The National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA) has thrown its weight behind the planned commencement of the collection of the Practitioners’ Operating Fee (POF) scheduled to begin on August 1, 2017 across all seaports, airports and land border stations nationwide.
It has also welcomed the conduct of elections into the Governing Council of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) scheduled to hold on September 23rd, 2017 as directed by the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi.
Speaking in an interview with Primetime Reporters in Lagos on Friday, the acting National President of the association, Comrade Ben Uche Ndee said his association welcomed the news with open hands.
“We wholeheartedly welcome the idea of the POF collection across the ports and the major border stations, sincerely, we welcome it. We are hundred percent in support of POF collection, we have always been in support from day one when this fee was first proposed under JACOFF but at this point in time, it was supposed to be for the agents but out of our squabble, greed, and wickedness, government now took it off and now it has become a matter of TSA.
“This fee ideally should have been for the agents because we are the ones taking delivery, this fee should have been a kind of compensation for the agents, this was the ideal thing. That is how government hijacked it and it has become a government fee and I doubt if these associations will get a dime from it”, he said.
Ndee noted that his association was comfortable with the take off date given by the Ministry of Transportation for the collection of the fee even as he recalled that the fee had been lingering for over three years now.
He said,” This has been lingering for more than three years now and if we had agreed and accepted it without ANLCA going so violent at Seme border that kind of scared the Registrar out of Lagos and the whole thing was put on hold, if that collection had continued way back then, this money we are talking about should have been for the agents”.
On whether or not who the declarant was has been finally put to rest, the NCMDLCA boss observed that as at the point they voted who should been seen as a declarant, four associations voted that a corporate company was the declarant as against one which voted individual as the declarant adding that that position should still be respected.
“We agreed that as individuals, we are first and foremost freight forwarders but as freight forwarders, can you enter the port and release a pin without a customs license? Whatever that accrues to the declarant, there should be an internal arrangement through which whoever that is operating through that corporate entity should benefit”, he added.
On the argument by the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) that election of the governing council should be first conducted for the council members to determine what happens to the council before the collection should be done, Comrade Ndee posited that whereas the argument help by ANLCA was Germaine, one could equally see from the government’s letter where it said that the election would be tied to the revenue accruing from POF collection implying that while the POF collection was going on, money generated from it would be used for the election.
He continued,”But I strongly believe that government should have voted out money for this election and set up CRFFN for it to be seen as being functional. So, ANLCA, one way or the other may be right but since government in its wisdom has decided that this should go on and whatever is generated, they are going to use the money there to conduct the election. For me, I should subscribe to the fact that government should be given a benefit of doubt”.
Asked if his association was prepared for the election, Ndee retorted,”Why not, of course, we have members. If they say tomorrow, why don’t we be prepared to go into the election. Just as we have been calling on them now to go and register with CRFFN, ignore anybody calling you and say come to my association, if not for anything to have access to the ports to enable you find food for your family”.
Send your news, press releases/articles to augustinenwadinamuo@yahoo.com. Also, follow us on Twitter @reportersinfo and on Facebook on facebook.com/primetimereporters or call the editor on 07030661526, 08053908817.
1 Comment
In addition to the views we canvassed that was errornously ommited in the published interview,may restate that the electable positions for freight forwarders in the CRFFN Governing Board should be shared amongst the 5 Accredited Freight Forwarding Associations based on an earlier agreed sharing fomular hinged on Associations numerical strenght.
An internal CRFFN conducted election amongst every Associations membership should equally suffice as this will produce highly skilled freight forwarders in tune with global best practice as well as avert a repeatation of the dominance of ANLCA as was the case during 2008 fraudulent election into the pioneer GOVERNING BOARD which was later challenged in Court by the legendary perpetual litigant of maritime industry- Mr Lucky Eyis Amiwero,this case lingered and almost derailed CRFFN at infancy hence the need to ensure transparency and equity this time around.
We are equally of the view that the POINT 6 GATE of Apapa Port through Dockyard MUST be widened, all trucks and tankers on that route up to Naval Dockyard be FORCEFULLY EJECTED for easy access and exit of imports from Apapa while the 1 year reconstruction of Wharf road lasts.THIS IS THE ONLY OPTION AS ANY OTHER IS SHERE WASTE OF TIME AND GOVERNMENT NOTORIOUS UNDUE BEUROCRACY .
I foresee a mega port congestion that might attract IMO sanctions if we treat the issue of defiant truck drivers with kid gloves as has been the case over the years.
An emergency truck call up holding Bay
is urgently a MUST and administered strictly on ATL&TDO basis to avoid abuse by the ever greedy corrupt agencies at the port entry gate.We need to get it wright under this emergency.
Comrade Ben Uche Ndee Rff
Acting President
NCMDLCA