NAGAFF Compliance Team Committed To Transparent, Corruption -Free Ports
By UDO ONYEKA
The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders, NAGAFF’s 100
per cent Compliance Team has vowed to sanitizer activities and operations at the nations seaports.
Speaking at a press conference in Lagos on Monday, the National Coordinator, Ibrahim Tanko, unveiled the Team’s ten point agenda which he noted would bring sanity in the activities of both the Customs, regulators, Freight Forwarders and other stakeholders in the ports environment.
Tanko said a major point of agenda was that the compliance team would assist Nigerian Customs achieve its revenue objectives by educating all operators and freight forwarders on the need to play by the rules.
According to him the team would impress it on importers the need for honest declarations.
Some of the points in the Team’ s agenda include: ensuring 100 per cent examinations of cargo, exposing corrupt practices in the system and assisting regulatory agencies such Standard Organisation of Nigeria, SON and NAFDAC to maintain standards in products.
Others are protecting the interest of freight forwarders in disputes and to be the voice of freight forwarders, holding government agencies accountable for infractions and to dispel the fear of the unknown on the road in cargo delivery.
The Compliance Team Coordinator said there is the need to stop some of the dangerous and implicating things freight forwarders do that are unlawful such as using their names to bring in goods into the country for importers even when they do not know the real content of the consignment.
Commenting about corruption at the Ports, Tanko said there are some customs officers who connive with Freight Forwarders to manipulate this system.
” We know there are some corrupt customs officers, but because some of us are not doing the right thing so they continue to collect money from us. There is a lot of money exchanging hands at the ports which should not be the case. Some of these corrupt officers have four or five camp boys who collect money for them.
“But I want to tell you that we are ready for them. We may not have the power to arrest but certainly we know where to send our reports which are going to be based on evidences. We are partnering with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on this issue”, Tanko said.
He reminded that corrupt freight forwarders will also be exposed.
Speaking on the issue whether NAGAFF has the consitutional right to set up a compliance team, Tanko said it is not wrong for any body or group to insist that the right things are done for the country to be a better place. ” In fact we have keyed into President Mohammadu Buhari’s fight against corruption”, Tanko concluded.
