Lagos – The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) on Friday urged the Comptroller-General(C-G) of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Retired Col Hameed Ali, to convene a town-hall meeting against corruption at the various ports.
This is contained in a statement signed by the association’s Secretary General, Mr Arthur Igwilo, and made available to newsmen in Lagos.
The association made the plea in view of the public hearing on two serving customs officers at the Tin-Can Island port command over alleged corrupt practices.
“In view of all the contentious issues, we expect the C-G to convene a town-hall meeting with specific stakeholders to forge a way forward in his anti-corruption mandate.
“We shall, in due course, make appropriate statements after the committee of the anti-corruption unit of NAGAFF must have concluded its assignment over the alleged corrupt officers,’’ it said.
The association said it was disheartened when it received a letter from the Customs headquarters against its aborted public hearing, it said.
NAGAFF in the statement said that it suspected the letter was meant to shield the officers concerned from being punished.
It expressed the belief that the C-G of NCS would help to stem the tide of corruption at the ports.
He recalled that NAGAFF and the C-G had been working to break the impunity, monopoly and corruption at the Jibiya border of Katsina State.
“A lot of progress has been made in that axis of the North West border locations and we are also striving in the Lagos ports to stem corruption.
“We believe the anti-corruption crusade must involve every patriotic Nigerian in whatever calling they find themselves.
“We shall continue to contribute our quota in this regard when necessary,’’ the association stated in the statement.
NAGAFF said that the C-G should note that corruption at the ports was on the increase because it had become mostly systemic.
It said the NCS should be concerned with the non-compliance attitude on the traders zone; improper customs examination; value assessment questions; and inherent abuse of the Trade & Tariffs Headquarters.
It said the association also complained about the stoppage of released containers at the exit gate; inherent abuses in licensing and operations of customs licenses; and lack of transparency in revenue assessment matters.
