Allow legitimate vehicles from border to end Customs/smugglers clash - Freight Forwarders

By ZION Olalekan

Following recent increase in clashes between officers of the Nigeria Customs Service and smugglers especially around Ogun State, International Freight Forwarders Association (IFFA) has urged the Federal Government to open up the land borders, especially to allow legitimate vehicle importers pay duty and import their vehicles.

Chairman of the PTML Chapter of IFFA, Chief Sonny Nnebe in a chat with Nigerianmaritime360.com urged the Federal Government to create a platform where genuine importers can take advantage of and pay duties on their imported vehicles.

Nnebe also urged the government to review the Ease of Doing Business policy at the ports and ensure strict compliance on security agencies that are not needed inside the ports.

Speaking, he said “Government should review the duty rates on vehicles to discourage fraud and to give second thought to vehicles that don’t have duty but want to pay duty.

“They should create a platform where people can take advantage of and pay duties.

“Thirdly, government should create enabling environment for freight forwarders to have offices around the ports for proximity sake.

“Also, government needs to look at the activities of the shipping companies who don’t have bays for empty containers. They bring 200 containers and will only take back 50 empty containers and this empties continued to cause congestion at the ports leading freight forwarders losing all money made as deposits to shipping companies.

“Government must intervene to stop the abuse and cheat being perpetuated by shipping companies and terminal operators. The government should give directive to terminal operators to always position containers for examination before payment is made. Before this, roads leading to and from ports must be fixed and made accessible.

“Importers should be given orientation from time-to-time on right declaration of goods being imported while there should be room to accommodate corrections on NICIS 2, as it’s seriously affecting the ease of clearing once there’s an error” he said.