As the Association Electoral Commission (ASECO) of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) lifts ban on campaigns for the forthcoming national elections for the association, the National Publicity Secretary of ANLCA, Dr. Kayode Farinto has promised to vigorously pursue the indigenization of customs licenses if elected as the association’s Vice President.
Farinto who made this promise when he declared his intention to run for the office of the Vice President of the association before the members of ANLCA at the Tincan Island Port chapter also said that he would assist whoever would emerge the National President to ensure that the licensed customs agents get 2% Cost, Insurance and Freight (CIF) value of all the revenues that they assisted the Nigeria Customs Service to collect annually.
Expressing his displeasure over the way and manner the Lebanese and Indians were now taking over the job of customs agency from the indigenous licensed customs agents however noted that he was already in talks with a Nigerian Senator with a view to coming up with a law that would prohibit non Nigerians from engaging in customs brokerage in the country.
In his words,” In the first year of our administration, by the grace of God, if elected, there are projects I have handled as the National Publicity Secretary of ANLCA which we were unable to finish, that will give us the opportunity of finishing it.
“The first one I noticed which is very paramount is the indigenization of customs brokerage. Ladies and gentlemen, you will agree with me that as we are all seated, we have lost our jobs to foreigners; Indians, Lebanese, just mention them. I have taken time to look at our neighbouring countries; Cotonou, Cote d’Ivoire and even the European countries, one of the first cardinal things in their maritime industries is that if you are not an indigene of that country, you cannot practice as a customs broker and you cannot have access to their ports.
“In this country, it is not so, we have a situation where Lebanese and the Indians are entering our ports, we have a situation where the Indians and Lebanese are owing licenses, they are now going as far as being the shipper, being terminal operators and then having licenses and that is why you and I are suffering, that is why there is no job.
“There must be a law to be called the indigenization of brokerage license in Nigeria; you must be a Nigerian to practice customs brokerage. I have a write-up with a Senator, for Security reasons, I may not want to disclose the name and what we need is a little push”.
While recalling that the Nigeria Customs Service announced that it collected over N1 trillion as revenue for the federal government in 2017, he contended that customs don’t collect revenue but customs agents arguing that what the NCS do was to midwife revenue collections for licensed customs agents to collect wondering licensed customs agents who did most of the jobs would not be given incentives whereas the NCS is given 7% of all the total revenue declared by it to the federal government annually.
“So, if the customs service that midwife generation collects 7% of whatever it generated, then you and I that are generating this revenue need incentives. We will make sure that we have access to the presidency, everybody on a yearly basis, whatever you generate; government should give us 2% of the CIF. We can do it but due to the proliferation of associations, everybody is having a discordant tune that is why we are not achieving that. I am a man of ANLCA but I cut across board, if we need to collaborate, we will collaborate. We should be able to be given 2% of whatever we generated on a yearly basis. With that alone, it will increase revenue on a yearly basis because I will make sure that my importer does not shortchange government”, he assured.
Responding, the Chairman of ANLCA in the chapter, Prince Segun Oduntan advised members of the association in the chapter not to expect much from Dr. Farinto as he could only as a Vice President complement the effort of his principal which is the President.
“His intending office is to complement and advise the president because sometimes, it is the followers that mislead their leaders and it is what you say that sometimes they add value or they minus. So when you go about talking to people, know that the NPS said that he is going to work with his President to achieve what he has outlined here”, he said.
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