There are indications that officers of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) are helping freight forwarders to evade duty payment on imported vehicles, thereby short-changing the Federal Government in revenue collection.
The NCS had raised alarm over serial infractions in duty payment on fairly used vehicles (Tokunbo), noting that some freight forwarders were short-changing the Federal Government.
The service stated this in a memo with reference number: NCS/T&T/SYSAUD/S.5 Vol.1 issued by the office of the Assistant Comptroller General of Customs, Tariff and Trade, Musa Mba, dated July 17, 2023, it According to customs, the value approved on the assessment slip for the extended procedure code 846 is not completely utilised
The memo further instructed the Customs Area Controller (CAC) to take immediate action to stop the infraction and ensure the recovery of lost revenue.
Reacting, the Africa Association of Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria (APFFLON), alleged that the clearing agents were working in cahoot with releasing customs officers to short-change the government in revenue collection on the vehicles.
The National President, APFFLON, Frank Ogunojemite, while advising those involved in the “value cut” on extended procedure code 846 to make up for the differences, berated the officers who compromised their duties by collecting money from clearing agents to release the vehicles.
He said corrupt public officers should not be treated with kid gloves if the fight against corruption is to be taken seriously.
Ogunojemite said a lot of public and political appointees have enriched themselves by short-changing well-meaning Nigerians while calling for corrupt officers to be prosecuted and if found guilty, sent to jail.
The freight forwarders and their importers are not supposed to bear the brunt alone. If the management of the Nigeria Customs Service wants to be fair, just and professional, every officer who aided or connived with freight forwarders to short-change the Federal Government must be prosecuted and if found guilty as charged, should go to jail or refunded the money he received with a heavy fine. Such officers should not be spared. That would serve as a deterrent to others who aid and abate financial crimes while in public office.
He said citizens couldn’t continue to see the occupation of public offices as an opportunity to loot and abuse the entire system.
According to him, most of these shady deals that are carried out in public and political offices daily cannot happen in saner climes.
He said countries where systems work do not celebrate corrupt people, but rather prosecute them if found guilty, either by sending them to jail or capital punishment.
Ogunojemite further said the Federal Government should understand there are crises, with the freight-forwarding subsector completely down, as people can no longer clear their consignments from the ports as duty rates have gone astronomically high.
He said importers and freight forwarders are being demoralised by trade policies that are emasculating their businesses and biting very hard on end users.
Ogunojemite urged the Federal Government to carry out a downward review of duty rates to save businesses as importers can no longer import, while freight forwarders are languishing in penury due to lack of jobs.
The high inflation rate is putting people out of business; the level of hardship is unimaginable. The Nigeria Customs and the supervising ministry, which is the Ministry of Finance, should as a matter of urgency, carry out a downward review of import duty rates.
