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Customs

Who Is Afraid Of Transparency In Customs’ Operations?

Bomodi

Timi Bomodi

On September 26, 2021, members of Freight Forwarding Associations and Customs Licensed agents, including executives and members of thE Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents(ANLCA), National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders(NAGAFF) and three other associations held a meeting at a popular hotel in Apapa, Lagos.

Among other things they were reported to have complained about was an intended hike in license fees, arbitrary increases in Nigeria Customs Service duty, hikes in the values of Pre-Arrival Assessment Reports(PAAR) issued to importers, the conduct of Valuation Officers, uncertainty or inconsistencies in tariff classifications for certain goods, frequent alerts, and the illogic of government giving revenue targets to Customs, especially in an era of trade facilitation.

Again on October 5th, 2021, and in response to the invitation of the House of Representatives Committee on Customs, ANLCA was quoted to have said that “the present Customs Management is not interested in professionalism and trade facilitation,  but to circumvent all processes for revenue generation”.

The Nigeria Customs recognises and acknowledges the rights of Nigerians to freely organise, assemble and associate for the purpose of articulating group goals, visions, and objectives.

The NCS also acknowledges truth as the ultimate instrument which can free the maritime industry from the shackles of deceit and liberate our economy from the trenchant actions of those committed to sabotaging our efforts.

This is why it has become imperative to correct the numerous misrepresentations about the NCS contained in both their press release and the presentation made before the House Committee on Customs.

These recent outbursts and accusations do not come as a surprise.

In truth, Nigerians are not fooled by the current cavalier attitude of certain persons who for far too long, had an entrenched culture of opacity and disrespect for laws, regulations, rules, and procedures when it comes to making proper declarations for the purpose of paying correct government duties and taxes. Understanding their antecedents will throw more light on their recent ‘crusade’ against the current management of NCS.

Some executive members of these associations have long abandoned their responsibilities in entrenching professionalism among their colleagues.

They have forgotten their oath of honesty in their dealings with the government and have taken to the pursuit of power for personal aggrandizement. They have attempted to use their positions to procure favours for themselves and their companies.

When confronted with the force of reason, they have resorted to threats and blackmail . Incapable of articulating their positions in reference to our books of laws, they have resorted to intimidation, and have even facilitated physical attacks on our officers.

In all these situations, officers of the Nigeria Customs have refused to be cowed. We have remained resolute in our commitment to the government by towing the path of honor.

Our achievements in revenue collection and anti-smuggling speak for themselves. The current management under the watch of the Comptroller General, Colonel Hameed Ibrahim Ali (retd), has shown exceptional leadership in this regard.

Our systems have been put through a good number of iterations.  From ASYCUDA I, II, & ++, to NICIS I & II. We are currently on the verge of migrating to E-Customs, which will herald a new epoch,  as all Customs activities will be electronically enabled.

The simplification, harmonisation, and automation of Customs activities are in tandem with WCO and WTO objectives for trade facilitation. Our commitment to this reality is unshakeable and our actions bear testament to our resolve.

We also note that trade compliance is a sine qua non for trade facilitation. Where the level of compliance is low, the level of control becomes high.

Some agents and Customs brokers have taken abnormalities as rights. They have assumed the role of activists, encouraging illegal behaviours.

This cannot be accepted as no government agency worth its name will allow itself to be swayed by the whims and caprices of those whose actions they are supposed to superintend. Indeed it will be a complete dereliction of duty if we succumb to these and other attempts.

The disposition of NCS management is neither authoritarian nor archaic. Its actions have always been guided by federal government policy decisions in line with international agreements and conventions on trade.

Contrary to their claims, there has been no attempt to arbitrarily increase the license fee of Customs Licensed Agents. It is important to note that the fees payable by Customs Licensed agents are  as approved by law outlined in section 156 of CEMA as amended.  The only recourse to a revision in fees can only be as dictated to by extant laws.

Arbitrary increase in Customs duty.

There are two main avenues for the adjustment of duty payable to the government that a Customs officer can legally activate.

Where the transaction value declared for an item is questionable and where the classification of the item is wrong.

The former refers to the declared CIF value, while the latter concerns the HS code for that item.

Part II of the Common External Tariff prescribes ‘General Rules for the interpretation of the Harmonised System’.

There are six rules in total and they provide clear, unambiguous guidelines for the classification of all goods under the CET. These rules are not subject to the interpretation of Customs officers alone as they are captured in simple English for the enlightenment of all persons equipped with the proper understanding of that language.

In addition to the interpretative rules are chapter headings and the explanatory notes which are designed to further highlight grey areas both of inclusions and exclusions as deemed appropriate for classification purposes.

The issue of value has also been comprehensively addressed in the WTO Agreement for Customs value adopted in Article VII of General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs, 1994.

This agreement provides a Customs Valuation method primarily based on the transaction value of the imported goods, also known as either the price ACTUALLY PAID or PAYABLE for the goods when sold for export to the country of importation.

In addition to the transaction value, WTO prescribes five other methods that can be applied successively. So the transaction value is followed by:

The transaction value of identical goods
The transaction value of similar goods

The deductive value method

The computed value method

The fall-back method.

In applying these rules for Customs valuation, the Service has noticed frequent attempts by importers, and, or their agents to falsify transaction values in order to evade the payment of correct duties.

Their insistence on uniform values for cars of the same make and manufacture is at best illogical when we agree that there are no uniform purchase prices, especially for cars from diverse locations.

A true declaration of the purchase value for cars should suffice,  but agents have been known to deliberately mislead importers, by promising them lower duties even when they’ve been furnished with the correct information. Competition among themselves for customers has itself become inimical to honest declarations for tax purposes.

Freight, being an important consideration for assessing value, needs to be highlighted.
Indeed in recent times, there have been sharp increases in shipping costs across the globe occasioned by the effects of the pandemic refs:https://www.wsj.com/articles/container-ship-prices-skyrocket-as-rush-to-move-goods-picks-up-11625482800https://amp.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3147013/chinas-shipping-container-costs-hit-all-time-highs-andhttps://www.reuters.com/business/china-us-container-shipping-rates-sail-past-20000-record-2021-08-05/.

The above links from Reuters, Wall Street Journal, and others can be easily verified.

The cost of freight alone is one out of three components which when added up, defines the value for duty.

The others are the cost of the product itself and the insurance payable for the goods in transit, otherwise known as the CIF value.

Where the value of the goods remains constant, but the freight rate changes, it will have an effect on the total CIF value of the goods assessed for duty.

In this case, the transaction value must be a true representation of the actual monetary component of the exchange.

In addition to this is the increase in the exchange rate. Where all other components of value remain constant, the exchange rate alone can trigger increases in value for duty.

It is, therefore, curious to observe individuals insisting on retaining the same historical values contrary to abundant current evidence.

What the Nigeria Customs Service has been inundated with are fictional representations of this monetary component which bear no resemblances to present realities. In truth, a good number of Customs agents and importers have been connected with this unwholesome practice.

Even the agents themselves cannot recognise the obvious contradictions in their statements. In one breath, they demand uniform values for cars but insist on totally different standards for other commodities.

There are no benchmarks for costs, values, or duty. However, when agents resort to cooking up invoices with the intention of evading duty, we are also duty-bound to adjust those values using the WTO Agreement on Customs Valuation, to reflect reality.

Where there is honesty in intention and action, the NCS can only reciprocate in good faith.

We live in a world where authenticating documents submitted for the validation of Customs has been made easy by technology.

The NCS has at its disposal the historical records of all imports/exports, importers/exporters, and a comprehensive index of values submitted by importers themselves.

The Service has numerous resources at its disposal for the verification, authentication, and adjustment of submitted data.

The same agents develop selective amnesia when confronted with the historical data of their importers within defined periods as cross-referenced from our system

We understand the frustrations of some of these agents as reports reaching Customs Headquarters indicate a radical change in the trajectory of business practices at our ports and borders.

This penchant for cutting corners as exemplified in false declarations and illegal deductions in Customs values is constantly checkmated by diligent officers intent on facilitating legitimate trade only.

So their anger is not for the number of alerts in the system but for being stopped by it. With the introduction of artificial intelligence and machine learning, more loopholes in the system will be identified and plugged.

We hope when this happens, they will attend anger management classes to save themselves the cost of managing their health.

As agents of the government, we can only live to the billings and briefs issued to us by our supervising ministry. Revenue collection, being one of our duties, is one to which we are wholly committed as attested to by our groundbreaking achievements in current and previous years.

We owe no organisation any explanation in our commitment to collecting revenue for the government. Our risk management protocols are determined by the strategic needs of the Service.

Our risk management techniques have been quite effective as evidenced in duty recoveries, and landmark seizures.

The activities of FOU and other intervention units of the Service are all part of the same risk management architecture. Officers who were found to be complicit in aiding the illegal activities of agents have been shown the way out.

Others with more grievous offences have been prosecuted in the courts.

The recent installation of scanners at a few of our ports will address the challenge of physical examination of goods and we look forward to their full engagement as it will no doubt help to facilitate trade.

We are also mindful of the impact our actions can have on legitimate traders, that is why we have provided avenues for the expedited clearance of goods under the fast track and other facilitative channels for businesses with unblemished records.

Often when disputes on classification and, or value arise following examination, a lot of time is wasted on baseless arguments.

Because most agents are not grounded in the rudiments of the Common External Tariff, and other books of instructions, they tend to use bargaining as a tool for resolving disputes, when all they need do is make superior submissions by referring to relevant books of authority.

Meanwhile, the system has provided outlets that allow for goods to be released under bank indemnity while the issues in dispute are being resolved. This mechanism is entrenched in the Post Clearance Audit department.

The Service takes serious exceptions to attempts by individuals or associations to intimidate or blackmail its officers in the course of their official functions.

While complaints and feedback are encouraged from agents and other members of the public, we reiterate our right to determine for ourselves frameworks for effective and efficient performances within the ambit of the law and executive orders.

The security situation in the country demands a dynamic approach to effective border management. The deployment of our assets is as dictated by intelligence and the risk profiling mechanisms of the Service. Those without skeletons in their cupboards have absolutely no reason to be afraid.

Finally, the NCS awaits the success of their recommendations to the government regarding revenue targets to Customs, so we can concentrate on trade facilitation and anti-smuggling activities alone. As always, our resolve for fulfilling our mandate is matched only with our determination for success and we remain totally focussed in this regard.

 Bomodi is the Deputy National Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Customs Service.

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Customs

Dog eats dog as Customs officer shoots colleague at border

SC Muhammad Sayyadi, the victim officer

 

The eyewitness reporter
A Customs officer, wielding a gun at the checkpoint in Garki local government in Jigawa state, had inadvertently opened fire on his colleague.
The incident, which happened at the weekend, sent a shock wave throughout the customs service as the victim was a Jigawa prince who is serving at the Lagos command of the service.
It was gathered that the culprit, who was among the personnel at the checkpoint, had opened fire on a vehicle coming from the neighboring Niger Republic but whose driver refused to stop when he was flagged down.
Upon inquiry to identify the occupants of the vehicle, it was discovered that the driver of the vehicle who was shot was a Customs officer,  SC Muhammad Sayyadi, serving at the Lagos State Command.
He is said to be the son of one of the five first-class emirs in Jigawa, the Emir of Ringim, HRH Dr. Sayyadi Abubakar Mahmud.

The spokesman of the Nigeria Customs Service Kano/Jigawa Area Command, SC Nura Saidu, confirmed the incident in a statement.

“Our hearts go out to all those affected by this tragic event, and we extend our deepest empathy to the family and friends of the victim,” he said.

Saidu said the command is investigating to determine the causes of the incident.
“As a Service, we equally assure you that the management will fully investigate the incident to determine the causes and circumstances.

“Our top priority is the well-being and safety of the victim and the larger community at this difficult time.
“We would like to remind everyone that the Service rests utmost importance on responsible firearm handling.

“Accidental shootings are preventable tragedies, as all officers are consciously trained to secure and only use their firearms in (an) appropriate and controlled environment.

“We will continue to provide updates as the investigation progresses and more information becomes available,” Mr Sa’idu said.

It was gathered that other victims in the vehicle were admitted at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano, and are responding to treatment.

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Customs

Zainab Ahmed, Finance minister, lists achievements as chairman of Customs Board

Zainab Ahmed, Minister of Finance and Chairman, Customs board
—–as Customs board confirms appointment of Malanta Yusuf and 14 others as ACGs, 5 DCGs
The eyewitness reporter
The Nigeria Customs Service Board (NCSB) during its 57th regular meeting chaired by the Honorable Minister of Finance Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed has confirmed the appointment of five (5) Deputy Comptroller Generals (DCGs) and fifteen (15) Assistant Comptroller Generals (ACGs).
Among the appointment confirmed was Malanta Ibrahim Yusuf, as ACG Training and Coordination.
The meeting of the board, which confirmed the appointment, was held on Thursday 4th May 2023 at the Nigeria Customs Service Headquarters, Abuja.
The details of the confirmation are as follows:
Deputy Comptroller Generals
M ABBA-KURA DCG Enforcement Inspection & Investigation, AG SAIDU DCG Human Resource Development
JP AJOKU DCG Excise, Free Trade Zone & Industrial Incentives, BA ADENIYI DCG Strategic Research and Policy, GA ITOTOH DCG/Commander Training and Doctrine Command
The Assistant Comptroller Generals include O PETERS ACG/Zonal Coordinator Zone ‘C’, AI ALFA ACG Strategic Research and Policy
HJ SWOMEN ACG Excise, Free Trade Zone & Industrial Incentives, KC EGWUH ACG Doctrine Development and Administration Command, MBA MUSA ACG Tariff and Trade
A DAPPA-WILLIAMS ACG Enforcement Inspection & Investigation, BM JIBO ACG Headquarters,A HAMISU ACG/Commandant Nigeria Customs Command & Staff College, Y SALIHU ACG Finance & Admin
MI YUSUF ACG Training and Coordination, SA BOMAI ACG Board
CK NIAGWAN ACG Technical Services, KI ADEOLA ACG ICT/Modernization
IO BABALOLA ACG/Zonal Coordinator Zone ‘D’, BU NWAFOR ACG Human Resource Development
The Honorable Minister of Finance, Budget, and National Planning expressed delight at the outcome of her stewardship of the Nigeria Customs Service Board.
“It has been a very interesting and educative experience for me as the Chairperson of the Nigeria Customs Service Board.
“We have seen significant improvement in the operations of the Nigeria Customs Service during this process.
“We had cause to get several approvals for the Service including enhancement of the remuneration of the staff, and improvement in terms of cost of collections for the Nigeria Customs Service.
“We have also been able to complete the process toward the realization of the rollout of the Trade Modernization Project.
“These are all fundamental building blocks that are going to work positively towards enhancing and modernizing the whole of the Nigeria Customs Service in line with the requirements of the World Customs Organization and other protocols that Nigeria is committed to.”
Addressing the future generation of Customs Officers, the NCSB Chairperson emphasized the engagement of young officers, including women in the Service.
 In a related development, the board has also approved the implementation of a Competency-Based Accelerated Career Progression Plan (CBACPP).
The plan is a proactive strategy designed to close the generational gap that could lead to a leadership vacuum in the higher hierarchies of the Nigeria Customs Service if not addressed.
The Board also expressed pleasure over the recent enactment of the new Customs Act into law.
 To facilitate a seamless transition, the Board has made plans to organize a retreat for the Board Members and expand the Management of NCS.
Following the retreat, a stakeholder education and engagement forum will be launched to inform the public about the provision of the new Act and the corresponding compliance requirement.
 The aim is to ensure clarity and understanding among stakeholders, enabling them to adapt to the new regulations effectively.
Also, the effective date for the full implementation of the New Act is a priority that will be addressed in due course.
Meanwhile, the Comptroller General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (Rtd) CFR congratulates the newly appointed Officers and charged them to work diligently for a better and prosperous Service.
 He emphasized the importance of their roles in achieving the Service’s core functions of revenue collection, suppression of smuggling, and trade facilitation.
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Customs

Exclusive! KLT capacity is underutilised by 80 per cent through low cargo volume—-Bomodi

Cmptroller Timi Bomodi

The Eyewitness reporter

The new Customs Area Comptroller of Kirikiri Lighter Terminal(KLT), Comptroller Timi Bomodi, has identified gross under-utilization of the command as one of its core challenges that his administration is tirelessly working to correct.

Bomodi, who resumed duties in the off-dock facility as its CAC in February 2023, said the terminal has an installed capacity for over 6000 20-footer equivalent units but currently doing less than 10 percent.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with our reporter in his office Wednesday, Bomodi lamented that despite the strategic position of the terminal for ease of cargo evacuation, poor communication of its benefits to importers and their agents has rubbed the facility off the required patronage from would-be customers.

He also identified apathy among the shipping companies to use the terminal despite its inherent advantages of speed and cost-effectiveness, a situation he blamed on the low cargo inflow to the terminal.

” Kirikirio Lighter terminal is mainly an off-dock facility. It doesn’t receive vessels directly, nor does it receive cargo through transfer from other ports. Occasionally, we get transfers by Lighters through one of our bonded warehouses.

”The major challenge we have here is a challenge of traffic, getting more cargo into the terminal.

”The total capacity of the command is over 6000 20-footer equivalent units. But right now, we are not even doing up to 10 percent of that. And when you have facilities that are vast but underutilized, then it is an issue.

”I feel there is poor communication of the strategic importance of the KLT

”A lot of importers and their agents don’t know that it is easier to import through KLT than most other ports.

”It is easier in the sense that after all Customs procedures, which are the same at all Customs Commands, it is easier for trucks to come into the command and take the goods out, which is not so with most ports in Lagos due to the chaotic transport situation and the queueing system.

”You have an electronic call-up system in the other two major ports and that creates a lot of time lag before your trucks come in and you take your goods out. We don’t have those challenges here and because of that, we believe importers will be better served in a place like KLT because of the short time it takes to get your goods out” disclosed Bomodi.

He lamented that despite these inherent advantages, the command is experiencing a low volume of cargo. This according to him leads to underutilization of the terminal and underperformance of the officers whom he said are well-trained, equipped and properly motivated.

”The officers we have here are just like other officers we have in other commands: well-trained, well equipped and highly motivated to work but grossly underutilized. So as far as Customs procedure goes, we are just like any other conventional port.

”The only thing we don’t have here is a scanning machine. Everything is done manually, physical examination. But that is not an impediment to the facilitation of trade because as I said, we have the space, equipment and well-motivated officers to make the examination process fast and seamless.”, the CAC claimed.

He also claimed that the command has a well robust export terminal which is now operational and connected to the Customs server.

”We also have an advantage for exports. As I mentioned earlier, it is easier for people to come into the terminal and take out their cargo because, in this command, traffic is not so bad on this axis compared to others. So if somebody wants to export his goods through the command, it is a lot easier to do so.

”Right now, we have an export terminal called Tesic that is now operational and connected to the Customs server. This export terminal has the space, they have the capacity to process large volumes of exports through the command.

So there are so many advantages that you get from using this place and we want a lot of people to know about it so that we can have an increase in traffic.

Bomodi however said it is not in his place as a Customs officer to woo importers to the command as his main job is to facilitate customs processes.

”It is not in my place to woo anybody. As a Customs officer, my primary responsibility is to attend to the business of Customs in this Command.

”We only highlight the challenges such as the underutilization of the critical assets in the command because we know we can do a lot more than we are presently doing.

”And that the importers and their agents need to be aware of the advantage of doing business in the command and that they need to know that they will save cost and time by using the command.

”The longer it takes to take goods out of the port, the more expensive it is because of the charges such delays will accrue on the goods from the shipping companies and terminal operators”

Bomodi thumbed his chest that it takes a maximum of 48 hours to exit goods outside the terminal after all customs processes have been completed without any issue.

”In KLT, the significant amount of such extra costs can be eliminated because it only takes a maximum of 48 hours to clear your goods from the command if there are no issues.

He, however, believed that the decision to move cargo from one point to the other is not necessarily that of the command, but that of shipping companies.

”The shipping companies, by virtue of their work processes, value time and want a quick turnaround of the vessels and return of their containers. So all these factors will be taken into consideration before they ship cargo into any port.

”Then you wonder why the shipping companies are not taking maximum advantage of a place like KLT because ordinarily, they should. It makes more sense for them to do so.

”Why are they not making use of the command? Well, that is the question you should ask them because I don’t know.

”We have quite a few shipping companies servicing this place such as MSC, Maesrsk and others and you know a good number of them come in by transire and they do this in trickles. If we can get them to do a lot more, then everybody will benefit from it.”

”Shipping companies make their money from the hiring of their boxes, containers are like buildings. They make more money from the high turnover of how the containers are rented out to more people rather than tying them for a longer period with few customers.

”The business process of these shipping companies encourages the use of such places like KLT but I don’t know why they are not using it and that is what you have to ask them”Bomodi bemoaned.

He however acknowledged the negative impact of the low traffic volume on the revenue profile of the command

”Of course, it does. The fewer the cargo, the less revenue we are likely to generate. But this does not mean we are not working tirelessly to block all revenue loopholes.

”Our poor revenue generation is a reflection of the low level of cargo at the command and that is what we have to deal with.

Bomodi disclosed that the command has a revenue target of N60 billion for the year 2023 but was hopeful of meeting the projection despite the daunting challenges confronting the KLT.

”We do believe that as the traffic improves, so also our revenue will scale up.

”Our revenue target for this year is about a billion. We can only be optimistic about meeting the target in the face of the daunting challenges I have just enumerated.

”We can’t afford not to be optimistic. We do hope and pray that things will change for the better because the year so far has been very turbulent in terms of trade, especially between January to this period, a lot of things have taken place which have affected cargo volume in particular and the economy in general and our operations cannot be separated from these economic challenges in the country.

”Hopefully, by the time the new administration is sworn in and there is stability in the system, this will likely lead to an upsurge in the economic activities in the county which will in turn positively affect our operations, Bomodi enthused.

 

 

 

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