Honest Declaration Will End Extortion in Ports — NAGAFF President

Honest Declaration Will End Extortion in Ports — NAGAFF President

Mr Tochukwu Ezisi, President, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) says honest declaration will end extortion at the country’s ports.

Ezisi said this at the Comptroller -General of Custom (CGC) 2023 conference on Friday, in Lagos.

The conference had the theme:” Leveraging Data Analytics for Secure and Efficient Trade Facilitation in Customs Operations.”

According to Ezisi, it is the responsibility of stakeholders to ensure that the port is rid of extortion, and this is by doing the right things.

The NAGAFF president appreciated the Comptroller General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, for activating the CGC’s conference.

He said that it was an avenue for robust discussion on issues affecting stakeholders at the port.

“In all honesty, for the first time in 13 years, the freight forwarders are happy because their issues are being discussed and decisions taken right here and not ‘we will get back to you’.

“The CG has shown some seriousness in his agenda and the first thing is to activate this CGC conference, which stopped 12 years ago. It’s not an easy thing, and I applaud him for that.

“From the point of the CGC, I will tell you that the 48 hours cargo clearance is achievable, he is working toward that, even though we know that it will not be immediate,” he said.

He pointed out that when the issue of multiple alerts was brought forward, the CGC directed its centralisation to one-stop shop.

Also contributing, Mr Emenike Nwokoji, National President, Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), said the issue of cargo integrity was a two way thing.

He said that a lot of things went on in the country because of lack of punishment for the offenders.

According to him, by the time an offender is punished, it will be difficult for that person to embark on that journey anymore.

“So, we need to tell our clients to improve on their declarations, we cannot go to equity with soiled hands, it can’t work.

“We are also leaving fully satisfied with what they have come to do, as this has been a three-day fully loaded programme.

“We know the myriad of problems we have at the port cannot be taken care of overnight. We are leaving satisfied because a lot of key issues have been touched and a lot of promises have been made and committees set up, milestones made.

“All we need now is to go back and assure our members that next year is going to be better than what we have had,” he said

Nwokoji noted that one of the promises made that gladenned them was that by third week of January 2024, agents would embark on training.

He said that they had been clamouring for it, adding that if customs continued to train the officials without the agents, it would be difficult for them to flow.

The ANLCA president regretted that the 48-hours clearance discussed was beyond where they were, due to the condition of the port access road.

“One cannot come to the port to pick  containers due to poor access road and it’s not the duty of customs to provide that.

“The Federal Government and all other agencies need to do their own bit; we need to improve on port infrastructure; the terminal operators, do they have enough equipment to work with? And security as well. Arts Forum Enlightens Students on Innovative Digital Tools

“A whole lot needs to be put in place and we will continue to dialogue on it,” he said.