Olorogun Andrew Ugwi (ANLCA, PTML)
Olorogun Andrew Ugwi (ANLCA, PTML)
This issue of destination inspection agents is like a duplication of function, we have been telling the government, but because some people in government have this personal interest known to them, they continued to appoint those special agents, inspection agents can inspect in their own country which is the same job the customs officers are doing and can even do it better, we know that Nigeria is corrupt and there is corruption all over the world, customs should be left alone to do their job because many of the inspection agents give government false declaration, and when we get there it gives us problems. I think our customs are ripe and well trained to carry out their functions, so the agents should leave.
Frank Ukor (President, AREFFN)
The destination inspection regime was put in place by the federal government by an Act, we have been practicing it for some years now, and the question now is that, how ready is the customs in taking over from the inspection agents? if you go to the port, there are lots of problems, these people are supposed to scan goods that come into the country, more often than not we found out that when these goods get to the screening, there are suspicions all the time, my fear is that if customs takes over now, there is going to be more problems, therefore I don’t think the customs is ready for the taking over, they need more proper training. The contract of the inspection agent should be extended for one year, if the customs should take over, the port will be a total mess, the federal government should extend the period of this contract for one year so that the customs could embark on a massive training especially those who will man the scanners.
Alh. Abdulazeez Mukaila (Chairman, ASECO/ANLCA)
I believe the Nigeria customs have come of age, and I don’t see anything special that the inspection agents are doing to warrant them to collect our hard earned money in this country, in a nutshell, I support that the customs should be in charge after the expiration of the tenure.
Chief Ndimkora Cosmas (Chairman, NAGAFF PTML)
There is what we call “ on the job experience”, you can't know it unless you are taught, the destination inspection companies have been on for seven years, seven years is enough for (even) a dullard to leave primary school, the customs may not be perfect, but when they get to the job proper, they will learn, the inspection agents are supposed to leave by December, we don’t want to see them after next month, they should leave, let Nigerians take care of what belongs to Nigeria, there could be mistakes at first, but the job experience could make them conquer it. The NCS are improving tremendously, there is check and balance on them at the moment and if you go contrary to this as a custom officer, you could be laid-off; everyone now values his or her job, so they are trying to do the right thing.
Ugochukwu Nnadi (Deputy President, NAGAFF)
It is very important that they should leave and customs should take over, although customs have not acquired the knowledge of the way they ought to operate the machines, it is a deliberate ploy by the operators to make sure that the customs do not take over after the expiration of their tenure, but I am saying they should leave ; the expertise could be acquired by the Customs so that they would continue from there, even the Risk Assessment Reports (RAR) issued by the inspection agents, if you present it to customs they still go ahead to querry it and most times it creates confusion, so the ideal thing is that the customs should take over from them no matter the technicalities or difficulties encountered. When customs take over, it will become a challenge for them and within six months they would be able to master what is involved.
Festus Ukwu (Director of Publicity, NCMDLCA)
It is better for the customs to take over, because the inspection agents are wasting our time, customs is just to do examination and release it immediately, I think that job belongs to the Nigeria customs, some people are collecting money from that place, but this money would have been used to better the lots of operatives in the port.
Emmanuel Offiong (NCMDLCA, Member)
The Federal Government of Nigeria and the Ministry of Finance are not ready because of the percentage they collect from these destination inspection companies and this is why the Nigerian Customs does not have a say, it is only when the upper chamber is ready that the lower chamber will take the order from that point, even if they have enough educated people in Customs there is this lack of interest, so from what I saw in the last operation the inspection agents want government to renew their contract, meanwhile the training they are asked to carry out, they have not been doing it.
Eugene Nweke (President, NAGAFF)
We don’t need to canvass for contract extension, their contract agreement stated that they should leave as soon as their contract elapses, by the time we check out the customs and they did not measure up in performance with the destination inspection, and then we may now require their services and bring them back. But it will be the greatest disappointment for the Federal Republic of Nigeria if the Nigeria Customs Service after seven years of all the import revenue generations, trainings and re-trainings that they are proposing here and there could not handle destination inspection, what is so difficult in the issuance of cargo reports, or do the service providers generate their facts from heaven? If they generate their own statistics from this world, then the Nigeria customs could even do better.
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