…Says Ike was on his own
The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has refuted a news report in one of the Maritime based newspaper (not Primetime Reporters) where it was quoted as blaming the non implementation on E-Transaction in the Nigerian Maritime sector on corruption in the Nigeria Customs service.
The National Publicity Secretary (NPS) of ANLCA, Dr. Kayode Farintho who made the refutation at a news briefing in Lagos expressed his displeasure with the news medium saying that he had expected that the reporter or the publisher of the newspaper who he described as being close to the association would have verify the report before going to press.
Farintho noted that the report was more worrisome having been published on the day the World Customs Organization was visiting the country for its meeting adding that nobody in the association was happy with the publication.
He explained that,” The issue of e-transaction, it is not as if I don’t know about it, I remembered last year, about December when there was a directive from the CG (Comptroller-General) saying that every command should now work on paperless declaration but you see when you talk about paperless declaration, there are some consignment that are banned, that means you must go with the SGD (Single Goods Declaration) back to the bank before documentation. So, issues like that you need paper”.
“Then most of our importers too seem not to be well educated about paperless declaration. When you meet the client, he will say where is the document and you can never blame them because on the road anyone can accost them and say where is the document of this consignment whether vehicle or container”.
“I am not saying that we are not ready for paperless transaction but the issue of education of the paperless declaration has not been done in every sector, to everybody that is expected. Assuming now there is a policeman on the road that stops you and you say this is my C number, he will be looking at you,” am I stupid?” “I am asking for your documents and you are showing me your C number” or if my container is accosted at Mile 2, maybe FOU (Federal Operations Unit) is now stopping that container and you are showing them your C number”.
He contended that paperless transaction was not what one would woke up one morning and start implementing arguing that a lot of education needed to be carried out to put everybody on the same page before it could be fully implemented.
“So it is not as if Customs officers are not ready and it is not as if we too, the customs brokers are not ready, there are still one or two grey areas that must be looked into. So, I am not so happy about this publication and I also want to tell you that even if this person is talking, maybe he was talking from what he experienced in port. That does not mean that you should start categorizing it that customs officers are corrupt because they don’t allow e-transaction”.
“Even some of our agents don’t know anything about paperless transaction. Only about few of them know about paperless transaction. We have been doing e-transaction, e- transaction has been going on since two or three years back”.
“So, I don’t know what you mean by they are not supporting e-transaction. It is his personal opinion not the position of ANLCA. But we want a situation where paperless transaction will be fully implemented because it will be better for us”.
“My association’s position on the e-transaction is that we are supporting the new clearance procedure by the Nigeria Customs Service. The paperless clearance of cargo is not something you wake up and say you want to shift to this paperless. There must be education for everybody in the seaport, security agencies even those people outside”, he said.
He however informed the journalists that , “ henceforth, the only persons that can speak on behalf of the association at the national level is either the National President or myself and if you have any news that you want to confirm, you are free to call me”.
