The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has pledged its support for the recently launched Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for the nation’s ports by the federal government.
Speaking in an interview with our correspondent, the National Publicity Secretary of ANLCA, Dr. Kayode Farinto described the launch of the SOP as long overdue adding that it would enhance business at the nation’s seaports.
Farinto while appreciating the federal government for the bold initiative however warned that unless the SOP has a legal framework to back its operation as well as spell out punishment to be meted out to defaulting agency or operator, it would soon be another white elephant project.
According to him,” Let it have a legal framework and what am I saying? You are representing SON; you have submitted your standard operating procedure to the committee, if you breach the procedure, what will be your punishment? The moment it did not factor in penalty for defaulters, it will be another white elephant project; it will be another way of siphoning the federal government’s money.
“But there must be a legal framework that will tell somebody who is not a Nigerian if you want to bring out your cargo, whether regulated or not regulated, you can get that cargo released under certain period. But if it does not have a legal framework that will give it a legal backing and serve as a deterrent to anybody who wants to distort the procedure, it won’t work’.
On the calls by the Nigerian Shippers’ Council for the review of the Act establishing it so as to give it more teeth to bite, the ANLCA spokesman described the call as long overdue even as he said that the law made the Council nothing but a toothless bulldog.
“We need a Shippers’ Council that will have the effrontery to sanction anybody whether shipping company or terminal operator. If the law has been reviewed, the terminal operators will not take the Shippers’ Council to court knowing fully well that what they are doing is illegitimate; knowing fully well that what the Shippers’ Council was saying is the right thing.
“Why not? The Nigerian Shippers’ Council Act is long overdue for review, they should give it teething power so that they will sanction any shipping company or terminal operator who irrespective of whoever is the Chairman of that company or organization”, he said.
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