Anxiety Among Corrupt Clearing Agents As Tin Can Custom Commissions One-stop-Shop

By ZION Olalekan |

There is fear among clearing agents operating at the Tin Can Island Port over the newly commissioned One-stop-Shop recently commissioned by the Tin Can Island command of Nigeria Customs Service purposely to block revenue leakages and solve complaints.

The customs command also announced yesterday in a press statement that it collected N31,848,233,590.39 as revenue in the month of August, 2018.

Speaking with our correspondent at the port yesterday, some of the licensed customs agents who craved anonymity expressed fears that the new innovation of customs will no longer allow them cut corners and make extra cash by cheating government.

Public Relations Officer of customs at Tin Can command, Mr. Uche Ejesieme confirmed to our correspondent that the Customs Area Controller, Mr. Musa Baba Abdullahi on Tuesday held a meeting with executives of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) and others where he reportedly issued a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) on the operation of the one stop shop facility.

He said the facility would address the incessant complaints of multiplicity of alerts, which hitherto was a recurring decimal in clearing procedure.

He enjoined all stakeholders to take advantage of the facility, especially for the facilitation of Legitimate Trade.

He also added that the centre will house Query and Amendment (Q & A), Valuation and CIU for the synchronization and harmonization of trade disputes.

The controller reportedly warned that henceforth, the service will not handle any matter of non compliance with levity.

Speaking with our correspondent, one of the clearing agents however lamented that “Customs is trying to centralize all complaints and treatment in one place, for instance if the problem is CIU alert, the CIU will look at it and if it is a problem of value, they pass it over to valuation, all sectional heads of the customs have been represented in the one stop shop”

“The issue now is that this arrangement will not help us because we will spend more money to clear cargoes, agents are the cause of it all, they are always crying of alerts on their cargo, now they have asked everyone to bring their complaints to one place”

Another licensed customs agent told our correspondent that “Now you have no choice than to be compliant, this is what the man (customs area controller) wants”

“I believe if all departments are brought together, we will be spending more money, we all know that corruption cannot be eliminated in this industry”

Meanwhile, in press statement issued by the Public Relations Officer of Tin Can Customs, Mr. Uche Ejesieme on Wednesday, he said the command commissioned a ‘one treatment area‘ to enhance the Operations of the Query & Amendment Department.

In the same vein, an Ultra Modern Canteen and a Mini Sports Pitch was also commissioned in an event which attracted Maritime Stakeholders recently.

“The Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Musa Baba Abdullahi, while conducting the Zonal Coordinator round the projects, noted that the projects became imperative following the need to re-position the Command to an enviable height in order to add further impetus to its status as the most User Friendly Port in the sub-region”

“While declaring open the ‘ONE STOP SHOP’ the Zonal Coordinator Assistant Comptroller General Dahiru Aminu, commended the Customs Area Controller for his thoughtfulness and stated that the facility would address the incessant complaints of multiplicity of alerts, which hitherto was a recurring decimal”

“As the name connotes, stakeholders are enjoined to take advantage of this, especially for the facilitation of Legitimate Trade”. The centre will house Query and Amendment (Q & A), Valuation and CIU for the synchronization and harmonization of trade disputes.

Similarly, the Zonal Coordinator, while commissioning the Ultra Modern Canteen and a Mini Sports Pitch, congratulated the Customs Area Controller for embarking on projects with considerable significance to the well being of the officers/men.

He particularly eulogized the Management and Staff of Seven Up Bottling Company Limited for donating a synthetic Mini Pitch as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and noted that it will serve the sporting needs of both officers and their esteemed stakeholder.

On the area of Revenue Collection, the Customs Area Controller declared that the Command collected a total of N31,848,233,590.39 in the month of

August, 2018. This is against the sum of N28,603,925,232.47 during the corresponding period of 2017, representing a difference of N3,244,308,357.92