Freight forwarders warn new customs directive could lead to port congestion

seek intervention of presidency

Critical stakeholders in Freight forwarding have appealed to the presidency to call the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Col. Hameed Alli, to order over new directive empowering the CG Strike Force to partake in examination of suspected containers inside the seaports.

The operators called on the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo to caution the customs boss saying the directive could be inimical to the policy of ease of doing business in the port engendered by the Vice President.

The new order, according to stakeholders who spoke with our correspondent, poses serious hindrance to trade facilitation and free flow of trade which is contrary to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and World Customs Organisation (WCO) conventions.

They added that the new policy would not only hamper trade but lead to congestion and unnecessary bottlenecks.

Recall that management of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) headed by Col. Hameed Alli (rtd) over the weekend directed its Strike Force team, an interventionist unit of the Customs set up by the Comptroller General in the ports to examine goods which are not properly examined by the ports resident officers and that the Customs Area Controllers will be held responsible for non- compliance to the new order.

The new directive was contained in a circular EII/2019/CIRCULAR NUMBER 002, titled “100% Examination of Cargo at the Ports”.

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” It concluded.

Reacting to the directive at the weekend, Chairman, Association of Registered Freight Forwarders of Nigeria (AREFFN), Apapa Chapter, Mr. Jones Idemili maintained that the directive by the customs boss can best be described as the “height of incompetence” from the retired military chief.

Idemili expressed dissatisfaction over the directive calling on the Vice President to caution the customs boss to revert such order.

“In every command, a CAC is in charge and if there is any information the CGC needs, he will call on the area controller for any action to be taken.

“If Hameed Ali does not understand what it takes to be CGC, he should consult those that were there before because this directive is uncalled for and it is not proper.

According to him, the examination bays at the terminals have been flooded by multiple government agencies adding that with the new directive in place, there are possibilities of congestion at the seaports.

He further lamented that involvement of the strike force team would lead to delay in the clearance of cargoes.

Similarly, Chairman, Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Apapa Chapter, Dom Onyeka advised the CG of customs to replace the officers at the ports with officials of the strike force team, if not satisfied with the performance of the resident officers.

He suggested that officers at ports would have been replaced with the strike force team.

The chairman lamented that the process would lead to delay in the clearance of cargoes from the ports, adding that consignment can spend additional days at the ports before proper clearance can be effected.

Onyeka stressed “If somebody says that his house is not in order then it is left for him to decide what he wants to achieve.

“The strike force team are customs officers likewise those at the seaports, so therefore if it pleases him to replace the officers at the ports then fine and good. It’s a simple logic but its duplication and function.

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 has been rebuffed by the Customs boss who has officially confirmed the Strike Force presence in the ports with this circular.

Our Correspondent who sighted the circular also heard resident customs officers and agents discussing on the matter.

Resident officers are afraid that their functions have been taken over by the Strike Force, while agents and importers are scared of their fate in the new customs cargoes examination order.