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Customs

Use of logbook for vehicle clearance is antithesis to Customs modernisation —Akintoye Ojo.

Eyewitness reporter
As anger and shock trail the introduction of logbook by the Nigeria Customs Service as a modality for the clearance of vehicles at the ports, Ojo Peter Akintoye, the Chairman of the Tin Can chapter of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), has said the policy is a drawback on the modernisation process of the customs.
Akintoye, who was at a loss as to the rationale behind the policy, described it as shameful for the customs authority to rely on 50 years old law in 2021.
“We are talking of modernisation and you are referring to a document of 1971, about 50 years ago, what are you modernising?
“Is that not a shame on us? Why are you referring to a notice of 1971?
“How many of the new generation of the customs officers were born in 1971 apart from the older ones who in the next five to six years will be out of service?
Why don’t we talk about what is globally acceptable?” he queried.
The ANLCA Chieftain wondered how the policy will sail through when most of the second-hand vehicles coming into the country are accidented and which have no such book.
 
“Majority of the cars imported into the country are accidented vehicles.
“Go to the car park and see them for yourself. I can tell you that 85 percent of vehicles that enter Nigeria today are accidented vehicles and most of these vehicles that had an accident even the owners’ whereabouts is not known.
“Most of the cars do not even have keys and you are talking of logbook.
They imported some of these cars without keys; they will get here before they start programming keys for them.
“So, if our common technicians out there, through technology, can programme a key for a car that didn’t come to this country with a key and the entire country is talking about logbook, what are we saying?
“That was the language I heard thirty years ago when I was joining this industry.” he declared derisively.
Ojo wondered why the customs could not use the modern way of getting all the necessary information they need on a particular vehicle for the purpose of determining the tariff.
 
He said the modern Customs world over use VIN of vehicles to get this information.
 
“I recalled that even the officials of the Nigeria Customs Service were in the habit of using VIN number to retrieve the history of any vehicle they were not familiar with.
Why have they decided to take us back to the old, medieval era of logbook” he asked rhetorically.
He expressed concern on how this policy will be implemented when most of the used vehicles coming into the country have probably passed through so many people as owners, saying one of the owners may have lost the logbook.
“How many of the used cars are being bought from the manufacturers?
“The car that more than ten to fifteen people have used or don’t you know that they are selling fairly used vehicles abroad?
” Even in America, you can buy a used car, most of the cars they buy in auction, they use it in America.
*So, after using a car I bought in auction for three to five years, I sell the car again, somebody else bought it, maybe at the end of the day, the car may have been resold five times and it lands in Nigeria as Tokunbo.
” Are you now saying that the last buyer should start tracing the six people that have used the car in order to get the logbook?”
The freight forwarder advises the customs authority to cover its ineptitudes by recanting the policy which he believed will made the country a laughing stock in the comity of nations.

“If the Benin Republic cannot be talking about logbook, we should try to cover our ineptitude a little bit,” he said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

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Customs

Exclusive! Mass retirement hits Customs as 549 officers bow out of service in 2023

CGC, Ali

 

Break down; DCG( I), ACG (6),Comptrollers(30), DC(68) AC (110),CSC(133),SC (52),DSC(79) ,ASC1(58) ,ASC11(11),CA1(1)

Eyewitness reporter

A whirlwind  of retirement has hit the Nigeria Customs Service as 549 officers of different cadres have been penciled down for statutory retirement in 2023,

In a circular no HRD/2022/13 sighted by our reporter, the breakdown of the affected officers shows that 1 DCG, 6 ACG, 30 Comptrollers, 68 Deputy Comptrollers, 110 Assistant Comptrollers, 133 Chief Superintendent of Customs, 52 Superintendent of Customs, 79 Deputy Superintendents, 58 Assistant Superintendent of Customs1, 11 Assistant Superintendent of CustomsII and 1 Customs AssistantI, were due for retirement in 2023.

According to the circular dated May 10th, 2022 with reference number NCS/ADM/EST/098/S.1 and signed by OM Agbara, Comptroller of Establishment for AG. Deputy Comptroller-General (HDR), the affected officers, who are being shipped out of the service on account of age or number of years in the service, are advised to proceed on three months pre-retirement leave, three months to the effective date of their retirement.

The circular titled list of Officers/men for statutory retirement in the year 2023” reads

”I am directed to forward the attached list on the above subject matter as pre-retirement notice to all affected officers.
” ln accordance with the Public service Rule (PSR) No. 100238 and Federal Government circular No.63216/S.i/X/T; CR 1,/2OO1/5 of 2O/O3/2OOl, all affected officers due for retirement in 2023 are to disengage from the active service and proceed on three (3)months pre-retirement leave, three months to the effective date of retirement.
” AII affected officers are to ensure compliance and forward their three months pre-retirement notice to the Comptroller-General
accordingly.
” Any observed error, omission, or legitimate complaints should be forwarded to the office of the Comptroller General of Customs through the Ag. Deputy Comptroller-General (HRD) on or before 30th June 2022.
” Zonal Coordinators, Area Controllers, and Unit Heads are requested to make the list available for circulation to all the affected officers in their respective Zones, Areas, and Units
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Customs

Customs High Command interdicts officers over assault on Gov. Okonwa’s aide

Eyewitness reporter
The management of the Nigeria Customs Service has reacted to the viral video where a member of the roving team of the FOU Zone ‘C’ assaulted an unarmed civilian.
In the press statement signed by Timi Bomodi, the National Public Relations Officer of the service, the Customs High Command expressed outrage over the conduct of its officer and said the offending officer and other members of his team have been withdrawn from their patrol duties and placed under administrative investigation.
“The attention of the Nigeria Customs Service has been drawn to a video making the rounds on social media.
“In it, one of our officers was recorded assaulting an unarmed civilian.
“This action took place on the Benin – Agbor expressway on Saturday the 7th of May 2022 at about 5.00 pm.
“This officer and other members of that team from FOU Zone ‘C’ have since been withdrawn from patrol duties and are currently under administrative investigation at the NCS Zonal Headquarters Zone ‘C’ Port Harcourt.
“Officers of the Nigeria Customs Service have been trained to carry out their duties with dignity and respect, and are expected to display decorum in all their conduct at all times.
“Where they fail to carry out their brief as assigned, appropriate sanctions are applied to enforce discipline.
” The NCS would like to reassure the general public of its commitment to the welfare and safety of all citizens and frowns seriously at any act by its personnel capable of misrepresenting its corporate image.
“We ask that all law-abiding persons go about their activities without fear of intimidation or harassment as we work assiduously to bring closure to this unwholesome incident” the statement concluded.
In the viral video which has sparked public outrage, a Customs Officer attached to the roving team of the Custom’s FOU Zone C, was seen slapping a civilian identified as Samson Nwachukwu,  an aide to the Governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okonwa, along Benin/ Agbor expressway Saturday, May 7th, 2022.
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Customs

Drama as Customs officer slaps Gov Okowa’s aide along Benin/Agbor expressway (Video)

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