The Nigeria Customs Service last week officially embarked on a tour of the nations' port environment as part of activities to inspect the practicing licenses of freight forwarders and custom brokers with a view to renewing them.
The Nigeria Customs Service last week officially embarked on a tour of the nations' port environment as part of activities to inspect the practicing licenses of freight forwarders and custom brokers with a view to renewing them.
Shipping Position Daily gathered that the inspection officers had last week visited various chapters of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agent (ANLCA) and National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), as well as other associations and offices around Apapa Lagos where they inspected practicing licenses.
National President of NAGAFF, Chief Eugene Nweke told our correspondent last week shortly after the inspection officers visited the NAGAFF headquarters that the customs officers were in Lagos to inspect licenses, and for members to renew their licenses.
One of the requirements which have been put in place according to him is that they want to see the welfare of staff of each organization and the organogram of the agency. Others according to him include tax payment and other relevant documentation that makes a registered firm.
Nweke said the exercise was an annual event that gives customs the right to inspect premises of every license owner, their office space, and staff strength.
"Instead of people not knowing how to get to them, they come here so that agents can meet them, as they are here; they are also at Eleganza building doing the same job. We have told every NAGAFF member to locate them and verify themselves."
He said that any freight forwarder that has missed the opportunity in Lagos will have to go to Abuja to get the verification done.
"Every license owner knows that he has that obligation yearly, coming to Lagos is just for administrative convenience"
Also speaking with our correspondent shortly after a visit to its chapter, an official of the Tin Can Chapter of ANLCA, Mr. Charles Ubah said that the inspection is a routine exercise that precedes license renewal.
Ubah said that the chapter had furnished the customs inspection team with list of its members at Tin Can and that various offices of members were inspected in line with the provisions on their licenses.
"Customs needs to know if you have a functional office, this is pre-requisite for owning a license, our members also came over with their relevant documents which were inspected by the officers"
"It is an offense to change your office address without informing the customs, so all what they are doing now is a routine exercise before they renew our licenses" he said.
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