By Oboh Agbonkhese

LAGOS—AGGRIEVED clearing and forwarding agents on the platform of Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents, ANLCA, yesterday, laid siege to Nigeria Customs Service PTML Area Command Office at Mile 2, protesting alleged “sudden” change in exchange rate making it impossible for them to serve their customers and still make profit.

They claimed the new rate being implemented retroactively, had grounded their businesses. Displaying placards with various inscriptions, the agents  besieged the PTML premises, chanting solidarity songs, threatening to that their next port of call would be Tin Can Ports.

According to Mr. Charles Opara, PRO of ANLCA PTML chapter: “Increment of customs duty without notice to agents of the new development is unfair. We came to work on Friday last week and discovered that it was now N282 to the dollar.  Meanwhile, some of us have started processing our jobs based on the old value of N197. How do they want us to survive?”

He said it was on Friday the Cost Insurance and Freight, CIF, system through which the Federal Government synergizes with Customs to regulate their jobs, was calibrated to read N282 to the dollar, with retroactive effect.

Mr. Osaretin Amadasun, a freight forwarder, said: “I am pained. A sensitive government will not act like this. They said the naira was not devalued. Why then is the rate now N282 from N197?’\

Attempts to speak with Officer in Charge of Valuation and the D. C. Terminal, whose names were given as Mr. Aina Moyo and Mr. Kayode Omisemire, respectively, were rebuffed by security men, who threatened to go violent with this reporter.

How then do we do business when goods are already on the way based on the old rate? Some have already arrived.”

“Do we start adjusting prices to offset the difference or tell our customers to pay additional cost? And there is still the issue of demurrage.”