Clearing agents operating from the Tin Can Island Port have urged the Nigeria Customs Service to consider resuscitating the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) Dispute Resolution Committee in order to further cement the successes recorded by the new scheme so far.
This as well as the deteriorated condition of the Apapa-Oshodi expressway were part of several demands laid out by the agents before the Customs Area Controller in charge of the Tin Can Customs, Mr. Zakari Jibrin at the monthly stakeholders forum of the command in Lagos last week.
Clearing agents operating from the Tin Can Island Port have urged the Nigeria Customs Service to consider resuscitating the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) Dispute Resolution Committee in order to further cement the successes recorded by the new scheme so far.
This as well as the deteriorated condition of the Apapa-Oshodi expressway were part of several demands laid out by the agents before the Customs Area Controller in charge of the Tin Can Customs, Mr. Zakari Jibrin at the monthly stakeholders forum of the command in Lagos last week.
Confirming this to Shipping Position Daily, the commands' image maker, Mr. Chris Osunkwo said that after working tirelessly for three months, the committee had naturally fizzled out after it had successfully exhausted all complaints emanating from the command relating to PAAR.
He however confirmed that the controller has assured the stakeholders that he was going to relate the demands to the customs headquarters in Abuja immediately.
"What brought about the committee was that we had over 342 complaints which came up from PAAR at the initial stage, headquarters in their wisdom task each command to come up with their resolution committee to look into the issue, now that we are done, it does not mean that issues are not coming from PAAR again"
"The agents demanded that the committee should remain so that when issues about PAAR came up, which may require their going to Abjuja, it could be handled at the command" Osunkwo stressed.
Also speaking with our correspondent after the stakeholders meeting, Chairman of the forum, Mr. Kanikwu Chucks Davids said that most of the issues arising at the command are majorly on value issued on cargoes.
He said that the meeting particularly harped on the increase in value of cargoes as a result of PAAR, he said that this is not within the range of what freight forwarders are being given in the past.
"The value we are talking about here is the CIF value, it is an opinionated figure on paper and it is outrageous, there are values given on PAAR that are being contested, the command should be allowed to handle this kind of issue instead of the headquarters giving value based on hindsight from Abuja"
"We are saying that they should allow the dispute resolution committee to go on until the customs is stabilized" he said.
Apart from these, Shipping Position Daily gathered that the freight forwarders are planning to do something drastic on the deteriorated state of the Apapa-Oshodi expressway.
The freight forwarders are bracing up against the Lagos State Government, even as they demanded that wharf landing fees collected at the port should be used to at least repair the roads and make it motorable.
"They should know that from the money they are collecting they need to make the road serviceable and motorable" Kanikwu stated.
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