More than 60 per cent of trade infractions at the nation’s seaports are caused by freight forwarders and clearing agents, a foremost member of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders, NAGAFF, has said.
Speaking at a press briefing in Lagos, National Coordinator of the Compliance Team of NAGAFF, Ibrahim Tanko, said freight forwarders and clearing agents are not compliant with the rules for clearing of goods from the ports.
Tanko said most of them prefer to cut corners to get their goods out since it is more profitable than doing the right thing.
He however warned that the consequences, when any freight forwarder or clearing agent is caught, will wipe out every gain ever made in the past.
He further disclosed that their campaign for full compliance by the stakeholders for about a year and three months now has not yielded much results.
According to him, “If everyone should do the right thing by making 100 per cent declaration, there won’t be a need for Demand Notices, DN to start with.
“The unfortunate thing is that some complaints by members are often embarrassing. We need to discipline ourselves for smooth operations because the more we do the wrong things, the more issues we will have.
“In every organisation there must be a law that guides, and there is a law that guides Customs. So, if you do the wrong things intentionally, you should be able to pay the fine.
“If there is a DN raised and you don’t understand and you know you are right, write a protest letter to the CAC (Customs Area Controller); the CAC will tell them to go and examine the cargo.”