The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has described as unnecessary the press release issued by the Concerned Accredited Freight Forwarders (CAFFA) in which it described the speech delivered by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali (Rtd.) at a stakeholders’ meeting in Lagos on Monday as lacking direction and character on how to tackle corruption in the ports.
In a press release issued on Thursday in Lagos and made available to Primetime Reporters, the National Publicity Secretary of ANLCA, Dr. Kayode Farinto observed that the issues raised by the group in its press release issued on Wednesday were irrelevant, baseless and had already been discussed at the stakeholders’ meeting in which the CGC had promised to look into as soon as he gets back to Abuja.
According to him,” In the real sense, CAFFA needs not to over flog issues as these amount repetitions. The CGC has opened a channel for interaction, feedback and for more dialogue. It will interest the general public to know that ANLCA as customs agents’ association has requested that passwords be issued to customs licensed agents and this request has been expressly approved by the CGC.
“However, ANLCA members are not surprised that most of the CAFFA members are clamouring for licenses to be issued to individuals as against corporate bodies which is contradictory to section 153 and 156 of Cema Act.
“Having taken a critical look, we discovered that these are people that have lost previous opportunity to own licenses due to their frivolousness and sharp practices. Hence they are clamoring for their personal selfish interest and the fact that some members of this group are Individuals whose addresses are either under the Lagos bridges, bear parlor and untraceable”.
He disclosed that before now, ANLCA had been working with some of its prominent members in the 8th National Assembly, like Hon. Ossy Prestige and some unnamed senators with the aim of sponsoring a bill for indigenization of Customs brokerage in Nigeria adding that as soon as that was granted by federal government, it would create jobs for the unemployed Nigerians and provide security for the territorial integrity of Nigeria against any intending act of terror.
“ANLCA does not know why CAFFA is crying more than the bereaved? ANLCA is soliciting with stakeholders particularly Customs brokers to give the CGC more time to work”, he said.
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