Story by Dili Utomi
The need to bring clarity to the intention of the Ports Terminal Multi-Services Limited Command of the Nigeria Customs Service towards the implementation of the 4% charge on the free on board services brought about the Command’s engagement with stakeholders, Friday.
It was an opportunity for the Command heads to rub minds with all stakeholders as the Customs Area Controller of the Command, Comptroller DM Daniyan made good efforts to explain all modalities that have been put in place to start the collection of the free on board charges at the Command come Monday, the 10th of February.
The payment of the free on board charges which is importers driven is seen by Customs authorities as well due, but there are certain ill feelings by the stakeholders who argue that the Customs authorities should have given them a few months notice before implementation.
At the end of the parley which lasted over one and half hours, Comptroller Daniyan spoke with the available journalists around and he noted that “This sensitisation meeting is going to help the process a great deal because we always need to engage stakeholders, they help in bringing in the revenue that the Customs generate. They are the ones who interface with the importers, the harbingers of the news to importers who will educate them about our intentions. It is also our intention to make them realise that this is real as it was an act of parliament which we intend to implement soon”.
His words “Considering that it is a uniform thing which will be implemented simultaneously at all Commands, there was this need for us to sensitise the stakeholders here. Government has so many responsibilities and the need for the Customs to have better funding for more efficient management of the Service necessitated this increase. As we speak, there are so many projects that Customs intends to execute and so these funds are really needed”.
The CAC commended the compliance level of the stakeholders at the Command noting that it is over 70 percent, he also expressed the pleasure that none of the stakeholders is against the increase in free on board charges, though he noted that their grouse is with the timing of the implementation.
We also spoke with some of the stakeholders, the chapter chairman of the Africa Association of Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria (APFFLON), Mr. Jude Ige noted that though the increase in the free on board charge was included in the Customs act and that the stakeholders should have made input then, but it is a little late to complain about that, but that rather, the implementation should be deferred as it will take some time to convince the importers to add to the charges being imposed on their cargoes.
His words “We pointed out to the Officers that this 4% increase in free on board may have direct consequential effects on the prices of goods, consideration should be given to a delay in implementation of the increase”.
Emmanuel Ohambele, the PTML chapter chairman of the Association of Registered Freight Forwarders of Nigeria (ARFFN) also added his voice to the call for more time, he said “The increase is lawful, but we appeal for 60 to 90 days to go and convince the importers since this is an importer driven payment and they aslo need to be sensitised. We continue to appeal for this as this is a bit sudden. Again, section 18 sub section 2 of the law that talks about this free on board says that the president can arbitrarily increase the percentage of charge on the free on board and it can happen at any time, we have a small problem with that particular subsection of the law.
The implementation of the increase in the free on board charges has commenced at the Tin Can Island Port Command and the Apapa Command of the Nigeria Customs Service. As the PTML Command kicks off the implementation of the increase on the 10th, it is expected that every other Command of the Service will join in so that the desired uniformity is achieved and the Customs will raise the needed funds for carrying out its own projects and responsibilities.
For advertisement and more information, please contact us on 08027590195, 08035721540 or email us at greatalternativenigltd@gmail.com or send us messages on x @dn_utomi or on Instagram @utomidili.
