The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has kicked against its members’ exclusion from the ongoing training programme put together for holders of customs license by the Nigeria Customs Service in Lagos.
The Customs, had in a letter of invitation to NAGAFF and other associations, insisted that the training programme can only be attended by holders of valid customs license.
The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has kicked against its members’ exclusion from the ongoing training programme put together for holders of customs license by the Nigeria Customs Service in Lagos.
The Customs, had in a letter of invitation to NAGAFF and other associations, insisted that the training programme can only be attended by holders of valid customs license.
But, NAGAFF in its petition which was made available to our correspondent yesterday, kicked against the directive, even as it lamented that the Nigeria Customs Service is being unfair to freight forwarders who are licensed customs holders.
“The word stakeholders abhor restriction of freight forwarders from Customs project because of the strategic nature of the practitioners in our international trade and Customs administration.
“It is shocking to note that the Apapa Command of the Nigeria Customs in its deliberate effort to advance Customs clearing procedure restricted freight forwarders from their good intentions. It is therefore inappropriate to assert that only Agencies whose licenses issued by the Nigeria Customs Service which were up to date are eligible for the training programme”, it argued.
In a veiled reference to the relevance of CRFFN Act of 2007 in the process of issuance of customs license and the operation of such license holders, NAGAFF advised that the Nigeria Customs should “find time to set up a joint technical committee of freight forwarders
operating under Act 16 of 2007 led by NAGAFF and Licensed Customs Agents operating under CEMA and led by ANLCA to harmonise the relevance and operations of the two legislative instruments of the National Assembly i.e. CEMA and CRFFN Act guiding Customs administration and freight forwarding profession in Nigeria”.
In the protest letter which was signed by its National Secretary; Mr Increase Uche, NAGAFF maintained that, “Act 16 of 2007 is very clear under Section 19 that for any person or corporate body to be a Licensed Customs Agent, such a person or corporate body must be duly registered by CRFFN. In other words before you can be licensed by Nigeria Customs Service to operate in the Customs ports and its formalities, such a person or corporate name must be in the register
of Freight Forwarders of Nigeria’.
Lamenting that, the letter of invitation to the training programme, restricts its members, the association nevertheless appealed that the Customs to set up a technical committee to harmonise the provisions of both the CEMA and the CRFFN Act of 2007.
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