NAGAFF Founder; Aniebonam Blasts Custom Officers Over PAAR

...Says CACs have not done enough sensitization

 

Even as the Nigeria Customs Service is warming up for take over of destination inspection duties from service providers by December 2013, Founder of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF); Dr. Boniface Aniebonam has lambasted the area controllers of the service’s various commands for not doing enough sensitization in their respective commands.

The Customs had earlier in the year developed the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) which it will be using for risk assessment of cargoes when it eventually takes over operation of Destination Inspection (DI).

Other tools developed by the customs are the Single Window Platform and the Nigerian Trade Hub.

Dr. Aniebonam in a chat with Shipping Position Daily in Apapa Lagos yesterday pointed out that even though the Comptroller General of Customs, Dikko Inde Abdullahi has been going to major stakeholders on the various platforms recently developed by the service, the Commands' Controllers who are directly involved in day-to-day activities have refused to come out of their comfort zones.

"Is it only the Comptroller General of Customs that will be seen to be involved in sensitization? He has gone as far as Alaba market to educate the traders, he came here again to talk about the Nigerian Trade Hub, but what about the subordinate officers from the zones and the Controllers, can't they move out to sensitize people?"

"In terms of sensitization the command officers have not done enough, policies trickles down, and the field officers needs to take responsibility in this aspect"

The NAGAFF founder stressed that it costs nothing for the Controllers in all the custom zones in all the Federation to visit organized private sectors like Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), NAGAFF and other relevant stakeholders.

"None of them moves out of their offices, rather they sit down there and think they will be doing whatever they like", he stressed.

He observed that nothing has really changed in PAAR application, according to him, it’s the same thing as Risk Assessment Report (RAR), "it’s only that customs is now handling it".

He warned that if Nigerians refuse to be trade compliant, the whole effort of the customs will be thwarted.
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