National President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) Prince Olayiwola Shittu has been urged by members of ANLCA to ensure that he reveals the identity of Nigeria Customs Officers owning clearing licenses and engaging in freight forwarding business at the port.
Some of the members told Shipping Position Daily at the port yesterday that the customs have succeeded in silencing freight forwarders who have threatened in the past to expose the identity of such officers because of fear of losing their practicing licenses.
National President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) Prince Olayiwola Shittu has been urged by members of ANLCA to ensure that he reveals the identity of Nigeria Customs Officers owning clearing licenses and engaging in freight forwarding business at the port.
Some of the members told Shipping Position Daily at the port yesterday that the customs have succeeded in silencing freight forwarders who have threatened in the past to expose the identity of such officers because of fear of losing their practicing licenses.
Calling on President Shittu to take drastic action, former Secretary of the Tin Can Chapter of ANLCA, Mr. Ojo Peter Akintoye in a chat with Shipping Position Daily on Tuesday said that top ranking officers of customs are also doubling as freight forwarders.
Akintoye reasoned that it is only the national leadership of ANLCA that can tackle the age long problem because according to him, an ordinary agent will be witch-hunted by the customs and his practicing licenses might be revoked.
He charged the ANLCA leadership not to shield the airing officers and their identity even as he encouraged the association's executives not to pay lip service to the issue.
"We are not saying customs officers should not do clearing and forwarding job, but there should be a decorum, if they want to be an officer let them remain so, but if they want to be an agent, let them resign and join us provided they can meet the requirements, but being an officer and a clearing agent is affecting our job"
"They are depriving us of our jobs and our charges, this is a challenge to our people, what the officers do with their positions, the ordinary agent cannot do it"
"It is only the national executives of ANLCA that can expose the officers, if an ordinary agent should try it, they will be after that person, we all have our licenses and customs is the issuer of the licenses, so nobody wants to be made a scapegoat"
Akintoye noted that some of the customs officers turned clearing agents when they were still junior officers, but now many of them have been promoted as senior officers, but yet they still operate their licenses. "how can somebody like me contest a job with an ACG or DCG or even a Controller" he said.
Also reacting to the situation, Public Relations Officer of PTML Chapter of ANLCA, Mr. Gani Adeola alleged that many officers still operate clearing licenses and that they get the best clearing jobs available because of their position.
He alleged that most officers with this identity usually pay less value on their consignments compared to what is stated in the books
He also called on the present executive of ANLCA led by Prince Olayiwola Shittu to check mate the airing customs officers because according to him, it is beyond the ordinary agent to speak out.
"The practice is still happening and I have a very good example of one with me right now, if you are now asking us to come forward with evidence, who do we report to? Is it to CAC or who, they are officer and they are all together"
Adeola called on the customs management to fashion the investigate arm of the service; Customs Intelligent Unit (CIU) to be a separate organ from the customs where agents can lay their complaints.
According to him "customs cannot be a lawyer and a Judge in their own case"
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