By; RAYMOND TEDUNJAYE, Lagos
The numbers of alerts by the Nigeria Customs Service ( NCS) on clearance of goods are too many and should be harmonised, the Advocacy For Maritime Development Association of Nigeria has admonished.
Its President, Mr. Oluwasegun Folorunso Alabi gave the advice at a roundtable forum with members of the Association of Maritime Journalists of Nigeria (AMJON) in Lagos.
According to the astute freight forwarder, the process of subjecting the same container and truck to different checks is time consuming and should be harmonised for the interest of the industry.
” The Customs has too many alerts, one should be cancelled for the other. We have alert for monitoring, evaluation, CIU and others, this is time consuming”, Alabi stressed.
Fielding questions on myrid of issues on maritime development, Alabi frowned at the level of preparedness of the Nigeria Customs Service towards the take off of the African Continental Free Trade Area(AfCTA) agreement, saying the Agency is not prepared at all.
He however lauded the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) Policy recently introduced by the Service on the payment of tariff for imported vehicles, saying it has made the process easy.
In addition, he applauded the introduction of the Electronic Call Up System of inviting trucks to load consignment at the Ports, pouting out that it has greatly decogest traffic to Apapa and its environ.
Alabi, who is the CEO of Factotum Nigeria Limited, frowned strongly at the jack up of tariff for imported vehicles manufactured in 2012 down wards to be same with those manufactured in 2013 upward, saying it is unacceptable.
According to him, the system has short many importers out of business as such vehicles can not be afforded by the middle class for its exorbitant prices.
He therefore, called for a level playing ground for both the imported and locally manufactured goods by the government for the buying public to decide their choice base on their purchasing power.
