Clearing agents operating at the Tin Can Island Port have raised an alarm about recent redeployment of some customs officers at the Tin Can Customs Command. They claimed that the officers are ‘inexperienced’.
The clearing agents told Shipping Position Daily that many of the Deputy Controllers at the command right now were transferred from the North, some from border post. Also, many have not worked at the seaport or border posts before and subsequently they could not even identify what a Single Goods Declaration (SGD) form means.
On the strength of the development and its effect on cargo clearance, the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has appealed to its members at Tin Can to give the new senior officers time to familiarize with their new terrain.
Confirming the challenges to our correspondent last week, Chairman of Tin Can Chapter of ANLCA; Prince Segun Oduntan said that the concerns of the agents have been tabled before the Customs Area Controller, Mr. Bashir Yusuf and that there is no cause for alarm.
He said that one of the Deputy Controllers that was concerned is one in charge of Five Star Logistics Terminal at Tin Can first gate. Prince Oduntan said that operationally, the new officers are slowing down work, but he assured that ANLCA had moved in immediately and spoken with the Deputy Controller concerned.
He commended the Customs Area Controller, Bashir Yussuf for being a proactive Controller who attends to complaints promptly before they snowball into crisis.
“Operationally, because of the new posting of officers, it has affected by slowing down work, it is because almost all the Deputy Controllers have gone and others are taking over, and for those taking over, I have to appeal to my people to give them a little time to be able to study the terrain. Some of them have not worked at the seaport before and this is what I gathered, so we need to give them a little time for integration and to learn the terrain”
“We have moved in immediately and spoken with the DC concerned at Five Star Logistics Terminal, I have been there now for almost about five times and issues are being trashed out, he needs to understand the terrain”
“I have a very wonderful Controller in my chapter who listens very well and take proactive actions if anything happened, this is why we have had relative peace, when issues happen and we go to him, he is ready to take action”
Prince Oduntan told our correspondent that some of his members had complained about the Deputy Controller leaving work to pile up on his table after he must have gone inside the terminal to conduct cargo examination by himself.
“I tell you he has the right as head of his department, he is always on his seat by 8am, so if he has job to do inside the terminal he needs to go so that he would be familiar with his terrain, but now people complain that jobs are getting delayed”
The ANLCA Chairman also lamented the arbitrary charges being levied on agents by shipping companies and terminal operators. He said that the shipping companies and terminal operators have increased charges and that the excuse is that Dollars is not obtainable since they have a duty to pay the Nigerian Ports Authority. He however assured that the issue is being handled by the national secretariat through the Senior Assistant to ANLCA president; Mr. Pius Ujubonu.
Also Speaking with Shipping Position Daily, Deputy President in charge of seaports under the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) Chief Obums Anene commended the customs management for carrying out a shake-up in the service.
He acknowledged that some of the current Deputy Controllers at the command do not even know what an SGD form is used for.
“The shakeup and transfers is in order, you cannot remain in a command for more than four years to ten years, you are not an island, you need to give chance for other people to come in, this is why there are some officer they brought in from Kaduna, they don’t know what an SGD for is”
“But we have the Assistant Controllers on ground, what they changed is the Deputy Controllers, so the AC would help them out” he said.
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