Customs Blame Clearing Agents for Cargo Delay at Lagos Airport

By ZION Olalekan |

Customs Area Controller (CAC), Murtala Muhammed International Airport Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, Ikeja, Lagos Comptroller (Mrs.) Jane Shoboiki has blamed clearing agents for the delay experienced in the cargo clearance process at the Lagos airport.

Shoboiki stated this when the National leadership of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) led by its President, Chief Increase Uche, paid a working visit to the command on Thursday.

Shoboiki stated that the inability and failure of customs agents to adhere strictly to the tenets of cargo clearance procedures is chiefly responsible for delay in trade facilitation.

She noted that trade facilitation would be effective and fast when cargo stakeholders declare their documents correctly.

The Customs CAC who thanked the visitors averred that every Customs officer is proud to be an officer of the Service because of the sterling leadership quality the Comptroller General of Customs Hameed Ali has provided since coming to office.

She maintained that under the leadership of the Comptroller General Ali trade facilitation has improved and revenue generation risen.

Shoboiki noted that her Command would cooperate with NAGAFF in promoting trade facilitation and charged the association to continue to train, talk and counsel its members on genuine cargo declaration.

According to her, ‘’our stakeholders, Customs agents, must make genuine declaration; we need honest declaration. When you don’t have this we will be going backward. Trade will be facilitated when cargo is properly declared.

‘’I believe NAGAFF should do more of training and talking to its members and counsel them on genuine declaration.’’

Earlier in his speech, the President of NAGAFF, Chief Increase Uche, had noted that the essence of their visit to the Customs Command was to interface and strengthen the existing relationship between the Command and NAGAFF, saying there was palpable peace and friendliness in the Command Area.

The NAGAFF President who took time to explain the philosophy behind the formation of the association, informed that cargo were being over valued as cost of doing business in the ports has gone up and cargo are being diverted because of that.

Uche noted that the port system is going down every day because of bad roads, saying that the target of NAGAFF is to bring about total sanitization of the industry.

He however assured the CAC of total support of NAGAFF and all its.

‘’We are here to assure you that NAGAFF is a peaceful body; the CAC should forget what happened in the past. You will have our support,’’ Uche quipped.