The Association of National Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has inaugurated a compliance team to help in battling non-compliance among officers and stakeholders in the industry.
Point News247 reports that the inauguration ceremony took place at Rockview Hotel in Apapa on Friday January 28, 2022.
According to the President of the Association, Chief Tony Nwabunike, non-compliance in the sector has manifested through under declaration, under valuation, false declaration, deliberate application of wrong Harmonized System (HS) Code to evade accurate duty payments and outright smuggling, which have resulted in seizures and arrests. Over 30% of revenue collected by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) was achieved via interventions such as demand notices, which are, most times, fallouts of non-compliance.
He further spoke about Customs administration sub groups like Federal Operations Unit, Strike Force, Customs Police and other agencies who chase down released containers to repeat what had been done in the ports, or police departments who sometimes waylay certified containers for arrest, thereby causing avoidable delays and increasing cost of doing business.
The President condemned these activities, as they negate the principle of General Agreement on Tariff and Trade (GATT), which aims at promoting international trade by eliminating barriers.
The newly inaugurated compliance team, led by Alhaji Lamin Aliyu, has vowed to stamp out noncomformity and variant behavior, and ensure that agents and stakeholders alike behave as appropriate in order to create the best workplace environment.
The event also saw the appointment of Alhaji Femi Anifowoshe and Mazi Ibekwe Nnamdi to the positions of Zonal Coordinator and Secretary of the West Zone respectively, positions that had been otherwise vacant for about three years.
The President charged the newly elected officials to be the best examples of their offices in order to keep showing people the right way.