Clearing agents caution govt against $3.1 billion Customs deal
By Fredrick Wright
The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has cautioned the Federal Government against signing into the $3.1 billion modernisation contract for the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).
National President, ANLCA, Hon. Iju Tony Nwabunike, during the maiden National Executive Council (NEC) meeting for 2022 held at its national headquarters in Lagos, said the 20 year contract might worsen the foreign debt portfolio of the country.
He explained that Nigeria is already in serious debts and customs being a strategic non-oil revenue earner for government shouldn’t be tied to another long term repayments for two decades.
The ANLCA president therefore called on the National Assembly to take very closer look at the details and ensure the Federal Ministry of Finance, Nigeria Customs Service and all parties involved observe due diligence that won’t entrap the country into another long debt repayment for 20 years and maybe for lesser value.
Meanwhile, Nwabunike said the association has foreclosed any plans to elongate the tenure of elected officials, saying that rumours of planned tenure elongation were peddled by disgruntled suspended and expelled members designed to seek relevance in the media..
He disclosed that having been elected in April 2018 under the old constitution, which guaranteed him two tenure of four years each, his first tenure ought to have ended in April this year but for the amendment of the constitution, which outlawed the two-tenure of eight years and adopted one single tenure of five years, which though disenfranchised him, but he had to comply in the interest of peace.
He said: “Let me use this opportunity to once again address a deliberate falsehood being peddled about tenure elongation. There is no tenure elongation in our association. ANLCA at a duly constituted annual general meeting AGM held in Owerri, the Imo State capital on December 20, 2020, amended its constitution where a single tenure of five years was adopted as against the eight- year tenure of four years each.
“This single tenure of five years starts with my administration. Personally, I must say that it disenfranchised me from having a second term in office, but I am abiding by it because that is the new rule. Accepting that bitter pill is also a personal sacrifice because we must separate leadership from selfishness.
“It is the height of mischief for persons, who have been expelled or suspended by the association to be interpreting an outdated constitution to unsuspecting members of the public with the aim of causing confusion or seeking relevance in the media. For those expelled and suspended persons, we are open to reconsidering our decision on them if they we see genuine remorse and repentance by granting them a sort of amnesty and readmitting them.
“You would recall that in the past, they sponsored fake stories about us, orchestrated physical attacks at us and attempted to illegally invade the national secretariat, all these attempts failed by the grace of God. I call on them to have a true change of heart and character for them to deploy their energies to productive ventures and enjoy peace of mind”, he said.
He said the association is open to reconsidering its decision on the expelled and suspended persons, if it sees genuine remorse and repentance by granting them a sort of amnesty and readmitting them.
On the Customs revenue target, Nwabunike said the N4.1trillion 2022 revenue target for NCS was outrageous and would undermine the productivity of the overall economy.
He added that such high target would place the Customs under pressure of high revenue collection and undermine the trade facilitation role the service should render.
He said pursuing bigger revenue and failing to strengthen trade results in greater losses to the country as investments are either threatened, reduced or made non existent.
“Totality of customs efforts deployed into revenue pursuit reduces the service productivity in many ways” ha said.
He commended the government on its recent inauguration of the expanded partnership committee on Blue Economy chaired by the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, which the association considers a bold step in the right direction and also shows the commitment of the Buhari administration to grow and develop the maritime industry.
He said activities for his administration which has barely 16 months to go, will be focused on improved professionalism, increasing the capacity of Nigerian customs brokers for local and international trade under the aegis of African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and matching human capacity with technology for better results.
