ABUJA: Port stakeholders under the aegis of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders NAGAFF; have raised fresh alarm over what they described as `increasing rate of corruption` at the nation’s seaports.
In a letter addressed to the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service dated December 2, 2015 and signed by the national chairman of the anti – corruption unit of the association, Mr Increase Uche alleged that there is a clear case of increase in corruption involving customs offi cers in the nation’s seaports.
The group challenged the Custons CG, Hameed Ali to pay a visit to the Federal Operations Unit of the Customs, Ikeja.
According to the association, corruption was getting worse on daily basis at the ports, insisting that the change mantra expected has become elusive.
The letter reads in parts: “A trip to FOU Ikeja and revelations therein from interventions is a pointer that corruption is in the increase due to improper Customs examination. If the Customs examination offi cers are patriotic and professional in their actions, the valuation unit shall resolve all disputed matters of classifi cation and value question with ease”.
The letter also said that most of the items intercepted on the road were the same goods that had been Okayed and cleared at the ports or border stations by offi cers of the service.
The freight forwarding group also frowned at the frivolous rate at which Customs commands have been seizing people’s trade goods on the allegations of under-declaration, concealment and other infractions, arguing that rather than seizure, the service should collect appropriate duty on them and allow their owners to take delivery.
Meanwhile, stakeholders have identifi ed the local alerts issued by some offi cers at the Lagos Ports as an epitome of systemic corruption within the Customs operation.
“May we therefore ask, where is CGC Hameed Ibrahim Ali’s change mantra of President Muhammadu Buhari mandate”
Stakeholders have also identifi ed common issues such as re-routing of entries, fake password disputes, local alerting, stoppage of released and exited cargo at the gates, frivolous value assessment, improper Customs examination and duplication of functions, among others as veritable avenues through which the offi cers extort importers and freight forwarders.
