While the masses lament, blaming the rising cost of goods on inflation and recession, the informed persons who know better keep mute, silently watching and lamenting the activities of the Nigeria Customs Service and its leadership, under a regime, ‘waging’ an unending war on corruption; a Menace, the National President, Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Prince Olayiwola Shittu, says has now TRIPPLED!
Shittu indicated this, in an exclusive interview with the MARITIME FIRST, calling attention to how Customs’ fueled corruption is creating disequilibrium in the cost of doing business in the port, and conversely taking its toll on poor masses, who are the ultimate consumers.
Excerpt please:-
Is the Custom Service still Operating the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report now?
Yes, the Service is still operating PAAR, but the operation is faulty. This is because, PAAR on its own is supposed to determine the value of goods and classification; which we believe that once that is settled, from the PAAR ruling centre, all that the operational officer should do is to confirm the extent of compliance, whether it meets expectations, in terms of description, value etc, especially, in terms of what was in the document, as the PAAR indicated.
But 90 per cent of the PAAR now are being queried, especially after they have determined value over there. The system now is made to be in such a way that no matter what the importer declared, so, most times now, you see a PAAR will come up with an upliftment.
What this means is that where you declared $10,000; they will after seeing it, uplift it and tell you they have verified it and the value should be $12,000. But that is not even the problem. The problem begins a bit down the line: where you say the freight is $6000; they will say the freight should be $9000… that is what we call upliftment in the PAAR.
Prince Shittu Olayiwola
Thereafter, they will now task you to pay your duty based on their new rate! Yet, when you get to the field, officers would still query your document: saying that the value given to your goods by the PAAR ruling centre is not enough.
In order words, the system has given room for further query, extortion and compromise. That is what is happening now.
Now, with the leadership of Customs, hell-bent on meeting targets, a target that is not reliable, because of the down-turn in the economy, worsened by the unavailability of foreign exchange, and yet they are still hell-bent on meeting target. Any of those official reappraisal with spurious notion of infractions, instantly meet with brick wall; brick wall because there is no official person to defend you.
So, if they raise DN, they would expect you to pay up the additional, there is no one you can go to, to seek for redress!
Ultimately, the situation has become a cash 2-2 thing! In other words, head or tail, the importer or their agents are the losers!
Now, the importer who had earlier complied up to 99 percent and is still meant to be re-appraised and saddled with additional DN. You can therefore understand why in his next shipment, he would natural opt for non-compliance, knowing full well that the rigours of his last experience. So, this is how the system is now fuelling corruption.
What is the Customs leadership doing about it?
What is he likely to do? Was he not the one who has charged them to raise and make money?
Do you realize that the government of the president Buhari is genuinely interested in making money? Even if it means waking up the dead, to assist in generating revenue!
Recently, did you hear the controversy of who wants to increase tariff on data; and the minister saying “I didn’t ask you to increase the tariff on data!”
If Nigerians had not cried out, they would have increased the tariff on data quietly; all in a bid to raise money!
We are in desperate time! From everything, we now want to raise money; all the government agencies have been given instruction as to a target to meet! I don’t think a country is best run that way.
We are talking of low volume of import; and yet, somebody is saying you must still generate the same value of duty when economy was buoyant.
Now, let me also tell you that the noise that the commands are meeting their target is a fluke. You cannot compare the value of the naira, when dollar was N170 which was far less to N200 to a dollar, to now that the Naira is about N470. This is because; the multiplication and addition of the current value would be affected by the increase in the value of dollar. In other words, they are just raking in money that is more artificial than reality.
Why is Customs revenue low? Has leadership affected the issue of revenue?
You cannot hold the CG of Customs responsible for low revenue, you cannot hold the CG responsible for the economic downturn; you cannot hold the CG responsible for the forex volatility or the collapse of Naira. But between me and you, you can hold the CG responsible for not doing what he says!
Many things happen in this country and several people just overlook them, because they believe that even if you talk, you are merely talking to the wall.
You will remember that one of the reasons for the collapse of Naira was attributable, partly, to the statement made by Mr President; alongside his posture; the body language; the rhetoric! These drove away the investors.
For instance, the order that banks should not collect dollar deposits drove away the dollar out of the market. Are you with me? By inference, when the CG came up and began to say; ‘you are going to jail for this or that offence’; ‘I would kill anyone caught for corruption’; there was panics.
The result was that many began to behave in that light; if this man can kill me or send me out of the system, why don’t I help myself? At least, before he sends me away.
Officers were depleting their accounts; even some agents were depleting their account, because of the implication of BVN. Subsequently, many of them started buying properties so that, at least they can mutilate evidence.
But, after that, what happened? Nothing! Nothing happened! So, it was like ‘oh, the man can only bark, he can’t bite’ for almost two years of being in office, how many officers have really been disciplined for verifiable corruption. Most of the [penalties] ones you are hearing were cases he inherited. And we have also told this man to create ombudsman!
You cannot send a Customs officer, to catch a Customs officer! It won’t work. It is like sending police to catch police, Evidence abounds. The truth now is that because of ‘old boy, let me take my own, let me take my own’; corruption in the port has tripled! It has not decreased.
Can a Customs officer enjoy what is called discretionary power? It is a very powerful tool. But right now, because of the manipulation of PAAR, customs is no longer seen as facilitating trade. Customs is now seen as revenue generator by all means possible!
And who must have created that atmosphere? It is not necessarily by customs. The reasons may not be unconnected with the posture from the upstairs; demanding [to meet target], and soaking up funds like sponge, and with such, what do you expect from an average Custom officer?