Prince Suleman Momoh is the General Patron of Seme Chapter of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA). In this interview with Joshua Yousouph, he talks about the plight of clearing agents operating at Seme border. He also dwells on issues bordering on trans-border trade, especially between Nigeria and Benin Republic
Looking at the current situation of the Seme border, we have seen that there has been a drop in activities compared to how Seme has always been. What are your concerns?
There is a high concern about that, because activities in Seme have become low. What we are experiencing in Seme, I don’t think we have seen that in the past nine years now. Yes, formerly, this is a place where we generated revenue for the federal government. Every month we the Customs agents must generate at least N1billion naira for the federal government. But since they have closed so many things here, we no longer realize such. Like duty now, we pay duty which has been increased to more than N10 to N15 million, as import duty. Before you can clear one container now, you will pay through your nose. You see, it can take two months and you will not see one vehicle that pays duty, because of the high duty they place in the tariff for import.
So, it is really affecting us. Seriously, that is why you see most of our agents are dying every day like fowls. For the past nine years plus now, if I’m not mistaken, we sat down the other time and we counted about 65 agents that have died because of hunger and low activities in the Seme border. So, it’s really giving us concern as a matter of fact. This is a place that was generating that kind of high revenue, One billion every month. Then, tokunboh vehicles were moving, and everybody was busy. Nobody is looking for any illegal thing to do or doing something that you will be invited by the security agents. No, the auto mechanic will do their work in the vehicle. The driver will drive the car to deliver to the owner. Let them open the border and let us start paying duty for those vehicles. Let them bring the price of duty down. So that imports can come in. There is no need to borrow money. We have money here by ourselves to generate for the federal government. There is no need for the federal government of Nigeria borrowing money. Very soon, they will go and borrow money from Benin Republic. That’s where they get money. Then, we will not open that same place for things to come inside. Then, we will start borrowing money from China and other places, when we have something to make money here and to generate revenue for the federal government of Nigeria.
So, we are still waiting for the new administration that just came into power. We keep our fingers crossed to see the decision it will take about the closing of the border. That is why I disagree that the border is opened, because the border is not yet open and that is the truth.
You said there are some activities you are no longer allowed to engage in. What do agents now do at the Seme border?
You can see that some people did not come. You were asking after the chapter Chairman. Supposing the Seme border is booming, he will be in his office. Among the 11 executives now, it is only me, the Patron that is here in the office. That is why you could meet with me now. So, there is nothing you will come to the border to do when five to ten people will be looking for one container to cross for a month. Is that a job? After they see one or two 40 feet containers to do, it will take you another six months to see one. That is not work. That is why you see some of our agents who just came from home, they will lie down on top of a bench there under that big tree. You will think that they are sleeping. When people are going home, you will wake the person and realize the person is dead, because he is over-thinking. He will be thinking about how he will get transport to go back home. Maybe he even borrowed the transport fare he used to come to Seme. He will be thinking about how he will feed his family. How will he pay back the N500 or N1000 he used to come to Seme? How will he pay the person back when he gets home? He will just sleep and from there he will not wake up again. So, the majority of about 95% of agents don’t come because Seme is like a graveyard now. Nothing is happening.
What is the effect of the fluctuation of Naira/Dollar rate at Seme border. Has this affected Customs duty?
In Nigeria, there is a saying that anything that goes up, doesn’t come down; which is true. If you go to Benin Republic now to buy anything from them, they will tell you because the dollar is down, their goods are now so and so amount. But in Nigeria, we are the ones ‘doing’ ourselves. They will tell you that all those things they bought in their shop were bought when the dollar was high. Whereas, when the dollar was down, they had some of these goods there in their shop, which they didn’t sell at that time. When the dollar is high, they will still sell it at the normal high rate of the dollar. They will never tell you that these are old goods and should pay the old price or charge at the old rate. Then, this is the one I just imported or bought at the dollar high rate. They will never do so. Nigerians will never do that. In fact, I can tell you without fear or favour that it is only the politicians that are with Nigeria’s money. Every other person is suffering. That is the truth.
Recently the Comptroller General of Customs was at Benin Republic to have bilateral trade talks and agreement with them. What’s your perception about it?
Anyway, if they are able to do that for us, we will be very happy, it will be a plus. Look from Badagry Roundabout to somewhere here (Seme border), they do not allow fuel to come in and people are staying here. The people who are staying from Gbaji to Gbethrome to Ashipa are more than three million people and they are Nigerians. Some of them have generating sets, some of them have cars. So, if they want to buy anything fuel; such as PMS, they have to go to Badagry Roundabout. So, if the relationship between Nigeria and Benin Republic (which is just a stone throw from here), is strengthened and implemented, it will be very okay; so that we can go there and clear our goods. Their Customs will escort us and hand-over the vehicles and the goods to Nigeria Customs to do proper documentation. It will be very okay. People are suffering. They should open the border officially and let the tension of this hunger come down first. People are hungry and angry every day. You see, some people have five children. They cannot feed themselves or talk about their children. The children will be asking their father. “Daddy, we didn’t eat yesterday night, you mean this morning again we will not eat?” It has gone to that level.
There have been rumors that the Benin Republic is angry with Nigeria because the border was closed, and they have made their duties high which is discouraging Nigerians from buying goods from there.
Yes, that started from the last administration when the President of Benin Republic discussed with the former President Muhammadu Buhari. He gave him hope that they are going to re-open the border officially. Until he left the office, they didn’t open the border. They only opened the border for Dangote to come in and sell his Cement and other things. So, when people were protesting, they said they had opened the border. But the border was officially opened for Dangote. That is the truth and they know it. So, in this new administration, the President has made some movement again to our new President Bola Ahmed Tinubu; hoping that they are going to open the border officially for transactions to continue between Benin Republic and Nigeria. Till now, they have not. Customs have been there more than 50 times. So, it’s not news to us that the CG of Customs has gone to Benin Republic for meetings. They have been to that meeting several times. Nothing has come out of it. So, it’s not news to us again that the CG of Customs has gone to Benin to do a meeting.
What we are asking for is to open the border officially. Let business start like before. Which I said before, we were generating N1billion every month. Before the 28th of the month, the Controller in charge of Seme Command will record N1 billion every month. But now, they are dragging to get N300 million, N70 million or N200 million.
One of the major challenges of agents and businessmen here is the issue of multiple checkpoints.
Wow! That is a no-go area. In fact, the checkpoints here are so numerous. This one you are seeing in the afternoon when you are coming to the office is a small thing. Anything from 7pm, the checkpoint you will meet from Seme border to Badagry roundabout alone will be more than 150; mostly manned by the Police. You will hear different names like “Anti flying” “Anti bomb” and others. You will be thinking that there is war in Nigeria. They will never ask you about particulars. They will only be concerned with what you carry in your boot, threatening you with their guns, if you don’t give them money. The Police and Immigration officers have condemned this road. I hope one day something good will happen. That is, we pray for a government that will take courage to eradicate these checkpoints. If a stranger enters Nigeria for the first time and he passes through the Seme border, he will never come back again, because he will think that there is a problem or war in Nigeria. Even in Afghanistan where they are fighting a war, I don’t think they have this kind of checkpoints. I don’t think so. It’s very terrible.
Can you just give us your final comments and recommendations on the issues you raised?
I recommend and advise the Federal Government of Nigeria to take a second look at the other side of their decisions. That is why you see that the officials hike their duties. This is because if they can get only one vehicle, they will use it as a scapegoat. All what they miss for a week, they will take that vehicle to recover it. Their duty is so high; you will pay different tax in their port, which is not supposed to be so, because it was not so before. We only give them peanuts. Even when the dollar was not high like that, we gave them nothing. They will allow our goods to come inside; they call it transits. But now, don’t even call any names for them. You must pay their duty and it’s very high. They will never treat us as they are treating the Niger Republic, Cameroon, and Togo. Nigeria’s own is worse because of the closing of the border against them. So, they don’t want to listen to anybody. The Comptroller General of Customs does not have anything to do with that, because that has to do with the President of Nigeria and the President of Benin Republic. That is the truth.
