The Nation Newspaper

Tag: ANLCA

  • Pay more attention to maritime, agents urge govt

    THE Federal Government has been urged to pay more attention to the maritime sector to boost the economy.

    The President, Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Prince Olayiwola Shittu, said the government should ensure that more facilities were put in place at the ports to improve revenue generation.

    He said the access roads to Onne Port should be rehabilitated because it is a major revenue earner.

    “There is the need to enhance the welfare of the goose that lays the golden eggs. There should be efforts to do intervention in the maritime sector like in the aviation,’’ he said.

    The ANLCA chief said the Cabotage Fund would have been used to improve inland water transportation if it had been disbursed by Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA). He said the fund would have enabled indigenous shipping firms to key into shipping business while waiting for products to be able to buy ocean going vessels.

    Shittu appealed to the government to carry stakeholders along while formulating policies that affect them.

    “The government’s policy on used vehicles will have adverse effects on the economy if not properly handled.

    “We need to let the government know how many of our members will lose their jobs and how smuggling will increase if nothing is done on the policy,’’ he said.

    Shittu said 90 per cent of the imports of the terminals built for Roll- on-Roll-Out (RORO) were for used vehicles.

    He said since the price of imported vehicles had risen by 100 per cent, people would have no choice than to smuggle in vehicles.

    This, he said, would affect revenue generation by the ports, especially the Tin Can Port, Lagos where touts and ‘port rats’ are disturbing people.

    Shittu said many unwanted persons enter the port daily despite the recent efforts by Customs.

    He said the call became necessary because the sector was seen as the second largest source of revenue for the country after the oil and gas industry.

    Besides, he said multinationals and others pay taxes or duties and import charges to the government.

    He said poor facilities, sea piracy and insecurity could scare away investors and hamper ports operations, adding that importers and clearing agents also suffer the same fate.

    According to Shittu, huge traffic on ports road and insecurity are some of the major problems the government must address if it intends to sustain investment growth in the sector.

    “The high level of insecurity in the nation’s seaports has become so widespread that every importer must have at one time or the other experienced losses arising from theft within or on the roads that lead to the ports. As a Nigerian, I think it is not too much to ask the government to secure our ports,” he added.

    In another development, maritime lawyers have urged the government to adopt policies to promote the sector.

    Speaking with reporters in Lagos, the lawyers said the dearth of human and material capacities in the sector is worrisome.

    They called on government agencies at the ports to complement stakeholders’efforts in capacity-building, noting that businesses blink first in the event of any government’s policy breakdown.

    A maritime lawyer and consultant, Mr. Frank Simpson, said the dream of the youth, who seek employment, could only be realised through job creation via the sector and human capacity building.

    He said the country could be the number one maritime nation in Africa, if human capacity building was taken seriously.

  • ANLCA seeks duty-free auto parts for importers

    ANLCA seeks duty-free auto parts for importers

    The President, Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Prince Olayiwola Shittu, has urged the Federal Government to grant zero per cent duty to importers of automobile parts.

    Shittu told The Nation that the duty free policy would encourage manufacturers to bring in their equipment and that this would, in turn, help to create more jobs and support local assembly plants to manufacture world-standard vehicles.

    “Rather than being sellers of imported parts, we should be able to encourage local manufacturing to give jobs to our people. It is good we see a lot of them are in Aba, Nnewi and Onitsha, Anambra State. It is good if the government can formulate a deliberate policy  to assist those people, so that they can import the equipment required for the manufacturing free of duty charge, as a matter of encouragement and national policy,” he said, adding that such would generate employment in the country.

    The ANLCA chief  said the auto firms would provide jobs for many Nigerians and boost the economy, considering the huge market for vehicles in the country.

    He also urged the government to give the necessary attention  to small scale enterprises in the auto sector to boost made-in-Nigeria vehicles in the next five years. He said the 70 per cent import duty imposed on vehicles by the Federal Government would push the business of vehicle importation to ports of the neighbouring countries and urged the government to prepare for the imminent diversion.

     

  • Ports can generate N2tr, says ANLCA chief

    Ports can generate N2tr, says ANLCA chief

    The ports can generate N2trillion to the economy, the National President, Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) Prince Olayiwola Shittu, has said.

    He said the target is achieveable if the Federal Government could stop the granting of waivers that do not contribute to the economy.

    He urged the government to consider the iimperativeness of such waivers before granting them, saying as an incentive, the government should  concede five per cent of the revenue generated to the ports and border stations.

    He solicited the creation of a ministry devoted to the maritime industry.

    Shittu said: “If the government wants to harness the potentials of the maritime sector, there is need to create a ministry of maritime services.

    “We are the revenue generators for government. Last year, we made about N800billion for Customs, but if the government can give Customs brokers five per cent of revenue generated as an incentive, we can get up to N2trillion yearly.’’

    He added: “The government uses contractors, consultants and they pay them so much but we are not asking for so much but for just five per cent of money generated by each Customs license firm.

    “Let me inform you that the government can make close to N2trillion in our sector for the government if things are properly harnessed. Government should do away with waivers that do not have any productive value to the economy because waivers are used to help political friends and not the economy.

    “The transport ministry as currently constituted is saddled with so many jobs; rail, road and others, they need to unbundle the ministry of transport and create a ministry of maritime services.’’

    The ANLCA chief also cautioned the Federal Government on plans by the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) to privatise the transport sector, warning that caution must be taken to avoid a repeat of what happened with the port concession.

    Shittu observed that privatization  in Nigeria are mostly carried out with political undertone however warned that any privatization that needs to be embarked upon must have adequate government regulation.

  • NCS makes N100b from PAAR

    NCS makes N100b from PAAR

    The Pre-Arrival Assess ment Report (PAAR)  introduced by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) last year has increased the Service’s revenue generation by N100 billion.

    In 2013, the NCS generated N833.39 billion, while the revenue increased to N999 billion last year – a feat that has been attributed to the introduction of PAAR.

    The Customs Area Controller, Apapa Command, Mr. Charles Edike, said the Service is upbeat about this achievement, and also satisfied that PAAR is boosting its revenue drive.

    “We are talking of about a difference of N100 billion that PAAR has brought into our economy. This is really worthy of commendation. We must not for the sake of trade facilitation, loose revenue; so we try to strike a balance between revenue and trade facilitation,” Edike said.

    This feat has drawn applause from the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA). ANCLA’s National President, Prince Olayiwola Shittu. Praising the NCS for the implementation of PAAR at the seaports, he said the NCS management had demonstrated high level of competence in the handling of PAAR since it was introduced.  He added that PAAR has blocked all leakages, leading to the boost in revenue.

    “We are in support of PAAR and we have given the scheme a pass mark because of the effective manner it was implemented by the Customs. The scheme has no big problem and I can tell you that it has come to stay and it is better than RAR, which cannot in any way be compared to the PAAR as far as ANLCA is concerned,” Shittu said, adding that PAAR is an indigenous concept that has proved to be effective when compared to RAR, which he classified as a foreign investment which is not suited for the benefit of the people and economy.

    Another executive of ANLCA, Mr Kayode Farinto  said the PAAR regime has increased cargo clearance process at ports, urging officers of the service to increase the tempo.

  • Odumodu partners Customs agents to check substandard goods

    Odumodu partners Customs agents to check substandard goods

    The Director General of Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Dr. Joseph Odumodu has declared that there was the great need for all ports operators to form common understanding towards successful prosecution of the campaign against the influx of fake and substandard products in the country.

    Speaking during the executive members of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agent (ANLCA) courtesy visit to the SON office in Lagos, Odumodu maintained that checking imported goods offshore was being addressed

    He, however, reiterated that the organisation could not stop goods coming into Nigeria since they enter into the ports where, presently, SON, does not operate.

    He said such measures could only be attained through the mutual co-operation of countries.

    Describing the parley as successful, the National President of the Association, Prince Olayiwola Shittu while addressing journalists stated that they came to seek audience with SON management, adding that they were able to understand the challenges of the agency as the nation’s standards operator as well as theirs as ports operators.

    He disclosed that they have been able to iron out their differences and understand themselves better which would help them to work towards collaborating with SON.

    According to him, the purpose of the visit was to collaborate with SON. “We regard this as a friendly visit for us to know how we can collaborate with SON and they have graciously said that they will collaborate with us in terms of training our people for them to understand standardisation and to make sure that it is in the best interest of Nigeria.”

    On standardisation, Shittu said ANLCA described the influx of substandard products into the country as an ill wind that blows no one any good.

    He stressed that as licensed customs agents, they were prepared to join forces with SON to rid Nigeria of fake, counterfeit and substandard goods. “You know we are licensed customs agents, we clear goods on behalf of Nigerian shippers. It is our duty to educate the shippers on the dangers of substandard goods, so we must be able to know how standardisation is done.”

    Speaking further, the National Publicity Secretary of ANLCA, the only umbrella body of custom brokers hinted that their visit became necessary because of the importance of standardisation to the nation’s economy.

  • SON, ANLCA partner on goods seizure

    SON, ANLCA partner on goods seizure

    The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and the Association of Nigeria Licensed Clearing Agents (ANLCA) have partnered to address the issue of seizure of goods already cleared at the ports on the highway.

    ANLCA President, Prince Olawiyola Shittu said his association had resolved to engage SON as a regulatory body to seek a more robust engagement as a prelude for a useful collaboration in the interest of the public.  He regretted the loss of revenue to both government and importers alike over the issue.

    Shittu, who spoke with The Nation in Lagos after a meeting with SON’s Director-General,  Dr. Joe Odumodu, said ANLCA has resolved to engage the regulator to train his members on standardisation to ensure that substandard goods don’t come into the country.

    He promised that his members will profile their clients to ensure that they comply with regulatory requirements in the importation of goods and services.

    On the appropriateness of seizing goods already cleared at the ports in shops and highways, Shittu said opinions are divided on the merit of the action of SON, adding that as a responsible association, ANLCA has resolved to work with the regulatory agency to sanitise the nation and protect it from unscrupulous importers who import fake and substandard goods.

    According to him, the ugly effects of fake and substandard goods in the economy cannot be over emphasised and should therefore be tackled in different frontiers.

  • Guidelines on ANCLA’s election out

    The Electoral Committee of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has issued guidelines on its forthcoming election billed for Port Harcourt Area Chapters.

    The rules require voters to produce receipts for payments for special levies and dues,  possession of form C-30 of Customs’authorisation for the voter to operate this year. They added that the presentation of the original copy of letter indicating the company the voter is representing, among others, is necessary.

    The Chairman of the electoral body, Alhaji Mukaila Babatunde Abdulazeez, told his members not to engage in multiple authorisations.

    “Members are warned against multiple nomination letters because they would be rejected and seen as a deliberate attempt to subvert the electoral process.“

    The sanction for such illegality, he said, was disenfranchisement.

  • SON targets N5.7b yearly revenue on vehicles

    SON targets N5.7b yearly revenue on vehicles

    •ANLCA,  others kick

    The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) is set to rake in N5.7billion yearly with its planned implementation of N20,000 pre-shipment inspection levy on  imported vehicles.

    The amount, findings revealed, would accrue to the agency, based on the average of 250,000 vehicles imported into the country annually.

    But the President, Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agent (ANLCA), Prince Olayiwola Shittu,  has threatened that the association will withdraw its services if SON goes ahead with the fee.

    He told The Nation that the group is against the implementation of the controversial levy because importers will equally lose the same amount in return.

    “I heard that the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) wants to be charging N20,000 per vehicle that is imported into the country. When we calculated the money based on an average of 250,000 vehicles imported per annum, we understood that the agency will be collecting N5.7 billion every year. The policy has not gone through the National Assembly, it has not been appropriated and this is the same agency that receives budgetary allocation every year from tax payers’ money,” he said.

    He stated that  SON may be allowed to collect the fees if the Federal Government through the Nigeria Customs Service, agrees to pay clearing agents 10 per cent of its total revenue collection.

    “The day SON forcefully starts the collection of the money, our members will stop work.

    “The negotiation is that SON can collect N20,000 but the government must be ready to give us 10 per cent of the revenue we generated to Customs. That will be the yardstick for our negotiation. We have tried to keep peace in the port for over four years, we have never gone on strike because we are a professional body but if that is the only language the government understands, we will down tools.

    “The least we are asking through Customs from the Federal Government is 10 per  cent of the total collection. We are entitled to it, Cotecna, SGS and the other Service providers were contractors to the government and they were collecting one per cent FOB but when they couldn’t manage RAR and Customs came up with a superior system, and that is PAAR. The service providers couldn’t get the cheap money they were making in those days, so they went through the Ministry of Investment to get another contract with the SON so that they can be making a minimum of N5billion per annum. That is why in no distance time, we shall tell them we are life-wire of the ports. If they want us to close the ports, we shall assist them to do so,” Shittu said

    It would be recalled that SON had last month appointed three companies including Cotecna Destination Inspection Limited, Quality Assurance Projects Limited and Medtech Scientific Limited to verify Nigeria-bound vehicles before shipping into the country with an inspection fee of not less than N20,000 per vehicle.

     

  • ANLCA urges members on trade facilitation

    ANLCA urges members on trade facilitation

    The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents, (ANLCA) has directed its members to embrace the trade facilitation programme of  the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and partner its officers to ensure quick clearance of goods at ports and boost the nation’s revenue profile.

    Findings revealed that ANLCA, has mandated  its members to follow all Customs’ rules  and regulations associated with quick cargo clearance as we enter into the ember months and the Yuletide season.

    A member of the association from Onne Chapter, River State Chief Kingsley Offor, said the group has undergone various structural and operational changes in line with the freight forwarding profession with a view to attaining global standards and best practices.

    “ANLCA at national and levels have enforced compliance on members with the ethics and rules governing the profession aimed at creating a robust working relationship with all stakeholders with emphasis on the Nigerian Customs service (NCS)

    ANLCA as a major stakeholder in the freight forwarding profession, he said, has played tremendous role and impact in trade facilitation and revenue generation to the federal coffers.

    “These are reflected in most Customs area command as freight forwarders have created adequate partnership with officers and men of the Service with a view to enhancing revenue generation and facilitate trade,” Offor said.

    The new vigour injected by the current administration of Prince Olayiwola Shittu, has created a multiplier effect at most ANLCA chapters anchored on handwork, discipline, transparency and result-oriented programmes.

    Offor described the Onne chapter of the association, as a pacesetter in creating an enabling and conducive working relationship with the Customs.

    “ANLCA Onne chapter was the first chapter to erect a benefiting office structure for the association under the pragmatic leadership of Prince Prestige Ossy.

    A motor vehicle  importer in Onne, Mr Sunday Samuel and other stakeholders have however, called on Chief Offor to contest for the chairmanship of the chapter in their next election to allow for continuity and sustainability of the tempo in the chapter.

    Samuel and other stakeholders described Chief Offor as unassuming and humble, ready to listen and willing to serve with an independent and progressive mind for the benefit of majority.

    “Kingsley Offor has proved his mettle in the Nigeria Maritime industry and if elected as the Chairman, ANLCA Onne Chapter, he will usher in a virile, dedicated and result-oriented drive in the operational activities of licensed Customs agents,” he said.

  • Agents, importers kick over pre-shipment inspection

    Agents, importers kick over pre-shipment inspection

    The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), motor vehicle importers and intending car owners have kicked against the decision of the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON)to subject all Nigeria-bound vehicles to pre-shipment inspection and verification before coming into the country.

    SON has already appointed three inspection companies: Cotecna Destination Inspection Limited, Quality Assurance Projects Limited and Medtech Scientific Limited, to carry out the assignment.

    The National President of NAGAFF Chief Eugene Nweke said  it was wrong for SON to impose additional levy on shippers through the new policy.

    He said NAGAFF in collaboration with the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) as well as intending car owners are not happy over the issue and urged the Federal Government to reconsider its stand on the issue.

    He said: “Where we do not agree is the arbitrary levies to be paid; you don’t just wake up one morning and impose levies. We want SON to tell us and the general public the index they used to arrive at a vehicle paying N20,000. Nigerian shippers and buyers are not idiots. If SON is living under that illusion, then, we need to the organisation up.

    “These are things that government should fund; it is an administrative issue, it is their obligation.”

    He said for SON to implement the pre-shipment contract, there is need to carry out a review of age limit on vehicles imported into the country. He noted that the quality assurance of the vehicles has already been taken into consideration at the time of manufacturing.

    Motor importers, car dealers and intending car owners described the introduction of the policy as a ploy tp provide “jobs for the boys”  because according to them, the destination inspection service providers are currently idle.

    An importer, Mr Yinka Akinlaja said SON is only seeking relevance at port after the Federal Government withdrew its services from port operations about two years ago.

    A pharmacist and and intending car owner, Tunayo Adetoro berates SON for introducing the policy as at the time when the cost of clearing vehicles at ports has soared.

    She said SON is looking for an avenue to find its way back to the ports, adding that payment of inspection levy on imported vehicles will add more to their cost and many Nigerians will find it difficult to own a vehicle of their choice.