The Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has expressed disappointment in the Comptroller General of Customs, Col Hameed Alli (rtd), alleging that corruption in the customs service has increased to an unbearable level, even right under Alli's nose.
The association has subsequently passed a vote-of-no-confidence in the customs boss, even as it threatened to shut down the ports if immediate actions are not taken by President Muhammadu Buhari to ameliorate the suffering of stakeholders.
In a three-page press release sent to Shipping Position Daily yesterday by National Publicity Secretary of ANLCA, Mr. Kayode Farinto, the association equally condemned the extortionist tendencies of other agencies like the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Plant Quarantine Service, as well as the Nigerian Police.
According to ANLCA, rather than embrace the mantra of 'Zero Tolerance to Corruption' as espoused by President Muhammadu Buhari, the customs service and other agencies inside the port have become beneficiaries of the alleged corrupt tendencies.
"In view of all the above, we want to inform the general public that ANLCA may seek self-help by withdrawing our services from the ports until all the above listed anomalies are corrected", the statement read.
While pointing out the alleged atrocities of the customs CG, the association alleged that in the last eight months, its members were constantly extorted by officers and there has not been any intervention from the CGC, especially to set a scape goat.
ANLCA noted that the Pre-arrival Assessment Reports (PAAR) was a good innovation of the last administration of customs under Abdullahi Dikko, but the PAAR has been bastardised under Alli.
"Agents, unlike before now, cannot state precisely how much they can use to clear cargoes from the port because of the preponderance of extortion and interventions by various units of customs including valuation, query and amendments, CIU and so on"
"We now have situations whereby more than one PAAR is issued on one consignment and the PAAR is constantly queried. We believe this method is resorted to because customs wants to collect revenue into government coffers by all means".
ANLCA equally condemned the fact that the Plant Quarantine now stops the release of imported consignment under various excuses. In the same vein, the association alleged that the SON which is supposed to control quality of imports has jettisoned this for pecuniary reasons.
It noted that the Nigerian Police is supposed to maintain an observer status at the examination bay, but they now sign examination forms in some port terminals.
"We now have a situation where different department of Police now write to stop the release of cargoes under the pretence that they were investigating cases of stealing, false declaration and forgery"
"Our members are extorted and forced to part with huge money before another letter of release is sent to the terminals, we have written series of letters to the office of Inspector General of Police but nothing was done’’, it lamented.
Copies of letters written by the Police to stop release of cargoes were also obtained by Shipping Position Daily. One was signed by one Assistant Commissioner of Police, Ports CIID, ACP Lanre Bankole and another was signed by one DSP H. Nwiwagbo for the CP monitoring unit.
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