought. They gave us a bill on how much we should be paying for them to allow people to export some wood. I’m telling you this. Everything’s about money. We heard about employment everywhere. They submit the names of their friends, children and relations for them to be employed.
As for container deposits, it should be simple. Think of it like Coca-Cola in a bottle. You pay a deposit, you drink the Coke, return the bottle, and you get your deposit back. But in shipping, to get your container deposit refund, you have to write letters, chase and bribe accounts departments, and sometimes you never get it. In a functional system, it should be automatic; once the container is returned in good condition. Until we kill corruption, nothing will change. Corruption has eaten deep into our system—even into our homes. You send a boy to buy something, he comes back and keeps the change. That’s how deep it is. Even our children are watching and learning it.
Let’s talk about ANLCA. The association recently held a retreat, and peace seems to have returned after years of crisis. How do you assess the tenure of the current leadership?
Every leadership is like the size of an elephant—it depends on where you stand to describe it. After almost six years of crisis, this leadership has at least made us one again. The President is a good man, a godly man, a fatherly figure who wants the best for the association. But there are people under him who prefer disunity because they benefit from it. We don’t have the best executives. Many were put there just to fill positions after we grabbed power. The President is “playing the guitar and flute and doing the dance alone.” This is one of the luckiest governments in ANLCA’s history—no single court case. But the last election was not the best. But as far as I’m concerned, the last election that took place was marred with so much controversies and personal interference, which is not supposed to be. The ASECO was not independent. ASECO was written left and right—”come left, do this and that.” It was a very bad one, anyway. I don’t know whether it was solely designed to make an Igbo man look as if he’s not capable of doing what he’s doing—even as a president, or even as ASECO chairman. There were so many things that took place which I will not come to discuss in the media.
What are your recommendations on the current administration of ANLCA?
I’m a member of the association, a strong one for that matter. Issue of association is not discussed on the pages of newspaper. If I recommend it to you, it will not make any difference. I recommend to the authority that’s concerned, which I already have done. So, I’m an association man. I don’t need to come here and be telling you that there’s got to be a solution on pages of newspaper. There was serious interference from NECOM and the Board. The supposed independent electoral committee was not independent. But people decided to let it go to avoid another crisis. However, there is a “Jonah in the ship.” Until that Jonah is thrown out, the ship will not reach its destination.
The National Single Window initiative seems to be crawling and has been having some difficulties in its implementation. What is your take on this?
The government has good ideas, but some people deliberately put a spanner in the wheel of progress. That is very bad. They frustrate the system for selfish gain. Until those people are removed or reformed, progress will be slow. Under the previous administration, there was a law that banned some agencies from operating in the port. They should work in the office; they should not be part of the examination. This was because of the interruption and delays in movement of cargo. However, because of the corrupt system—off they go to the ministry—they are now big, and they’re allowed to come to the port.
Say for instance, Plant Quarantine—why is plant quarantine in the seaport? Police interfere. NAFDAC is in the seaport. NDLEA is in the seaport. Everybody has their own functions. NAFDAC is Food and Drug Administration also SON—Standards Organization of Nigeria. Is Quarantine not supposed to be about animals and plants? Now, you bring in palm oil. Palm oil is food. It can be raw material, for edible oil, soap, and animal feed. It falls under NAFDAC. From the country of origin, you have certificate of inspection. That means the oil is free from disease or germs. Yet, when you bring it, even after NAFDAC gives permission, plant quarantine will go and put alert. They will stop the cargo unless you “settle the office.” From there, NESRA will put alert. NAFDAC will put alert. They will tell you, “Come and pay.” Then you bring milk or custard. Someone tells you, “I’m from plant quarantine.” Milk is from cow. What kind of country are we running? The single window should list which agency is responsible for which product. So when you want to import, you open it, you know who to meet. You get permission, you import. Even after doing that, someone interferes. I just imported palm oil from an African country. Somebody held that container for days, demanding money. If not, he said go and pay to the government. NPA and terminal operators blocked it. They block it unless you settle them. And after settling, they’ll write a letter and lift it. That is corruption. Who is monitoring? Who is coordinating all these agencies? There must be a coordinator. There must be a spokesman. The corruption has made us very weak.
Finally, on the CRFFN issue- NAGAFF recently held a press conference backing the council. They accused the other four associations of sabotaging the council and called for their de-registration. What’s your take?
NAGAFF is a masquerade that has two mouths. You know when you see a masquerade, you’ll see the costume and the face. But where is the mouth? Where is the masquerade speaking from? NAGAFF is a masquerade with two mouths. Whatever the masquerade speaks—you cannot detect from which mouth he’s speaking from. NAGAFF has always been like that. Even if you get them money from grapes—they’ll say, give me my share. That’s what they stand for. And the man appointed the CRFFN Registrar is a former officer of NAGAFF. So what do you expect them to do? CRFFN Act was enacted in 2007. It was ANLCA who pushed it and defended it under Obasanjo. But they’ve lost the reason it was enacted. So if other associations say, “this is not good,” and they call for deregistration—it’s like saying PDP is bad, APC is worse—does it mean you should disband PDP or kill PDP supporters? That’s the irony. They don’t practice democracy in NAGAFF. It’s a one-man show. So I don’t blame them. Whatever they say anyway, they are entitled to their opinions.
