The National Publicity Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Dr. Kayode Farinto has said that the ease of doing business policy of the federal government is a laudable project which cannot be achieved now owing to the insincerity of the federal government.
Farinto who stated this in an interview with newsmen in Lagos recently said that the government cannot be talking of ease of doing business when the port access roads were in very bad shape and the ports economic regulator, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council was not empowered to sanction offenders at the ports.
He said,”The ease of doing business is achievable theoretically but not practically. It is not achievable and that is why I said government itself is not serious because you can’t have ease of doing business when we have this state of roads. I expect the federal government to declare a state of emergency on our ports roads, we don’t have good roads and a lot of things are happening and government is looking the other way.
“Federal government wants to achieve the ease of doing business yet they are putting the cart before the horse and this will not work. There are things that are supposed to be done before we achieve the ease of doing business. It is for the government itself to be pragmatic in approach by being sensitive to the plight of the masses, fix the roads, so also, we should empower the Nigerian Shippers’ Council because the Shippers’ Council that we have now is a toothless bulldog that can bark but cannot bite.
“Just few days ago, CMA-CGM, one of the shipping agents slammed N38,000 per TEU on every import to Nigeria which is against the law, meanwhile, they are in court with the Nigerian Shippers’ Council. If the legal framework has been done and the Nigerian Shippers’ Council can bite, this thing will not happen but I a situation where everybody does what he likes, everything has been politicized, then the ease of doing business will be achievable theoretically and not practically”.
The ANLCA NPS accused the management of the Nigeria Customs Service of not helping the nation in this regard saying that all the service was after was meeting their target even as he alleged that most of the targets that had been achieved by the Nigeria Customs Service was done through arm-twisting of the Nigerian importers through frivolous issuance of Demand Notices.
He regretted that the Nigerian importers were not litigious otherwise the federal government would have been paying a lot of money in damages.
On corruption at the seaports, Farinto maintained that the federal government government lacked moral justification to talk about corruption when it had failed in its responsibility as well as when terminal operators were sourcing Dollars from the black market to meet up their obligations to the federal government.
He continued,”There is no good road and I have a truck that I want to move into the port, I have been on the road for the past four days and I see somebody who is a security agent who wants to assist me and he is demanding for N5,000, that is not corruption, you just have to pay your way through so that if not, you will not be in business.
“Most people are paying these so called bribes here and there as a result of frustrations here and there. So, government should not be talking about corruptions to hoodwink Nigerians and deceive us. Ease of doing business is a very laudable project but not achievable now because the government is not sincere”.
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.
