Dr. Boniface Okechukwu Aniebonam, the founder of NAGAFF.
Story by Dili Utomi.
The intention by the Comptroller General of Customs , B A Adeniyi to further empower his lieutenants at the zonal levels of the Nigeria Customs Service seems to have endeared him to some players in the Maritime Sector of the Nigerian economy.
A press release signed by the founder of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Dr. Boniface Aniebonam and sent to Maritime journalists detailed some key effects that the move by the CGC would have on productivity.
Part of the release says ” Great to note from the address delivered by the Comptroller General of Customs, Mr. Wale Adeniyi at the Ogun 1 Command during his official visit where he emphasised the necessity to rejig the service structure to enhance the operational and administrative relevance of the Zonal and Area Commands of the Service. It is a matter of regret of the waste of public funds at the Zonal Commands under the leadership of an Assistant Comptroller of Customs, Comptrollers, Deputy Comptrollers and other ranks idling and sleeping for lack of any meaningful work aside the monthly meetings of the area Comptrollers of the Zones”.
This stand from Dr. Aniebonam, a freight forwarder of repute seems to have been provoked by the usual report of freight forwarders having to travel always to Abuja to sort out certain issues that were previously tackled at the Zonal level, but which have since been jettisoned. The CGC’s pronouncements means that the early process of recourse to the Zonal Commands has now been rescucitated.
Dr. Aniebonam also praised the national legislators for reversing a process where non-commissioned officers will assume “the office of such a highly technical professional calling” apparently referring to the position of the CGC that was occupied by a non-Customs carreer person in the last administration. He also praised Mr. Adeniyi’s courage in disbanding the CGC’s Strike force and advised further that internal trade should be allowed to flourish by further limiting the operations of the Joint Border Patrol Team to the borders alone.
He further urged that trade alerts which are rampant within the Service should be minimised with only genuine cases of underpayment given such alerts as this is against trade facilitation processes. The freight forwarder whose experiences in the field spans many decades wants the CGC to trust his Area and Zonal Commanders much more to carry out their duty without reference to headquaters by fast forwarding the espoused process.
Dr. Aniebonam also advised freight forwarders to take advantage of the unbanning of the 43 items to source for foreign exchange for their imports, to make honest and correct declaration of cargoes while making compliance to the extant laws their watchword as they carry out their businessess. He also noted that “trade is the epicenter of our national economy” and so should be totally encouraged.
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