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N1.4trn customs’ revenue terget: Give licensed customs agents incentives demands, ANLCA boss
Prince Olayiwola Shittu is a member of the Presidential Implementation Committee on ports reforms, and National President, Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA). In this interview with Peoples Daily, he lamented that the reports of the committee has not been implemented several months after it was presented to President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja. He also talked about the need for a seamless cargo clearance process at the nation’s ports. Dapo Olalekan brings excerpts.
How is the relationship between agents and customs with regards to paperless transactions at the ports?
We preempted cashless operations at the port. Association of Nigeria Licensed Custom Agents (ANLCA) has championed paperless transactions in the industry, don’t forget that the Federal Government makes policies, but the Nigeria Custom Service enforces the policies while licensed custom agents implements the policies. There is nothing ever done apart from administrative means of achieving enforcement that can be attributed to customs. Customs cannot ban an item, it is the Federal Government that can ban an article from being imported, the enforcement is what is in the hands of customs, and as long as they continue to improve on that enforcement it will affect those who don’t want to comply because right from time Nigerians have the penchant to be non compliant.
Government has given incentives to customs, increased their salaries and everybody has been commending them, but has government looked at those who are to implement these policies and give them incentives? Like it is done elsewhere and in government departments where they get consultants to see how certain projects are achieved and they pay them, when government asked customs to generate revenue, the customs will not go to the sea and bring cargo; it will not go and look for importers that will come and pay, it is the customs agents that are the interface, they should be given incentives to realize the revenue target by making sure that the importer pays correct duties, making sure that cargoes come straight to the port where the duties will be collected rather than going to smuggle it. Educating and knowing the importer on behalf of the customs, customs does not know any importer and that is why they licensed agents to identify who the importer is and that is why when their is fault in the system the agent is held responsible, if half of the money given to service providers to issue RAR is given to agents as an incentive, the loop holes in the RAR issued by service providers can be blocked up to eighty percent.
For every job you do and pay correct duty to government, they should be given something. In those days, if a custom officer is able to detect an under-payment, government gives him a percentage, but this is no longer existing. When you say a licensed customs agents should go and get his wages from the importer, he ends up worshiping the importer because that is where his wages is coming, he does everything the importer ask him to do so that he can continue to patronize him, if the importer is not ready to pay his wage, he will also find a way to help himself,
so who is to blame?
Customs has a list of the agencies they have licensed, if one percent of the revenue is given to those who helped to pay, you will discover that fraud will reduce to the barest minimum, this is where government should look at.
How much is standard fees that should be collected by agents from importers?
It is the job of the CRFFN to set that standard, they have already issued the standard trading condition. We are working with them now to have a benchmark for the wages of an agent since the government is not ready. For example, engineers have a specified amount they charge, medical doctors and other professionals also do, but in order for customs agents not to go hungry is the main reason why they undercut and there is no way we can find out, this is why the issue of CRFFN benchmark has not come up, for some of us, the people we work for, we charge them one percent of C and F because it is our professional fee. If you remove fraud from the system, the profession pays itself, for example, in America no importer pays duty, it is the custom broker that pays the duty, the way it is done in America is what we want to practice here, that’s why you see us having our biometric identity card, each identity card is based on employment by licensed companies so that it becomes traceable, with this card you can clear your goods and make business transactions online, but because service providers know that it is when you are with them that they can find mistakes somewhere and delay you, if a custom officer delays you the demurrage is counting, the shipping company is happy that your container is with them and they are collecting money on it; terminal is collecting rent.
In order to avoid all these you will have to sort them out. If an importer comes to you and present a document that you know is not correct, it is your duty to do the correct thing, it is because of this laxity in the system that made so many people to come in and borrowing licenses to clear their jobs, this is so because people who have licenses do not have jobs to clear, many people who don’t have licenses have cargoes to clear, some importers will send their relations to the agent for him to be trained, the boy may not have spent more than six months before they pronounce him a qualified agent, he will subsequently be given cargoes to clear while he in turn sublets it to his former master to clear because the master wants to survive.
Again, it is because of lack of compliance that we are having so much checks and double checks at the ports, when you are having multiple checks, it means that something is wrong with the system because somebody has already shortchanged in the beginning in order to give room for the double check people to be settled.
How can we then achieve seamless flow of goods clearance?
This was why the Presidential Committee on Port Reforms which I was a member and chairman of the sub-committee on technical issues borrowed leaf from America and designed five smart steps to cargo clearance.
This five steps also took note of the PAAR from customs, it is part of the five smart steps that customs is trying to implement now, with these steps, by the time you carry out pre-assessment you will have less job left to do, by then you will just be waiting for your cargo, it is only when your cargo goes through scanning and they discover something wrong that they can separate it for verification, but majority would have gone because customs already know the anticipatory volume that is coming, but here nothing has been heard about the five smart steps, what killed it was the remaining four steps.
Our maritime industry is dominated by agencies of government belonging to different ministries supervised by different ministers, and it takes inter-ministerial meetings to resolve certain issues, each of the agencies have a supervisory ministry of equal ranks, Minister of Health can not give instruction to SON directly, it must go through the other minister, and if the one in charge knows that it is not helping the organization, he will ignore it, this is why it takes them a long time to harmonize issues. Custom is under Finance ministry, Quarantine is under ministry of Agriculture, yet you want things to work fluidly, under five smart steps, cargoes that require regulatory authority has been issued and placed online, when we did the five smart steps we invited the stakeholders in order to debate its efficacy, many of them complained that there is no electricity in Nigeria, but you and I know that you can receive mails from your phones today, we are all carrying i-pad around, but because of that Nigerianess in us, the system has not worked.
The five smart steps would have reduced the number of the people in the port by at least 70%, it is only the dock labor that will remain, we do not need people loitering around with the pretense of waiting for their jobs, you will see one person carrying a single Bill of Laden and ten other people will follow him, they will tell you that the ten people are apprentice learning the job, the time of learning the job like that is gone, go to the accredited training school of the CRFFN and learn freight forwarding, set up your own company and get the necessary approvals, get your CRFFN approval to operate, get your customs license, register with the shipping companies and register with the terminals, if you do these nobody will disturb you, but the problem here is that all of us want to cut corners and that is why you see people coming in as errand boys and after some times they will tell you that they are agents, and they end up getting jobs because they have uniform godfathers in the system using them to clear cargoes.
Every time I summarize I use to say that the problem is the Federal Government, the implementation committee started well, majority of the members of the committee are importers, manufacturers and people of means, they don’t need these cheap money from anybody, we never took any allowances, we brought out the five smart steps that was presented at the Presidential retreat on maritime and everybody applauded us, by now we should have been clearing cargo in three days or two, the report was referred to a committee headed by the minister of transport, after this nobody have heard anything again, those of us in the committee are no longer called for meetings, it is what the government wants, if it wanted to change the system it can do it because it is the will power.
Today you will see that fifteen percent of the people roaming around the port are trying to locate their container, but it is not their job to find the container, it is the job of the shipping company to block-stack the container somewhere and have it on record, because of non compliance, customs has decided to be doing hundred percent examination, in doing this they have been able to discover certain low value declaration and concealment that have led to Debit Notes being raised in order to meet their target, but you and I know that you cannot have target given to customs and at the same time be talking of trade facilitation, you can only facilitate trade when their is genuine declaration.
The post N1.4trn customs’ revenue terget: Give licensed customs agents incentives demands, ANLCA boss appeared first on Peoples Daily Newspaper, Nigeria.
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•Deploy more personnel as army chief vows to wipe out terror group
•Security beefed up at N’Assembly
Deji Elumoye and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
Abuja, Nigeria’s seat of power, is under a massive security cordon following threats of attacks by insurgents and the increasing wave of banditry in the contiguous states of Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger States, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.
There has been a wave of kidnappings in the outskirts of the federal capital, notably Pegi, Tuganmaje and Kuje among others, which the police have battled in recent times.
The security situation in and around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was heightened by the pronouncement of the Niger State Governor, Mr. Sani Bello, that Boko Haram fighters who he said sacked 50 villages in the state and hoisted the terror group’s flag, were about two hours drive away from the FCT.
Security has also been beefed up at the National Assembly as operatives, yesterday, thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
The deteriorating security situation nationwide prompted the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, to warn that the 2023 general election may not hold, demanding the declaration of a state of emergency as well as the convocation of a national conference.
However, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, yesterday restated the Nigerian Army’s determination to annihilate Boko Haram.
But the Governor of Katsina State, Hon. Bello Masari, cautioned against declaring a state of emergency, saying doing so isn’t the solution to combat the security challenges facing the country.
The security of the nation’s airports was also in focus yesterday as the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) said there was no threat to them.
THISDAY’s investigations showed increased presence of troops, police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) personnel and intelligence operatives at the three strategic entrances to the city notably, Keffi, Zuba and Gwagwalada.
More checkpoints were also mounted around Gwagwalada and Keffi.
THISDAY also observed increased intelligence deployment at the entrance and the borders of FCT with contiguous states.
Beyond the borders, there were more deployments and police patrols inside the city and increased intelligence deployments as well.
Security sources told THISDAY: “There are deployments here and there but they are routine. Alertness is key to a secure environment.”
It was also learnt that security agencies were involved in frenzied meetings throughout yesterday.
The meetings, coordinated by the office of the Chief of Defence Staff under the new joint operational strategy of the armed forces, were aimed at coordinating a joint response to possible threats of attack to the FCT.
“I understand the security teams have been meeting for some days now and if you look around you, you will notice that there are increasing patrols and numbers of security personnel. The threats are not been taken lightly,” a source said.
National Assembly workers, lawmakers and visitors also had a harrowing experience accessing the legislative complex due to heightened security in the area.
Security operatives thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja, impeding both human and vehicular traffic.
The Sergeant-at-arm of the National Assembly and other security agencies supervised the operations, leading to huge traffic build-up inside the complex.
Legislative staff, visitors and lawmakers were seen patiently waiting for their cars to be searched so that they could go ahead with the business of the day.
Some staff and visitors at some point got tired of waiting and were seen alighting from their cars to trek from the gate to the complex.
Meanwhile, the ONSA has said there is no threat to the nation’s airports.
A statement by the Head of Strategic Communication, Mr. Zachari Usman, said the reports of threats to the airports were an internal correspondence of security threat assessment misconstrued as security threat to the airports.
PDP Demands State of Emergency
In a related development, the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, yesterday demanded the declaration of a state of emergency, warning that the 2023 general election might not hold if the federal government failed to tackle insecurity.
He called on the federal government to summon a national conference to address the spike in insecurity.
Secondus added that the national caucus of the party will meet today to discuss the state of the nation.
Addressing members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja, Secondus said: “We are worried Abuja is not even safe. It is no longer politics. We got alert of plots to bomb and burn down our airports.
“We urge the federal government to declare a national state of emergency in security. There is the need to call a national conference to discuss the insecurity in the country.
“There may not be any election in 2023 in Nigeria due to insecurity. This government must listen to the people. The Buhari government should call a national confab to discuss security and state of the nation. It is no longer politics. This time we are not playing politics. Let’s keep politics aside and move the nation forward.”
He said the country had been grounded, regretting that there had been no matching response from the federal government.
Secondus said in the past, terrorism in the North was confined to the North-east, but with the report of Boko Haram occupying villages in Niger State, terrorism had spread to the North-central
“Herdsmen are also menacing in the West; gunmen causing havoc in the East; and the militants in the South; all killing, looting, raping, maiming and burning down homes. The situation is bad; Nigerians all over are living in fear,” he said.
The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the problem of Nigeria was outside of the PDP headquarters, while pledging the support of the Senate to the declaration of state of emergency in security.
Abaribe said he deliberately decided not to speak on the floor of the Senate but to allow the APC senators to speak so as to avoid being accused of giving a partisan colouration to the issue of insecurity.
He stated that only electoral reforms would give victory to the opposition party in the 2023 general election and ensure a democratic defeat of the APC-led federal government.
Also, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, commended the NEC and the PDP leadership for their collective efforts at resolving the House leadership crisis.
The NEC meeting adopted the position of Secondus, calling on the federal government to convoke a national conference to discuss the state of insecurity in the country, according to a communiqué read by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan.
Army Chief Vows to Wipe Out Boko Haram
The army yesterday reiterated its commitment to wipe out Boko Haram.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, told reporters in Maiduguri, Borno State that Boko Haram had been defeated in many encounters and would continue to be defeated until it’s annihilated from Nigeria.
“We will take on Boko Haram decisively, and we are committed to the focus of the operations, which is the total annihilation of Boko Haram from Nigeria,” he said.
The COAS, who was visiting the headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri for the fifth time since his appointment four months ago, said the visit was to boost the morale of the troops, reassure them and listen to any issues affecting them.
Earlier, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Farouq Yahaya, lauded the visit, which he said had continued to boost the morale of the troops.
“We are honoured, we are grateful, we are encouraged by those visits. You provided us guidance, logistics and other things we required. We are most grateful for those visits,” Yahaya said.
State of Emergency Won’t Solve Security Challenges, Says Masari
Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Masari, has, however, said declaration of a state of emergency won’t solve the security challenges facing the nation.
Masari, who spoke yesterday with journalists after meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari at the State House, Abuja stated that he was against the recent call by the House of Representatives for the declaration of a state of emergency in the security sector as it would not solve the problem.
According to him, declaring a state of emergency will not achieve the desired effect as the security structure and personnel to be used to execute the emergency are already overstretched in a bid to safeguard lives and property.
Sourced From: THISDAYLIVE
Tribune Online
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded 62 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 165,110. The NCDC disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Friday. “55 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria; Lagos-21, Yobe-19, Ogun-6, Akwa Ibom-3, Kaduna-2, Plateau-2, FCT-1, Rivers-1.” YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE COVID-19: Nigeria Recorded […]
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Tribune Online
Sourced From: Tribune Online
By Olasunkanmi Akoni
The people of the South East region have been urged to explore the power of negotiation and mutual settlement in the face of ongoing killings and security challenges in the zone because the east can not afford another war at present.
Stakeholders from the South-East geo-political zone made the remark on Thursday, at the unveiling of the book, “Igbo, 50 years after Biafra,” written by Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Drainage Services, Joe Igbokwe, held at Ikeja G.R.A.
Speaking at the unveiling of the book, the chairman of the occasion, Mr. Cutis Adigba,
urged the people of the South-East to learn to build bridges across the country, so that they can realise their ambition of producing the next president of Nigeria.
Adigba urged leaders from the zone to discourage the move and agitation by some youths in the South East to go to war and secede out of Nigeria.
Also read: Banditry: Disregard viral video, Niger State gov’t urges residents
He said that Igbo have always found it difficult to rule Nigeria because they refused to build bridges across the six geo-political zones that made up Nigeria.
While describing the agitation as uncalled for, Adigba noted that after two decades that Nigeria returned to civil rule, the Igbo has predominantly identified with only one political party.
He maintained that remaining in one party can not advance the cause of the people of South East and cannot make them realise their objective of producing an Igbo man as president.
He maintained that the publisher of the book, Igbokwe played politics outside his state, so that the Igbo race can be integrated with one another race.
Adigba said the failure of the Igbo to reintegrate with other ethnic nationalities politically was responsible for the retrogression of the race in Nigerian politics.
Igbokwe, also addressing guests on the occasion, maintained that the Igbo are not advancing politically because they refused to be integrated into National politics, lamenting that, despite their success in business, they are not successful in playing politics at the national level.
Corroborating Dimgba, Igbokwe noted that there was the need for the Igbo people to stand up and build bridges so that their objective of producing the next president of Nigeria could be realised.
According to him: “I have decided to raise my voice, I hope my people will hear me while trying to quell the effect of the war, our people are spoiling for another war, mayhem is being unleashed in Igbo land, and there is palpable fear.
“Those who could speak have lost their voice, mindful of the consequences of their actions, I am calling on all Igbo leaders to speak up because all actions carry consequences, consequences of the silence will be too dastardly to sustain.
“Those silently supporting the wild wind should be careful or else they hand over to their children,” he said.
Igbokwe urged those spoiling for war to jettison their plan and embrace dialogue, urging them to learn from the South West region that despite the challenges faced after the annulment of the June 12, 1993, election, they did not go to war, and the region had the opportunity of producing two of her sons for presidential position in 1999.
“You have to build bridges to become president of Nigeria, but it is unfortunate the Igbo are burning bridges.”
Speaking at the event, Chief Uche Dimgba who is the coordinator of Igbo in All Progressives Congress, APC in Lagos, described Igbokwe as “a Frank, fearless and reliable leader, who based his views on issues and stand by his opinions, and we the Igbo have confidence in him and believe he can lead us aright.”
“He is a leader we Igbo believe in and we will follow him. If he can serve all the governors produced in Lagos State since 1999, he is a better man to follow because he possesses all the experience that can be of benefit to Igbo both at home and in the diaspora.”
The post Attacks on S’East: We must explore all options of negotiation — Stakeholders urge Igbo appeared first on Vanguard News.
Sourced From: Vanguard News
The government said that no worker should stay back beyond 6:00 p.m. within premises of buildings undergoing construction.
The post Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.
Sourced From: Premium Times Nigeria
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Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Military, Police Ring Abuja to Forestall Boko Haram Attack
UFC: Usman gets N584m after beating Masvidal
Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings
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