The Chattered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) has said that it will be wrong for anyone to accuse the Nigeria Customs Service of colluding with vehicle smugglers.
The Acting Executive Director of CILT, Mr. Paul Ndibe, said this in a chat with Shipping Position Daily in Lagos last week.
He maintained that it would be absurd to accuse the same service that have been intercepting smugglers and seizing smuggled vehicles, of colluding with the smugglers except there is evidence to that.
Ndibe, who reiterated that smugglers can design any means to carry out their act, and smuggle new vehicles into the country, was reacting to an accusation by a maritime lawyer that the customs are colluding with vehicle smugglers
“Well, this is an is an issue that always reoccur and except there is an evidence to that there is no way you can attest to whether it is correct or not. However if customs are apprehending people who are smuggling vehicles and they are still saying that they are colluding with smugglers, it is a bit absurd. However it is important that there is evidence to that so that we will know the direction that we are going to. It is difficult to say yes or no if there are no evidence. Because they are smugglers they will design new ways to beat the custom. That you see new cars in the country supposedly across the border is not enough reason for you to say that the customs are colluding with them. I don’t believe it is 100% correct except there is evidence”, he said.
Speaking about the drop in sales at the Berger automobile market due to traffic gridlock, he said that they are not the only one affected by the traffic, adding that the traffics affects everyone doing businesses in Apapa and its environs.
He also said that going by the location of the market there is no reason the traders should complain that the traffic is affecting their sales.
“Talking about the issue of the gridlock affecting sales at Berger automobile market, the vehicles that they are selling are not on the road, so the gridlock may not directly affect the vehicles except they are on the road. If they are on the road, then they need to be separated”
“Secondly, assuming those cars are not there will it stop the gridlock from being there? So if the gridlock will be there, it has nothing to do with the cars being there or not. So my thinking is that we should be able to separate the two and deal with them individually. The fact is that business in Apapa and its environs is slowing down, it is affecting everybody; not Berger alone even the banking sector is greatly affected. The banks are experiencing shortfalls and likewise other businesses it is not vehicles alone”, he argued.
“It is not one-sided, it is affecting all businesses along Apapa, it is affecting everyone, we pray the government should do something there. Even property rate has also gone down on account of the traffic gridlock in the area. My advice is for them to hold on and let the government do something in addressing the traffic problem in the area”, he concluded.
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