The task force that was inaugurated by the western zone chapter of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has received operational vehicles and motorcycles to commence operation at Lagos seaports.
Recall that the association recently set up the task force to check revenue leakages and corruption among the government agencies at the nation’s ports in Lagos.
Speaking at the official presentation of the vehicles and motorcycles in Apapa yesterday, the Vice President of ANLCA, Dr Kayode Farinto, said the efforts already put in place by the taskforce will send signal to those who are in the practice of supporting illegality.
Farinto who lamented what he called blackmails and bad names given to licensed customs agents over the years said the clearing agents can no longer take it, hence the need to set up the task force.
The ANLCA Vice President explained that the modus operandi of the task force had been handed over to the task force, adding that the association will support them and as well not hesitate to invoke what he called the "Moron Doctrine".
He said: "I want to commend the zone for this laudable project, the licensed custom agents have been erroneously blackmailed and given different names, as if we are the bad eggs of the society and I do know that it takes two to tangle, with this your effort, it will send signal to whoever is into bad practices in the society “
"The modus operandi and terms of reference have been given to them, we will not support any illegality, however let me also say we are going to invoke the moron doctrine, which is a situation where you release a cargo genuinely, you can no more arrest that cargo, it becomes illegitimate and out of place, it is no more in line with international best practices.
"If you arrest such cargoes, we don't want to know who releases such cargo, let the agent and let the custom officer that release the cargo be arrested too, enough of the bad names, we can no longer breathe because we have a lot of things on our neck, now we want to breathe, so I want to commend you Mr zonal coordinator and you have our support"
While appealing to its members to be patriotic citizens and not get involved in the clearance of hard drugs at the port, Farinto also urged the eastern zone chapter of the association to take a cue from the western zone task force in setting up theirs.
Speaking also at the event, the Western ZonenCoordinator of the task force Sir, John Offobike said the association will we work day and night to make sure that government policies are being implemented.
Offobike said the operation covers Lagos down to seme and Idiroko.
He informed that the buses and bikes were donated by stakeholders who feel the plight of the customs agents, while asserting that the task force will do the needful in ensuring that the bottleneck in the operation of licensed customs agents are removed
In the same vein, the association also frowned at the recent activities of the Port police command which they alleged are in the intercepting containers after being declared cleared by customs.
Stating that despite warnings from the Inspector General of Police that on no account must a cargo be re-examined by the port police, the police still go ahead to re-examine these cargoes,
The vice president of the association added that the act is against international best practices
"The port police are now stopping cargo as against the initial directive of the Inspector General of police.
"And the problem is that everybody wants to be lord in his office, there was a particular letter signed by the IGP that on no condition must the police stop the delivery of cargo in our port, it was stopped for some time, but we noticed that since Friday they have started again, we will not rest, because we believe that is the only way we can achieve desire result.
I only want to implore you as a licensed customs agent that you make sure you are patriotic Nigerian" he said.
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