ANLCA former acting president, Dr. Kayode Farinto.
Story by Dili Utomi.
Tongue lashes, candid observations and serious warnings, these are some of the phrases that can be used to describe the comments made by Dr. Kayode Farinto, the erstwhile president of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANCLA). The fiery practitioner of all things freight forwarding pulled no punches as he took a critical look at the not so impressive situation within the maritime sector, particularly the logistics supply chain.
Dr. Farinto has had about thirty years of on the job experiences having grown from a low cadre freight forwarder while improving himself academically along the line to become the household name that he is today. In his usual boisterous manner, he reacted to the question about what is happening regarding record revenue generation by the Nigeria Customs Service against the backdrop of the downturn in the volume of importation.
He said “I have always said it clearly that the factors responsible for the high revenue amount declared by the Nigeria Customs Service are firstly, the exchange rate which was about ₦400 to ₦500 to the dollar under the last political dispensation, but which is now about 300% over that at about ₦1,500 to the dollar. Secondly, the various significant increases in charges by the different government agencies operating within the Ports make it easy for taking in huge revenue returns”.
On the matter of multi-layered and multi-faceted charges by the various agencies of government, Dr. Farinto recommends a tripartite meeting between the Ministry of Blue Economy and the Ministry of Finance with the Customs to seek ways to streamline the charges and thereafter call for a stakeholders’ town hall meeting to look at the effects of these various charges and agree on realistic charges.
He added “On the issue of imported used vehicles, the 15% charge on used vehicles should be abbrograted, this factor has taken the cost of vehicles out of the reach of the average Nigerian. These various factors have also made importers to now route their cargoes through the Ports of the neighbouring countries even while the final destination is usually the Nigerian market resulting in intensified smuggling. If the situation is left the way it is now, the negative effects will be of geometric proportion and the economy will be more adversely affected over the next 3 to 6 months”.
He also spoke about the lack of proper advocacy within the freight forwarding circle as noted that the few persons who still engage in advocacy in the sector are not being listened to. Dr. Farinto aslo castigated the maritime journalists for “being on item 7”, a reference to ‘transatcional journalism’ which has seen most journalists in the sector pandering to the wishes of government agencies, terminal operators and shipping companies in total disregard to the calling of the profession.
The former president of ANLCA also deplored the high level of ignorance within the sector and pointedly advocates that people should be more knowledgeable and then insist on having the right things done at all times so that “the kind of situation that I have predicted will not happen over the next 3 to 4 months”.
Dr. Farinto also weighed in on the suspended free on board charge implementation. He said that what the Customs did was illegal, “they should take out time to sensitise stakeholders for months before implementation as stipulated by the law. For every other issue that is militating against the stability and growth of the industry, the government should put a stop to every upward increase in charges as this is a most inauspicious time for increases in charges. He concluded.
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.
