Oluyinka Onigbinde
Clearing agents operating in the nation’s maritime industry have blamed the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) for the increased corruption being witnessed in the industry.
The clearing agents were reacting to a recent report on the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) released by Transparency International (TI), a global movement working in over 100 countries to end the injustice of corruption.
In the statement, the TI had stated that corruption in Nigeria is getting worse with no significant progress in the fight against corruption in the last decade.
In the report, Nigeria featured prominently, scoring 24 out of a possible 100 points and ranking an abysmal 154 out of the 180 countries ranked, a score that has been described as an historic low.
While countries like Kenya which was in the same bracket score with Nigeria in 2016 have progressively improved in its CPI index ranking, Nigeria has progressively declined. While Kenya scored 26 points in 2016, it has currently moved up to 30 points in 2021, Nigeria on the other hand has moved from 28 points in 2016 to 24 in 2021.
Reacting to the report, some Customs licensed agents operating in Lagos seaports noted that, apart from politicians, government agencies such as Customs have contributed to the soaring corruption in the country, particularly in the nation’s maritime industry.
Expressing his opinion on the recent corruption index, the National Secretary Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA); Mr Babatunde Mukaila, blamed the NCS for the rising corruption in the maritime sector.
The ANLCA chieftain said that the Customs has also encouraged other related security agencies in the port to embrace corruption, he noted that lack of automation has given room for corruption to thrive in the nation’s maritime industry.
Mukaila questioned the rationale behind the huge revenue declared by the service, despite a reduction in cargo throughput, alleging that the service is tasking agents to pay more for no service in other to meet the revenue target.
“NCS should be blamed, cargo throughput has reduced, a total number of containers arriving in Nigeria is decreasing by the month and by the year, and NCS is raising higher targets. In simple mathematics, somebody is asking someone to pay more for no service and additional pocket money going home with the fellow.
Speaking also, Mr Ayo Olaoba; a freight forwarder also indicted the NCS for the aggravated corruption that is being witnessed in the ports. He alleged that NCS is the most corrupt government agency at the nation’s port, stating that for corruption to reduce particularly in the maritime industry, there is a need to stop the service from collecting revenue.
He added that checkpoints mounted by the service along the port access road, including the CGC Strike Force should also be cancelled
He said, “We all know that NCS will take the number one spot if you ask me, due to the excess revenue that comes to them, if a small command is generating far more than what NIMASA is generating into the government coffers, then you should know that of course there is a tendency for corruption to thrive in a large scale”.
On his part, however, the National Coordinator, Save Nigeria Freight Forwarders Importers Exporters Coalition (SNFFIEC), Chief Osita Chukwu stated that corruption, particularly in the maritime industry is a problem that has gone beyond control.
He however called on the government to jail those found guilty of corruption to serve as a deterrent to others who may intend to follow the same path.
Read Also: Clearing Agents Call For Unified Port Access Card, Say It Will To Reduce Extortion At Nation’s Ports
However, reacting to the allegation that the service should be blamed for increased corruption in the nation’s maritime industry, the Mr Timi Bomodi, the National Public Relations Officer, NCS decried that the service should be blamed for increased corruption in the maritime industry.
He said the service will not be distracted by the hateful comments of people who will not want to see anything positive in the country or government agencies that are bent on doing the right thing. He added that most of the service operations have been automated and it has reduced corrupt tendencies in the industry.
“The service is too busy to listen to everyone that throws mud out there. The business of protecting our borders and collecting revenue is a serious one and we cannot allow ourselves to be distracted by the hateful comments of people who will not want to see anything positive in the country or government agencies that are bent on doing the right thing. A lot of people just want to be heard, but in this case, it just doesn’t make sense.
“The various commands give briefings backed up with data that is verifiable at shipping companies and terminal operators. A lot of people you see hanging around our port environment are not agents, but touts. People think the port environment is a place where they can make easy money, but that is not what it is.
“It is contradictory for licensed customs agents to say so. When somebody starts singing constantly about something, you will know that such a person has a keen interest to see that thing removed, because it won’t help their businesses and that is what happens. The people that cry the most about Strike Force or FOU are the ones that are engaged in these malfeasances. Those that don’t have skeletons in their cupboard don’t complain” he said.
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