Freight forwarders operating at both PTML and Tin Can Island ports in Lagos have accused the valuation units at both commands of high handedness and trying to meet their revenue targets at all cost through issuance of 'cut throat' values on imported cargoes.
Even though initial challenges experienced with the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) have reportedly been surmounted, the stakeholders told Shipping Position Daily that they now contend with high handedness of valuation officers who issue unrealistic values.
Freight forwarders operating at both PTML and Tin Can Island ports in Lagos have accused the valuation units at both commands of high handedness and trying to meet their revenue targets at all cost through issuance of 'cut throat' values on imported cargoes.
Even though initial challenges experienced with the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) have reportedly been surmounted, the stakeholders told Shipping Position Daily that they now contend with high handedness of valuation officers who issue unrealistic values.
Specifically at the PTML command, Chairman of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agent (ANLCA); Prince Bola Adesokan and his Vice, Emmanuel Tobi, in a chat with Shipping Position Daily indicted the PTML command for allegedly demanding bribe from agents before they issue value on cargoes.
"They want to eat their cake and have it, you have insisted on collecting 35% duty, yet they still collect money from our members before issuing them value" Adesokan said.
Also condemning the Tin Can Island customs command, Secretary of ANLCA at Tin Can, Mr. Chucks Kanikwu Davies lamented that the value that the PAAR department of customs is issuing appears out of tune with current realities.
Kanikwu attributed this to the desperation on the part of Customs to meet its unrealistic target given by to it by the Federal Government.
He told our correspondent that: "The value is times two of what it should be, no wonder there is an increase in letters of protest on value. I believe it is because of the target set for them by the federal government"
"With this over bloated value, our ports will not be trade-friendly, the turning out of PAAR has improved tremendously, but now we are talking of value being issued" he stressed.
He commended the PAAR resolution committees that were set up at the various commands, saying that this is commendable and that the resolutions can be used to get a reliable data base.
Meanwhile, in a chat with Shipping Position Daily correspondent, the image maker of the PTML customs command, Steve Okonmah said that the highest revenue of the command was recorded in April 2014, which was N7.4 billion.
Okonmah said that prior to this time; the highest revenue of the command was N7.2billion.
"This is a sign that there is an improvement on the side of the Customs and it is the same at all Custom formations"
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