NWABUNIKE-Customs Licensed Agent Is Not Professional
Stakeholders in the freight forwarding sector of the Nigerian maritime industry yesterday once again sharply disagreed on the correct interpretation of who a freight forwarder is and who a licensed custom agent is.
This argument came up at the first year anniversary celebration, awards and seminar of popular industry television programme; Ports' Gist and Event in Lagos.
NWABUNIKE-Customs Licensed Agent Is Not Professional
Stakeholders in the freight forwarding sector of the Nigerian maritime industry yesterday once again sharply disagreed on the correct interpretation of who a freight forwarder is and who a licensed custom agent is.
This argument came up at the first year anniversary celebration, awards and seminar of popular industry television programme; Ports' Gist and Event in Lagos.
Kick starting discussions on the topic; Importance of custom agents and freight forwarders to the growth of the economy, factional president of the National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents, Mr. Lucky Eyis Amiwero said that there is a clear difference between a licensed agent and a freight forwarder.
According to him, under section 153 of the Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA), licenses are issued by the minister of finance to agents to be involved in three key areas; import, export and excise, and that if you don’t have the license, you cannot practice in the port.
"Any man who does not have a license cannot practice in the port, any man who does not have a license as a forwarder can not practice in the port", he told the gathering of licensed customs agents.
Amiwero described freight forwarders as an ordinary transporter of goods who cannot come into the port unless he is taken there by a licensed agent.
However, in his own summation, the pioneer chairman of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) Mr. Tony Nwabunike said that in an emerging world of professional freight forwarding practice, the nomenclature of customs agent is no longer acceptable.
Nwabunike quoted that a freight forwarder, "is responsible for the collection of goods and the entire documentation from export point to the final documentation. A custom broker on the other hand provides just the logistics and fill the documentations for the freight forwarder to operate"
Also, the duo of Dr. Boniface Aniebonam, founder of NAGAFF and the Representative of the Comptroller of the Apapa Area1 of the Nigeria Custom Service, Deputy Comptroller Falade A.O disagreed with Mr. Amiwero saying that the issuance of customs license is the sole prerogative of the Nigeria Customs Service.
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