Group tasks Customs on proper inspection of cargo at port
Worried by the corrupt attitude of officers of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) towards examination of containers at the nation’s seaport, group under the auspices of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), has identified the need for Customs to ensure proper examination of cargo at the port without promoting their selfish interest.
Customs examination is a process through which Customs officer examines a laden container with a view to ascertaining and comparing the declaration made by the importer through the licensed agent, with the actual contents of the container in line with the nation’s import and export laws.
Under normal circumstances, the officer and other government agencies are expected to take inventories for official use. The outcome of the examination leads to the release of such containers if the cargo tallies with the declaration made, and if it does not, further action may be taken including detention or seizure of such goods.
Describing the current attitude of Customs officers to cargo examination as very unprofessional, Increase Uche, chairman, Anti-Corruption Committee of NAGAFF says in a statement that it has become disturbing at the rate with which Customs and officers from other government agencies, charged with the responsibility of ensuring compliance to import and export regulations, usually connive with the trading public to short-change the same government they were meant to protect.
According to him, these officers abuse the law to protect their selfish interest at the detriment of government revenue by releasing under-declared cargo without proper examination. “The Customs examiner is the most strategic person representing the government to protect its interest but it is most unfortunate at the level of connivance currently taking place at the ports.”
“Without prejudices to the relevant sections of the Customs laws dealing with untrue declarations, trade facilitation must be for legitimate trade, in line with the laws governing international trade, while the under-declared cargo must serve the punishment as stipulated by Customs and Excise law to serve as deterrent to other importers, who might nurse the idea to toll the wrong part in the future.”
While appreciating the level of achievement made by the Customs officers at Jibiya Border of Katsina where monopoly has been broken, he stated that there is urgent need to ensure uniform application of Customs rules at all entry points of sea, air, and land borders.
Uche noted that issues relating to uncoordinated alerts, frivolous value question, extortion, abuse of transpire and other systemic corruption need to be resolved by the management of the Nigeria Customs Service to ensure sanity and order in the system.
Uzoamaka Anagor-Ewuzie