Cargo Examination: Stakeholders Condemn Navy’s Lobby to Return to Ports
LAGOS PORT
*It is because of greed they want to join mega extortion’
By Our Reporter
Stakeholders in the maritime industry have condemned the moves by the Nigerian Navy to return to the ports to be part of goods examination.
The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo had during a courtesy visit to the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, last week made a case for the Navy to return to the ports.
Gambo had described the security situation at the ports as scary, adding that the presence of Navy would enable its personnel check proliferation of small arms as they would be part of goods examination.
But reacting to the statement credited to Gambo, a freight forwarder, Comrade Ben Ndee, said there is nowhere in the world where the Navy is allowed to be part of goods examination like the Customs Service.
In a social media chat, Ndee said the Navy was only being greedy and trying to usurp the statutory functions of the Customs.
He said this was only because of “unbridled greed, corruption and ostentatious lifestyles of Customs officers at both border and seaports”.
He called on customs agents to resist the plan of the Navy by reporting the matter to the National Assembly.
Ndee also expressed dismay about the activities of the Federal Operations Unit (FOU) and the Police for making customs agents go through another round of processes after goods had been cleared at the ports.
He wrote, “Where on Earth are Navy allowed to usurp the statutory function of Custom all because of unbridled greed, corruption and ostentatious lifestyles of CUSTOMS OFFICERS at our air/sea ports and land border stations. Fighting to join the mega extortion at port even with brut force. THE AGENTS being the ENGINE THAT DRIVES THE PORT without which the port remains a graveyard MUST not only resist it through NASS but insist Police and FOU should confine themselves to their constitutionally assigned functions. IS FOU FROM ANOTHER PLANET? It is nauceating that a cargo duly released after Custom duty payments and port formalities by a DC( DEPUTY COMPTROLLER) will be impounded just at the Port Gate by a demeaning rank and file-a Custom Inspector by force of arm – where is discipline, what an affront and derogatory embarrassment ? A monumental SHAME? NIGERIA IS INDEED A ZOO WAITING TO EXPLODE SOMEDAY”.
Also reacting to Navy’s lobby to return to the port, the Publisher of Shipping World, Elder Asu Beks simply said this must not be allowed.
Beks said it was sad that the same Navy which has
not been able to address the issue of illegal bunkering for more than 60 years wants to be in the ports for goods examination.
He simply said, “ Here we go again.. this madness has to stop”.
Gambo however had admitted that the Navy is invited to be part of examination of fertilizer imports as they could be materials for explosives.
Gambo added, “If NPA invites us at every opportunity to come and inspect these consignments and also ensure that they get to the destinations they are meant for and they are not diverted, then why not have us at the ports so that when the containers come in, they are not broached in the ports and subsequently after the inspection, we make sure they get to the right destination.”
The federal government had deliberately limited the number of agencies involved in goods examination at the ports to avoid issues of extortion on importers during examination.
Agencies not in the ports are however invited when the needs arise.
By Our Reporter
Stakeholders in the maritime industry have condemned the moves by the Nigerian Navy to return to the ports to be part of goods examination.
The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo had during a courtesy visit to the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, last week made a case for the Navy to return to the ports.
Gambo had described the security situation at the ports as scary, adding that the presence of Navy would enable its personnel check proliferation of small arms as they would be part of goods examination.
But reacting to the statement credited to Gambo, a freight forwarder, Comrade Ben Ndee, said there is nowhere in the world where the Navy is allowed to be part of goods examination like the Customs Service.
In a social media chat, Ndee said the Navy was only being greedy and trying to usurp the statutory functions of the Customs.
He said this was only because of “unbridled greed, corruption and ostentatious lifestyles of Customs officers at both border and seaports”.
He called on customs agents to resist the plan of the Navy by reporting the matter to the National Assembly.
Ndee also expressed dismay about the activities of the Federal Operations Unit (FOU) and the Police for making customs agents go through another round of processes after goods had been cleared at the ports.
He wrote, “Where on Earth are Navy allowed to usurp the statutory function of Custom all because of unbridled greed, corruption and ostentatious lifestyles of CUSTOMS OFFICERS at our air/sea ports and land border stations. Fighting to join the mega extortion at port even with brut force. THE AGENTS being the ENGINE THAT DRIVES THE PORT without which the port remains a graveyard MUST not only resist it through NASS but insist Police and FOU should confine themselves to their constitutionally assigned functions. IS FOU FROM ANOTHER PLANET? It is nauceating that a cargo duly released after Custom duty payments and port formalities by a DC( DEPUTY COMPTROLLER) will be impounded just at the Port Gate by a demeaning rank and file-a Custom Inspector by force of arm – where is discipline, what an affront and derogatory embarrassment ? A monumental SHAME? NIGERIA IS INDEED A ZOO WAITING TO EXPLODE SOMEDAY”.
Also reacting to Navy’s lobby to return to the port, the Publisher of Shipping World, Elder Asu Beks simply said this must not be allowed.
Beks said it was sad that the same Navy which has
not been able to address the issue of illegal bunkering for more than 60 years wants to be in the ports for goods examination.
He simply said, “ Here we go again.. this madness has to stop”.
Gambo however had admitted that the Navy is invited to be part of examination of fertilizer imports as they could be materials for explosives.
Gambo added, “If NPA invites us at every opportunity to come and inspect these consignments and also ensure that they get to the destinations they are meant for and they are not diverted, then why not have us at the ports so that when the containers come in, they are not broached in the ports and subsequently after the inspection, we make sure they get to the right destination.”
The federal government had deliberately limited the number of agencies involved in goods examination at the ports to avoid issues of extortion on importers during examination.
Agencies not in the ports are however invited when the needs arise.
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