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The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has voiced deep concerns over ambiguities in the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Act 2023, especially the directive for customs agents to keep their clearance documents for a decade.
ANLCA National President, Emenike Kingsley Nwokeoji, made this known during the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at Mambillah Hotel, Lagos, on Friday; where he called for urgent amendments through the legislature.
In his address, Nwokeoji acknowledged that although the Act was passed before his administration assumed office, the executives have critically examined areas that appear unclear or detrimental to freight agents.
His words: “Before now, Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) said that after clearing cargoes freight agents shouldn’t destroy documents until 7 years and that CEMA was developed years ago at a time when there was no calculator. How come the new NCS Act in an era where there is thorough scrutiny with Form M, Pre Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR), Nigeria Customs Information System (NICIS) II and B’Odogwu; we are saying that after 10 years an importer or freight agent can be called on the clearance of a cargo.
“There is also the problem of varying exchange rates. So, if the importer is to pay additional duty on a consignment initially cleared 10 years ago and the system is applied is a way that the exchange rate is the one that is obtainable now, that wouldn’t be fair.”
Meanwhile, he stressed that while efforts are ongoing to prepare ANLCA’s position for amendment through the National Assembly, members must continue to operate within the current legal framework.
The President also highlighted ANLCA’s significant input into the Nigeria Customs digital upgrade — particularly the transition from NICIS II to B’Odogwu, a system which now allows customs agents to monitor and manage declarations more efficiently from their offices.
According to him, B’Odogwu represents a major technological win for customs agents and praised the management of the Customs Service for embracing modernisation.
Nwokeoji used the platform to commend the collaborative engagements ANLCA has had with government agencies, especially the statutory regulators in the maritime industry as these engagements have resolved several operational bottlenecks and fostered a renewed respect for the association.
He reported that ANLCA had also begun working closely with the newly inaugurated National Single Window Committee with a recent meeting at the association’s national secretariat providing an opportunity to examine some conflict areas and omissions.
The ANLCA President thanked members of the association for their support over the past two years, describing their loyalty and resilience as the bedrock of the current NECOM.
Also speaking, the President General of Association of Igbo Maritime Practitioners in Nigeria (ASIMPIN), Eze Amb. Damian Emeka Obianigwe, encouraged the national executives of ANLCA to reach out to other ANLCA chieftains who are yet to fully return to the fold after losing elections.
Eze Damian, who is also the Executive Chairman of Fano Shipping Agencies Limited, encouraged the current ANLCA President and his executives to continue to reach out to grieving parties in order to make the association a big and formidable family where peace thrives.
