Customs boss passes ” vote of no confidence” on Area Controllers — empowers strike force team to intervene in cargo release.

By ZION Olalekan /Tayo Oladipupo

In what appears to be a vote of no confidence in his Area controllers at the commands, the Comptroller-Genreal of Customs, Hameed Ali, has mandated the special strike force team to get involved in cargo examination and seizures in the commands.
By this order, the CGC Strike Force, which has always been a source of friction between customs and freight forwarders, now has unrestricted access to the ports, involve in examination of cargo and impound those found to have committed infractions.

This new directive was contained in a circular EII/2019/CIRCULAR NUMBER 002, titled “100% Examination of Cargo at the Ports sighted by our correspondent yesterday.

The circular which was issued on the 25th of April 2019 and signed by Deputy Comptroller General A. Chidi, DCG (E,I&I) on behalf of the Comptroller General reads:

“It has been observed that 100% examinations of Cargo at the ports are not done properly by the officers assigned to do so.

“Consequently, the following instructions must be carried out with immediate effect and Area Controllers will personally be held responsible for non compliance.

“Henceforth,every Area Controller must respond accordingly to Strike Force intervention Alerts.

“The Strike Force team has been authorised henceforth to intervene right in the ports .

“Non compliance to this circular will attract severe sanctions ”
The circular concluded.

It could be recalled that the CG has deployed the Strike Force inside the ports in the last three weeks to involve in examination of cargoes.

This has attracted huge cries from agents and their importers who have threatened to down tools in the ports.
But their threat seemed to have emboldened the customs boss who has officially confirmed the Strike Force presence in the ports with this circular.

Our correspondents learnt that with this new directive, the Area Controllers have been rendered redundant and appendages to the now more powerful and ubiquitous strike force team.

It was further gathered that with this order, the Customs helmsman has called the bluff of the agitating freight forwarders who threatened to ground activities at the ports if the strike force team, which they have come to loathe, is not withdrawn.

It is yet to be seen how the freight forwarders will react to this new onslaught by the customs boss.

“The intervening period will reveal whether the freight forwarders will muster coalition of forces to checkmate the rampaging customs boss and his strike force team or they would run away with their tails tucked between their legs, sulking like a defeated dog which lost a fight over a fat bone” an industry stakeholder said in a derisive voice.