By Godfrey BIVBERE & Naomi UZOR
National President of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs  Agents (ANLCA), Prince Olayewola Shittu, has warned of an impending diversion of about 60 per cent of Nigerian bound consignments to neighbouring countries in the West Coast as a result of high duty collected by the Nigeria Customs Service following federal government revenue target drive.

Shittu raised his fear on the impending economic disaster during the celebration of 100 days in office of the present leadership of the ANLCA, saying that Customs was forced to jack up duties payable on all cargoes coming into the country in a bid to meet the revenue target set by the federal government.

As a result the ANLCA National President stressed that almost all importers and their agents are now forced to bear the weight of indiscriminate increase on duty imposed by the Custom Service. Already, he noted that before the end of the year, importers may be forced to move to take their businesses away from Nigerian ports.
He queried the setting of target for the Customs by government, especially this year’s target which he described as unrealistic. Acording to him, “is Customs revenue the only means of income for the government.”

He disclosed that there are officers at the head office who monitor the revenue collection by the Command and they reports back to the management on a monthly basis.

The ANLCA boss noted that in a bid to meet the target, the Customs headquarter put the various commands under undue pressure and in some cases change any Area Controller who is deemed not to be meeting their expectation.

In turn, the Area Controllers not wanting to loss their positions are forced to continually jack up revenue on every consignment not following the laid down procedure which the Service had a to bide with.

Shittu said that at the inception of the concession exercise, the Service Providers were said to be responsible for advising Customs risk level of every import and the assessment of the actual revenue to be paid on such goods to ensure that government do not loss accruable income.

However the ANLCA helmsman said, “ customs seem to have jettison all documents coming from the Service Providers and this has become worse with the introduction of the present unrealistic revenue target by government to the Customs management”

He explained that they are in talks with the Customs and hopes that soon they would agree on a unified cost of clearing goods from the nation’s ports.

The ANLCA helmsman also pointed out that after the agreement has been reached by both parties, the leadership of the first and oldest body for agents in the country would then disclose same to the public to guide importers in their transactions.