FG Approves Mandatory Payment of Practitioners Operating Fee Before Clearance of Goods
The federal government has approved a mandatory payment of Practitioners Operating Fee (POF) for all goods being cleared at the nation’s ports.
The mandatory payment according to sources close to the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) was approved by the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed in a letter dated January 6 and signed by the Director, Home Finance, Okokon Udo.
Under the regime, importers clearing a 20ft container will have to pay N1,000; 40ft container – N2,000; N3.50 per ton of cargo and N1.50 per kilo of cargo that came by air.
It would be recalled that CRFFN and leaders of customs agents and freight forwarders associations have been on the negotiating table on how to implement the POF.
Over the years, the issue has been on the sharing formula between the CRFFN and associations of practitioners.
With government full take-over of CRFFN in all ramifications, the associations appear to have lost out leading to court cases on the implementation of POF.
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