Freight forwarders embrace Customs reform, restructuring

The Founder, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Chief Boniface Aniebonam, said the association would ensure success of restructuring, reform and enhanced revenue collection by Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).

Aniebonam stated this in a statement made available to newsmen on Tuesday in Lagos and signed by the Director of Publicity, NAGAFF Headquarters, Mr Dipo Olayoku.

He said this was the association’s way of supporting the Change agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari.

According to him, NAGAFF appreciates the existing cordial relationship between it and the management of the NCS both at its headquarters and the Tin-Can Island Command.

He said the relationship, built over a long time, was predicated on mutual understanding and respect.

The freight forwarder said that NAGAFF would not do anything that would threaten the relationship.

Aniebonam spoke against the backdrop of a call by the association for a public hearing against some customs officers of the Tin-Can Island command over alleged misconduct.

He said the public hearing scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015 at the Freight Forwarders Village in Lagos was put off due to the intervention of top officers of the NCS and NAGAFF.

The freight forwarder said the public hearing was not intended to witch-hunt anybody “but the association’s own way of enhancing the change agenda of President Buhari’’.

He expressed the hope that the NCS Tin-Can Island command’s leadership would look into the allegation raised by NAGAFF “to ensure that justice is done to all concerned’’.

The National Chairman, Anti Corruption Committee of NAGAFF,

Mr Increase Uche, said the NCS and the founder of NAGAFF would look into the complaints of freight forwarders concerning the alleged misconduct.

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Uche said the association decided to embrace peaceful resolution of the crisis based on its philosophy of dialogue, consultation and responsible partnership in matters concerning its members and agencies of government.

He said there was also an enduring cordial relationship between the NCS and the management of NAGAFF.

The President of NAGAFF, Dr. Eugene Nweke, said that “those who think the ongoing revolution against corruption is a joke should think twice’’.

According to him, we must all join hands to support this present leadership of the Nigeria Customs Service to right the wrongs in our ports including the review of Customs licensing regulations.

Nweke said the licensing regulations had discouraged professionalism in customs operations.