Comptroller Nnadi laments cargo drought in Tincan, says many vehicles abandoned at ports

Segun Oladipupo

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help you achieve the objective for which government posted you here is to ensure that we will not do anything that is outside the law.

The Tincan Island Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Dera Nnadi on Tuesday, expressed fears over the continuous drop in cargo throughput at the command

The Controller while speaking with the visiting newly elected executives of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) led by the president, Emenike Nwekeoji, stated how the number of vehicle throughput into the command dwindled from 32,000 in 2018 to mere 4,000 pieces in 2023.

Comptroller Nnadi cited several factors militating against trade and revenue generation at the command which according to him include, drought in vehicle importation, high exchange rate.

He added that some items like wheat, grains, bulk cargoes and sugar are no longer being imported into the port even as he lamented the Emefiele’s policy.

His words, “I am coming to Tincan at a time the Service needs help. We are transiting from a period when a non Customs officer was the head of Customs, Col Hameed Alli (rtd) and collected N3 Trillion as customs revenue.

“Now, Customs has been handed to a Customs officer and we are struggling to generate revenue not because we are no longer competent but because of the affairs of global economy is affecting us

“I will give an instance for Tincan has dropped. As at 2018 to 2021, vehicle throughput here was at the peak of 32,000 vehicles a year. It started dropping as from 2020, by 2022, it dropped as low as 6,000, now it is 4,000.

“It is a challenge for us, it is a challenge for your members that were groomed to become members of ANLCA through clearance of vehicles. Now, the opportunity to harness and harvest these young people is no longer there because the vehicles are no longer coming.

“There is war in Ukraine, grains are no longer coming, wheat is no more coming, bulk cargo is no more coming, sugar is not coming.

“My predecessor left here having collected a revenue of 52 percent of N801 billion in nine months, Emefiele’s policy was one of the things that caused delay, floating of naira when the new government came is another challenge.

“So, you see that we are under constraints and you too are under constraints. You wake up from revenue that was anchored on the exchange rate of N420 per dollar to N770 per dollar. This is another challenge

He lamented that there many vehicles are abandoned in the port sue to inability of the owners to clear them arising from high exchange rates.

According to him, with the downturn in throughput and business climate at the command and at the world stage, he has the mandate of generating N350 billion in the remaining three months of the year but promised that he would not ignore trade facilitation to meet the target.

“There are several vehicles abandoned in the port because the owners are unable to clear then due to high exchange rates. I said why did you import when you don’t have money to clear and somebody reminded me that the vehicles were imported believing that they were going to exchange money at N420 and suddenly, it is N770 and the owners in America abandoned them saying we can’t clear them, let them remain there.

“My predecessor struggled and collected that. I am now left with the burden of collecting N350 billion within three months. The challenge is that if I insist on making sure that this money is collected by all means, your members will be negatively affected because it will put pressure on them

“There is a solution which lies in the fact they the little we have, we should maximise our integrity and ensure that the right thing is done. That way it will reduce the number of days we spend arguing about whether correct duty is paid or not so that the demurrage we would have paid to shipping and terminal companies while arguing, would have been converted to part of the profit you will make and reduce the stress.

“My appeal is that you talk to members of ANLCA who are not here that when they are making their declaration starting from documentation before PAAR is issued, let them submit correct documents. Clearing of contraband for me, is a no no.

“However, if you have items that are not contrabands but correct declaration is not made, I won’t seize, I will encourage raiding of DN and also ensure that the DN is not such that will draw blood from you.

On the new Customs and Excuse Management Act (CEMA), Nnadi promised to review it which he said is more strict on wrong declaration that what presently obtains.

“By the time I settle down between this week, we will sit down and review the new Customs Act. There are aspects of the Act that say that the challenge of paying DN now is a very bad one.

“Before taking the risk that will attract DN, be careful because the new law says if I give you DN, aside the penalty you will pay, you will pay a penalty of N2 million flat. You will pay surcharge, pay N2 million or you pay the N2 million plus six months imprisonment

Speaking earlier, the President of the visiting group, Emenike Nwekeoji who pledged the support of the group to the Controller to achieve his objective at the command, sought the help of the Controller to be mild on his members in areas where they ignorantly give wrong declarations.

He promised that his members would play by the rules of engagement even as he asked that privilege be given to ANLCA members as long as it is within the legal framework.

“What you saw when you were here as a PRO will be different from 2hat you will see now that you are here a Controller. You will deal with people that are reasonable and people that are unreasonable but the capacity to harness this and use it to achieve a common purpose is what brings out the leader in you. We know much about you and trust in your capacity that you will deliver.

“Please count on all of us in any area you think we can be of help; encourage our clients because of their shipments, they will ask us which port do you want to move these cargoes to and we can now comfortably say come to Apapa because we know you will give us the privilege.

“The privilege we are saying is that as long as it is within the legal framework and we are prepared to play according to the rules of government

“All we can do to help you achieve the objective for which government posted you here is to ensure that we will not do anything that is outside the law. We will play according to rules and help you to facilitate trade and help you to be revenue focused.

“Please, our declarations may not the the best because we as agents, we don’t know the content of a cargo, all we know is the document given to us, we only see the cargo the moment the Customs opens the seal.

“So, please bear with us if sometimes the information we pass to you is not exactly what is the reflected in the content but we promise that we will not do anything that will embarrass the government.”