To Sanitize the Customs, you need the Agents – Shittu

  What do you think Customs brokers elsewhere are doing better than us in Nigeria?

Several! You remember what I told you about what the WCO (World Custom Organisation’s) decision on Custom brokers’. It is incisive because it is only in Nigeria that the Customs doesn’t treat Custom brokers as very important. We went to China all the African Customs brokers, showed the great regard they have for the Customs brokers.

All the African Customs brokers representative at the WCO, except Nigeria were all sponsored by the Customs Service of their Countries. But not so, for Nigeria. We went with our money. Angola ,Liberia, Mozambique, Jamaica, they were all sponsored, because they appreciate them there, as revenue generators.

The proliferations of association you see now were engineered by Customs officers because they don’t want a united, very strong, single-soul agents’ body. And that’s why we have come with different names. So that if one group talks like this; the other group can thereafter talk like that. At least that way, they can now water it down!

There was a press release we released last and we learnt there was some calling later, for some Association on the need for a ‘counter’ from them. Now, if somebody tells you the truth, it is either you swallow the truth, or you ignore it. But that shouldn’t turn to a fight. Should it?
Anybody who tells you the truth, going by history , you may soon discover that you may always come back to appreciate the truth you have been told.

I am telling you this sincerely, because we love this Country. At the WCO in China, we were told that Nigeria has become the Regional Head of Customs brokers in West Africa. And this is not unconnected with our modest contributions to the cause of Customs growth and recognition.
But here at home, we may not be genuinely recognised, let alone appreciated. Some people even see us mere freight forwarders.

Is there any difference between freight forwarders and Customs brokers?

Yes. The difference between a Customs broker and a freight forwarder is very great. The demarcation is not made here in Nigeria, because everybody wants to gain access to the pot- so that they can make money.

FIATA is the headship of freight forwarders all over the world. They are a member of the PSG- Policy and Strategic Group of the WCO. But who is the Chairperson of the PSG? The DHL! And what does their chairperson focus on? I am asking you?

That shows the relevance of the Customs brokers!

All circulars from the WCO to the Customs Service; it is a must, that Customs Agents must have it. But in Nigeria, they hoard it. They would hoard a circular that is supposed to enlighten you; they hide it from you; and then when your jobs get to them, they will now tell you ‘we have a circular’.
They will now search under their tables; why, would you be a Customs agent and yet you don’t know the bench-mark for a vehicle?

And if an importer tells you I want to bring in a Mercedes Benz 300 of 2011; you would say ‘ok’;  and go to a Customs officer to ask, ‘please, what is the new price now?’

And that something that should actually be forwarded to everybody to see. The man who is bringing in the cargo should know how much in each case, he is paying. He should also be able to pay that money; and walk away.

But how can the procedure be that simplified when somebody, somewhere is waiting for somebody from the Federal Operations to intercept cargo on the highway?! On mere allegations that the importers didn’t pay correct duty.

Those are the changes we expect the new Comptroller General to help us surmount; we strongly believe he can still do it. And such a gesture can dramatically uplift the cargo facilitation job in Nigeria.
It would end the growing waves of accusations that agents and Customs officers are sharing money! If the importer already knows how much he is supposed to pay; won’t he just pay it, collect his goods and walk away! But why is it that such very simple thing cannot be done?
Or do we need to first report to the WCO through our own international Federation of the Customs brokers, that the Nigeria Customs are creating such and such man-made challenges for us? Must we first appeal to WCO to help us beg the NCS to assist us do the job better?

For us, we feel we should not be exposing our ineptitude; we feel we should not expose ourselves. That is why we seek dialogue.

So, why don’t you seek the attention of Col. Hameed Ali and dialogue over such a critical issue?

As I am speaking with you right now, I feel bold to say that three letters have been written by our Association to the Comptroller General (Col. Hammed Ali) soliciting for dialogue between the Customs agents and the CGC.  Only one was replied! And it was to tell us that the man is busy, being preoccupied with the tours of formations under him; and once he is free, he would let us know!
The media is aware that the CGC finished the tour a long time ago. We reported it. So what happened?

Are we the one to determine whether he has finished the tour or not? He is a busy man; so there is no way our members would know if or when the tours would end.

But the rumours we heard was that some people had gone to tell him that we mislead the former CG, and we could do exactly the same thing if he grants us a listening ear! I do not know what they however mean by ‘mislead’. Ironically, all of them that were enjoying Dikko that time are equally the same group of people that are now enjoying Comptroller General Ali.

Would a CG come and ask me how to do his own Job? But,that should tell you the extent of mischief of some people. We wish them luck. Customs brokers would remain professionally focused, committedly and patiently working to improve and surmount the challenges. It is the CGC that would undergo retirement, no matter how long it lasts!
In the meantime, we have decided to proactively surmount our challenges, by training and retraining ourselves. For instance, by August/ September, we will go again to attend a training course in America. And that same September, another group would be heading to Canada, which is the Headquarters of our international Federation!

Now, can you tell me how many other related Associations do that? And of course, that was why we resisted their intention to use the CRFFN (Council for Regulations of freight forwarders of Nigeria) to ruin ANLCA, out of existence. But we are happy, that the CRFFN is now, gradually realizing that Freight Forwarders are transporters!

Several persons, even those within the maritime industry, sometimes still find it difficult to make a clear separation between the freight forwarders and the customs brokers, based on the similarity of their portfolio.
I agree with you. It is now that even the CRFFN is realizing that freight forwarders are transporters; and as transporters, they deal with transportation of cargoes from one end to the other, across international borders, whereas Customs brokers deal with declaration, assessment, collation and payment of duties to Federal Government.

That’s why it is taking them time, especially in the office of the Minister of Transportation to do the needful. ‘Okay, what do we do with this people, we have gone to get an Act that calls everybody freight forwarders… how do we separate them?’

People are crying that their goods are disappearing from the ports. Some people are carrying importers money and running away; how do we track them? We have the list of all licenses, that is, the operational licenses of Customs brokers, whether you are our member or not. So, when people come, if I tell them to bring and file petitions, you will be very surprised. It is often, that those people have gone to a wrong person, maybe all these loafers, who are not, registered Customs brokers.

In such situation, what do we do? We tell them the ones we know, because we would first check, are they our members? Most times, they are not our members. We then check the company’s name as given to the victim as an agent. We also help them to check amongst the Customs list, and if they are not there, we advise them go to the police.

‘Go and show the police how you got to know the man’. That is what Customs cannot appreciate. I know one day, somebody who would appreciate it will come. After all, since the setting up of Customs, it’s only Mustaphar to an extent; and Inde Dikko that have been the only CGs that gave us any listening ears. Actually, because Dikko listens to everybody, including even journalists, once you call him and identify yourself, he will talk to you.

It made his administration highly efficient, productive and effective. We would report things in the port, and he would investigate and if true, call the officer to order. At a point, even some of his officers were praying he should go, because he wasn’t taking thing with levity. And once he was interested in an issue, he would investigate it, pursue it and rectify it. Most often, many of the big men are interested in one thing or the other.

Can you imagine when CG Ali was posted here and some of the officers were gingering us to go on strike to protest the coming of Ali? Can you believe that? I told our people emphatically no; we can’t do such a thing. It’s not our business to decide who we’ll work with. Whoever government likes to put in charge of Customs, should be okay by us. We should not be afraid of anyone, once we do our job properly. That’s all. Now, the same officers are exploiting the relaxation of the cudgel that was promised to whip them into lines.

The threat, to some extent has also given rooms to people. Now people say, ‘I don’t know when they will come and retire me, so let me take the one I can get, now’. If you are asking Customs officers to come and declare assets, why will an officer report a fellow officer’s assets? It is the agents who go there to go and drink or sleep there, or around there that would tell you the owner of this hotel, or that property.

How do police crack cases? They go to the underworld, that’s how they crack cases. So, if you want to sanitize the Customs, you need the agents!