• Senate Draft Bill Different From House of Reps Bill
• Bill Seeks To Sack NAFDAC, SON, Others From Ports
• MAN, NAFDAC, SON Set To Battle Customs
Even as the controversial Nigeria Customs Service Bill is set to be subjected to another round of debate at the Senate soon, there are indications that some concerned stakeholders are already warming up to give the Customs a big fight over the Bill.
• Senate Draft Bill Different From House of Reps Bill
• Bill Seeks To Sack NAFDAC, SON, Others From Ports
• MAN, NAFDAC, SON Set To Battle Customs
Even as the controversial Nigeria Customs Service Bill is set to be subjected to another round of debate at the Senate soon, there are indications that some concerned stakeholders are already warming up to give the Customs a big fight over the Bill.
Shipping Position Daily confirmed last week that the opposition mounted upon the discovery that the version of the Bill which the Senate is considering is quite different from the ones that the House of Representatives had passed on June 6, 2012.
Areas of divergent include powers of the board, financing of customs operations, composition of the board.
They expressed worry that the Bill that was sent to the Senate has removed the powers of the board and also made its membership ambiguous by including DCG of Customs, without indicating how many they are.
The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) which has been removed from the board is particularly unhappy.
Critics of the Bill also pointed out that the draft at the Senate has cleverly removed the powers of the President, they pointed out that the only power that the President is left with is the power to prohibit coastwise carriage of goods. They frowned at the effrontery of the drafters of the Bill before the Senate who places the power to declare a Free Trade/ Export Processing Zone in the Comptroller General of Customs.
Its critics also express worry about the powers of a board that is no longer under the control of the minister of finance. They asked: Who appoints, discipline and determines the tenure of the Comptroller General of Customs.
Our sources confirmed that Section 41(5) of the Bill which seeks to empower Customs to establish laboratories is a direct affront on both NAFDAC and SON.
Apart from SON, NAFDAC and MAN, some licensed customs agents have also expressed doubt about the future of their profession by referring to them as representatives of the Customs.
A frontline practitioner who pleaded anonymity told our correspondent that “the bill is trying to whittle down power of every organisation and personnel that have dealings with Customs and confer such power to Customs…”
But the factional president of the National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents, Mr Lucky Amiwero confirmed to our correspondent on Friday that he is one of those who are opposed to the Bill.
Even though, he refused to expatiate, he however confirmed that he ahs sent a letter to the President on his observation about the Bill.
Shipping Position Daily had reported the fact that there are about three versions of the Bill in circulation, shortly after the public hearing by the Senate.
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