• Swipes CRFFN for inability to properly educate freight forwarders

The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) at weekend expressed serious concern with the rising waves of Customs seizures of imported cargoes in the country and charged freight forwarders to pay more attention on the issue of meticulous declaration.

“We have consistently advocated and advised freight forwarding practitioners on matters of genuine declaration for Customs purpose and relevance of proper Customs examination of laden containers in the Customs ports”, observed Stanley Ezenga, the body’s National Publicity Secretary,  acknowledging improper or false declaration as often, “remotely initiated by importers at the time of making declaration for Customs purposes”.

But, the group also took a swipe on the Council responsible for regulating freight forwarders in Nigeria (CRFFN), for failing to entrench credible enlightenment and education capable of ensuring that freight forwarders meticulously guarantee honest declarations, in protection of the importers’ goods.

“It is also no longer news that declarations made for Customs purposes at the time of securing pre-arrival assessment notice from the Customs are usually fraught with non disclosure of the actual content of laden containers.  It becomes more worrisome when freight agents undertake responsibilities from the importers with merely a copy of the bill of lading without other supporting import documents”, Ezenga stated, decrying situations where also, agents “usually stay in the comfort of their offices and assume the role of Customs officers on matters of revenue collection and accounting”.

“The point herein canvassed is to state clearly that these avoidable circumstances are subjecting the investment of importers to the breaches of Customs laws as contained in Sections 46, 47 and 161 of Customs and Excise and Management Act (CEMA).

“The resultant effects are usually to the effect that such imports are subject of seizure and prosecution of offenders in law courts”, the NAGAFF Spokesman highlighted, stressing that the right way to go is to conform to import and export regulations by making genuine declaration for Customs purposes.

“Let it be on record that freight agents have the duty to educate and enlighten their principals on the need to be compliant to import and export regulations with a view to protecting their investments against any breach of Customs laws.

“A trip to Ikeja where the CGC compliance team and the Federal Operations Unit are operating will indicate serial seizures of goods against offenders of Customs laws which is bothering on matters of untrue declaration for Customs purposes.  A lot of goods are being seized which could have been avoided if only genuine declarations of trade goods were made”, the group noted further, bemoaning what it perceived as the current situation where  Freight Forwarders and Licensed Customs Agents are also, unwittingly seeing themselves importers at the same time.

“This is very dangerous because freight agents are not privy to the actual content of laden containers”, Ezenga indicated, emphasising that in the present situation, it is now imperative that “for CRFFN to step up its activities in the regulation and control of Freight Forwarders and Licensed Customs Agents as secondary economic operators in freight business”.

The Standard Operating Condition of CRFFN and CEMA ensures that freight agents are protected from any liability if only they discharge their duty with due diligence.

“Accordingly, in time of danger, the freight agent can only be used as a principal witness during prosecution at the law court. It is now to the contrary because of the unprofessional conduct of Freight Forwarders and Licensed Customs Agents.  This has to stop immediately for the sake of our liberty, government revenue and security of the state.

“Going forward, there is the urgent need for CRFFN to step up its activities in the regulation and control of Freight Forwarders and Licensed Customs Agents as secondary economic operators in freight business.

“The need to educate and train the freight forwarders for best practices cannot be overemphasized.

“It is the statutory duty of CRFFN to ensure that the skills and knowledge of practitioners are improved upon, through qualifying examinations and certification of individual practitioners.  Accordingly, we urge CRFFN to steer up all the approved institutions of learning accredited for the training and retraining of practitioners.  The importance of education and knowledge of the business of freight forwarding and logistics cannot be overemphasized.  And for the avoidance of doubt, let it be on record that freight forwarders are the most critical operators in our economic gateways as a link between all the users of our entry points on matters of international trade and transportation”, the body concluded, stressing also the need for the Customs “to ensure due compliance to the rules of engagement by ensuring that laden containers are properly examined and any infraction found should be addressed before release  and exit of containers”; because the revelations at the Federal Operations Unit Ikeja after interceptions of containers released and exited out of Customs control are always regrettable.