Dr. Eugene Nweke (NAGAFF)
Go to NPA check their cargo throughput in a year and compare it from 2015 till date, what is the growth rate of total cargos processed and handled by Customs per annum. People like us are not easily influenced to look at higher revenue generation as a critical key indicator for performance. When you want to rate customs and its efficiency, you have to check what is the dwell time of cargoes within customs control, what is the total cargo throughput handled by customs. These are critical performance indicators through which you can access customs. If you check all these, it now tells you whether cargo throughput is high or not and whether cargoes were able to get to the owners warehouse on time or not. With that, you can now say whether the customs is good in cargo throughput or not and you can now say that trade facilitation is good or not.
Derrick Jude Ige (Stakeholder)
They have been trying, but they still need to try more, in the area of value placed on products imported they should consider the market before adding any value to a product . I expect that they will work hand in hands with stakeholders this year, I expect that there will be more synergy with the stakeholders, because without the stakeholders, It will be difficult for them to make progress.
Dr. Frank Ukor (AREFFN)
I do not expect anything extraordinary from customs; different from what have been happening, collecting duties and all that. But then if you go to some areas they will tell you that they are indirectly working on benchmark, they are working on transaction value. What I will expect them to do is to work on transaction value because that is the standard that is expected, because they will make more money let them think more of the government than their own pockets.
Prince Yinka Bakare (NAFFAC)
To come up with more professional ways of handling things probably train their officers. I will also expect them to come up with more honest ways of doing things, let them facilitate trade.
Dr. Boniface Aniebonam (NAGAFF)
It is unfortunate that customs is usually being given target, but for me, government is in a better position to make decision; but that again will tell you that the government is apprehensive. For instance you look at the issue of border closure; something is wrong because we don’t need our neighbours to implement our fiscal policies on trade matters while acknowledging the fact that we need to have a good neighbour. The whole thing is culminating in Nigeria society being bedevilled with high level of corruption.
Stanley Ezenga (NAGAFF)
The first thing I will expect from Customs is that they should stop setting target for their officers, because when they set target overtime it exposes them to unethical practice in other to meet up target.
There has been the issue of over taxing whereby value of good are being upgraded by officers, because when we talk about customs it is not just about revenue target but it is most importantly about trade facilitation and all these impediments make trade facilitation difficult.
Barrister Alex Afolalu (Maritime Lawyer)
I will only implore them to ensure smooth trade facilitation this year, much more than we had last year, there were issues of accidental discharge by custom officers last year, we hope such a thing will be curb and effectively manage this time around, like I said trade facilitation should be their priority not just generating revenue, they should ensure that trade facilitation is carried out efficiently and effectively.
Obinna Okafor (NAGAFF Chairman, Ikorodu)
My expectation from the customs this year is just for them to transfer the overtime cargo from the port to Ikorodu immediately because it is causing a lot of problem in the port, the issue of congestion, they cannot run away from it, so I would say even before they auction any cargo the containers should be moved to Ikorodu port so as to decongest the terminals. Now that the border has been closed there is highly level of import through the port and the way to decongest the port is the movement of overtime cargoes to Ikorodu, so I will expect the customs to do that as it falls within their purview.
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