Maritime stakeholders have expressed divergent opinions on the workability of the newly introduced customs trade portal; Nigerian Trade Hub as well as its risk assessment engine; the Pre Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR)
The reactions came at a sensitization meeting between the stakeholders and the Comptroller General of Customs, Alhaji Dikko Inde Abdullahi on the provisions of the new portal which was launched recently.
Maritime stakeholders have expressed divergent opinions on the workability of the newly introduced customs trade portal; Nigerian Trade Hub as well as its risk assessment engine; the Pre Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR)
The reactions came at a sensitization meeting between the stakeholders and the Comptroller General of Customs, Alhaji Dikko Inde Abdullahi on the provisions of the new portal which was launched recently.
Leading the pack of those who commended the concept, the National President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) Prince Olayiwola Shittu expressed optimism that upon official take-over of customs from destination inspection service providers, the PAAR will ensure professionalism in Nigerian import and export business.
Shittu however demanded that the customs boss should put machinery in place to ensure that only Nigerians are allowed to practice freight forwarding in Nigeria, saying this will discourage foreigners carting away jobs that ordinarily should be done by Nigerian licensed agents.
"Be rest assured that we are going to interface, but we implore you to tell the Federal Government, if you go to America, Canada and elsewhere, only free born citizens of the country practice licensed customs agency and freight forwarding"
Also full of praises for the Customs boss on the development of the twin platforms, President of National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF); Chief Eugene Nweke expressed happiness that the PAAR and the NTH are designed to put Nigeria on the same page with the rest of the advanced countries.
Whatever it will cost you to train freight forwarders in knowing the risks and the operation of the PAAR should be instituted.
However, some stakeholders cast doubts about the Customs achieving success with the two instruments.
A representative of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce, Mrs. July Ogboru cautioned the CG to ensure that he removes his stooges called 'CG boys' from the port if the custom must achieve success with the use of NTH and the PAAR.
According to her, many of the officers deliberately flout directives given to them by Area Controllers.
She lamented that there are officers on the field who have created islands for themselves.
"The only thing that can make the PAAR to work is to remove these officers from the field" Ogboru said
On his part, the Secretary to ANLCA BOT, Prince Taiye Oyeniyi observed that port congestion has gradually crept back into the ports.
He particularly fingered the APM Terminals and the Cotecna destination inspection company for being responsible for the woes of port operators.
"Cotecna for instance cannot scan more than 180 containers in a day, leaving the backlog of over 200 containers at the port"
According to him, the total container scanned for the month of August by the DI agent is just 4, 200. He urged the CGC to visit the issue as an impediment to trade facilitation.
Oyeniyi also lambasted the APMT for failing to feed bonded terminals with containers in order to allow custom collect its acquirable revenues.
"APMT is congested while we have some bonded terminals are lying fallow, something needs to be done, the duty of the customs is to collect duty, before they transfer containers to bonded terminal they will ask for a N100million bond, where is the bank that will give any bonded terminal such money?"
In his reaction however, the CGC dismissed allegations of the alleged 'CG boys' describing it as cheap blackmail.
He charged the stakeholders to present the names of such officers that caught violating directives of the CAC or demanding gratification.
"If you say there are CG boys, it is blackmail, if you have such persons, bring them forward and stop making vague statements" he said.
Discussion about this post