Founder of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) Dr. Boniface Aniebonam has petitioned President Goodluck Jonathan, canvassing partial financial autonomy for the Nigeria Custom Service, even as he argued that the service is currently under-funded.
Aniebonam in a petition letter, a copy of which was made available to Shipping Position Daily said that it is sad to note that the Nigeria Customs Service may be starved of funds needed to assist it in achieving its statutory duties.
Founder of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) Dr. Boniface Aniebonam has petitioned President Goodluck Jonathan, canvassing partial financial autonomy for the Nigeria Custom Service, even as he argued that the service is currently under-funded.
Aniebonam in a petition letter, a copy of which was made available to Shipping Position Daily said that it is sad to note that the Nigeria Customs Service may be starved of funds needed to assist it in achieving its statutory duties.
Aniebonam said that NAGAFF as a critical stakeholder in the port system is greatly worried because the problem of under-funding of the customs does not add any value to businesses in the ports.
In the letter with reference number NAGAFF/HQ/01/F/101/36, titled "Transformation Programme and Port Reforms of the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria" Aniebonam advised President Jonathan that the Customs Service be excised from Finance Ministry and granted partial autonomy because of its strategic nature.
"It is our view that the Nigeria Customs Service should be excised from Finance Ministry and granted partial autonomy because of the strategic nature of the agency. The Nigeria Customs Service administration and management should be proactive and efficient to the glory of the Nigerian people and the economy"
"The way forward should include the much expected new Customs law pending at the National Assembly seeking to grant the Service partial autonomy" he said.
Aniebonam said that the money allocated to the service at the moment is grossly inadequate as running cost and that rather, it should be given 7% of the FOB value of all imports
He argued that this becomes inevitable because it will enable them take up the additional responsibilities of Destination Inspection functions it was recently assigned.
He canvassed that, in order to avoid total breakdown of Customs operations, Jonathan should come up with a lasting solution to pay customs the outstanding budget allocation which until now has not been given to the service.
He said "it is in the public domain that between 2010 and 2014 (up to July) the approved budget for the Service may be N378,974,132,999.80. Our checks revealed that Nigeria Customs Service may have just received N279,423,858,602.50 leaving a balance of N99,550,274,397.30. We have observed that the morale of officers is very low because their entitlements are not being paid on time and most times, they are not attended to.
"The anti smuggling officers are facing tougher resistance from smugglers who have sophisticated arms whereas incentives like, leave allowances are not being paid while officers on transfer duties are not being catered for. It is sad to see senior officers on transfer sleeping
at the Enforcement Unit of the Service at the various Commands. With this kind of situation, how do we expect these officers to protect government revenue? The situation is merely aiding corruption in the port system"
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