CG Customs: Tin Can Clearing Agents Are the Most Corrupt

Clearing and forwarding agents and associations operating at the popular Tin Can Island Port (TCIP) in Apapa Lagos are the most corrupt set of people operating in the nation’s port system and as far as clearing of goods is concerned, so says the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Custom Service, Alhaji Dikko Inde Abdullahi. 
Dikko who was speaking in Lagos last week during a stakeholders’ meeting held at the customs Area 1 command in Apapa gave the verdict that “clearing agents at the Tin Can island port are the most corrupt set of people in the port, Tin Can port is the worst port with low level of compliance”.
He said that unlike the Apapa port where the level of compliance is at least on the average, Tin Can Island agents despite their non-compliance nature are the ones that engage in placards carrying and engage in protests, he pointed out even as he pointed at the recent face-off between the agents and the Tin Can customs command in which customs property worth millions of naira where vandalized by the agents.
“Tin Can has the highest number of touts, they are un-complying and the worst that I have seen so far, majority of the complaints we are having about low declaration and underpayment of duty are emanating from the Tin Can ports, they should go and put their house in order” he advised.
Those present at the stakeholders parley which focused mainly on the appraisal of year 2010 in the maritime industry and customs operations in particular and focusing on the challenges ahead in 2011; included the terminal operators, shipping companies, freight forwarding and clearing associations, destination inspection agents and the banks.
Dikko at the meeting complained that most of the Nigerian importers are still not making proper declaration of their cargoes so that the custom can collect correct revenue into the federal government coffers. He pleaded for a change of attitude in year 2011 even as he revealed that it is a shame for government to have to involve the EFCC and the ICPC before customs revenue can hit the N600million it recorded last year.
He advised both importers and clearing agents to ensure that they have a change of attitude and endeavor to live on legitimate incomes “The level of compliance in Nigeria is not more than one percent, how can somebody bring in a cargo of 200 cartons and declare just 100 and he expects to be routed to blue or green lane, it happens every day and nobody is ready to change, the aim has always been what they can make and not what Nigeria is going to make, everyone is looking forward to coming into the port to become a millionaire over night, nothing good comes easy in this life” Dikko cautioned.
The highpoint of the meeting however was the introduction of an alternative data capturing system by the Customs known as the WIFI Method. This is a password driven programme designed to give individual clearing agents a direct interface with the custom servers without going through the DTI cafés.
 “The aim is to solve problems relating to discrepancies in payment, bring them closer to the system, facilitate trade and achieve high level of integrity, by this, every clearing agent should have his own laptop, the WIFI method is password- driven, when you apply to ASYCUDA, you will be given your user name which might be your agency name and your own private password together with customs generated numbers to serve as your permanent license number, we will not be changing license numbers as we used to do before”, he explained.