Diverge opinions have continued to trail the recent directive by the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Col Hammed Ali (Rtd) for the unsealing and examination of containers that are destined for Inland Dry Ports (IDPs) and Inland Container Terminals (ICDs).
While some industry practitioners have described it as an indirect vote of no confidence by management of the service on officers attached to the ICDs, others have applauded the service saying that it is a move in the right direction.
In an interview with Shipping Position Daily last week, the President of the National Association of Air freight Forwarders and Consolidators (NAFFAC), Mr. Adeyinka Bakare, confirmed the presence of high ranked customs officers in the ICDs and that all the units of the Customs are well-represented.
He however maintained that calling for double examination of ICD-bound cargoes shows that there is no confidence in the ability of the resident officers posted to the IDPs.
“On the issue of re-examination before getting to the ICD, what the customs is telling us is that they don’t have confidence in their officers, that is just the thing”
“Those ICDs all the units of the customs are well represented and majority of the ICDs are headed by an Assistant Controller or a Deputy Controller, so if you now tell us that before any container goes to the ICD, it will first be examined at the ports, you are automatically telling us that the officers at the ICDs are not capable”, he told our correspondent.
He said that if examination is conducted at the seaport before the cargos are taken to ICDs, there is no need having another examination.
“So if you do examination here at the seaport, there is no need for another examination at the ICD, there is even no need of taking the containers to the ICD it is just for the container to go straight to the final destination or the end users”
“But, I don’t think it is an order yet, I think it is just an assumption and I want to believe that it is an assumption. You won’t tell us that every container going to Kaduna for instance should be examined in Apapa where people are complaining that the physical examination in Apapa is wasting a lot of time and you want to add to the time, it won’t make sense”
“Naturally when the containers are being transported it is supposed to be escorted by officers of the FOU, it is a not a new thing it is a normal thing because of diversion. But that they should examine before taking to the ICD is just telling us that those officers at the ICDs are not competent enough”, he added.
Meanwhile the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA) Mr. Raph Agbaugo, lauded the Customs boss for the move.
“My take is that it is a step in the right direction, the NCS are in charge for clearance of goods and if this is what the CGC is saying it is a step in the right direction. The situation we find ourselves now is so volatile, this is an era of insecurity, insurgence and moreover you must know that concealment is rampant everywhere”
Agbaugo however urged the government to entrench and effective rail system for the movement of cargoes.
“There are also cases of diversion and interception that is the only disadvantage dry ports are facing. And then my own suggestion is that the government should entrench an effective rail system, it doesn’t take anything, it is even faster. So in this particular occasion they have risen to the challenge and I commend them for that” he concluded.
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