The National Association of Government Approved freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has finally withdrawn the corruption charges that were levelled against a senior Customs officer at Tin Can Island Command; Deputy Controller Aliu Saidu.
The association backed off from its much publicised “public hearing’’ on the allegations, which it had scheduled to hold yesterday. It said it would rather embrace dialogue on how sharp practices can be eliminated from port operations.
Shipping Position Daily also gathered yesterday that the Controller in charge of Tin Can Island Port; Comptroller Zakari Jibrin had earlier assured the association that such act will not come up against at the command.
But, at a one day public hearing put together by the association, yesterday in Lagos, founder of NAGAFF ; Dr. Boniface Aniebonam warned officers of customs to desist from any form of corrupt practices, noting that” there are personal issues between me and the DC”
“I used my position as the founder of NAGAFF to facilitate a meeting before this public hearing and the meeting started around 9am, which was spontaneous and exhaustive to make representations as it were as regards the grievance at the port”, he disclosed.
He said that some of the alleged corrupt practice by the Deputy controller includes: re routing, appraisal of value, alert and sundry abuses.
He explained that after the association’s executives met with the controller in charge of Tin Can Island Command. It has to withdraw the case against the customs, owing to the fact NAGAFF and customs are responsible partners.
According to him, the CAC Tin Can Island Command has taken a position on the subject matter, pointing out that Jubrin is capable of tackling the issue at hand.
Aniebonam stated that the DC Saidu has been controversial and there is need to put a stop to such practices, noting that the essence of the public hearing was to serve as a public court whereby the practitioners can give detailed evidence about a subject matter.
Also speaking at the hearing, chairman, Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) Mazi Uche Increase said that the controller of the command decided to wade into the matter and also assured that issue will be tackled amicably.
“The controller has promoted to organise an enlarge stakeholders’ meeting which will hold between now and next year and that is where we are at the moment”, he added.
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