A group of nine, contesting membership of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) have listed a 6-point agenda they intend to pursue if voted into office.
The group which includes; Alhaji Taiwo Mustapha, Kingsley Offor, Alhaji Mohammed Sani Utai, Chief Ernest Elochukwu, Adeola Mummuney, Chief Sunday Momoh, Chief Dayo Azeez, Tunde Awonuga and Chief Dennis Okafor on Monday in Lagos announced that its campaign programme is aimed at radically transforming the professional image of the association, and said their programmes will be vigorously pursued.
Represented by Alhaji Taiwo and Chief Azeez, the group noted that they are like-minded with a resolve to serve ANLCA with their heart and resources, as a way of giving back to a profession.
According to the group, it is time for a number of professional issues to be reviewed in order to bring the customs brokerage profession to international best standards.
Top on the list is the proposed chartering of the customs brokerage practice, a review of the Council of Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) and the demand for one percent commission of the total revenue collection made on behalf of the Nigeria Customs Service.
On the indigenization of customs brokerage jobs and clearing licenses, the Group of 9 said it would promote a bill in the National Assembly to push for the lawful indigenization policy.
“What would happen under this board would be a diligent move to persuade the National Assembly to treat customs brokers as specialised services, it could be a clause or a sentence that would state that the domiciliary of the affairs of customs agents must be indigenous only, this is what was done in Ghana, Benin Republic and Ivory Coast.”
“For those of us who are afraid that foreigners have taken over our jobs, have we made moves? How many of our people are doing this job the way it is supposed to be done? It’s not just to bear the name ‘clearing agent’, it is your ability to sell your specialty that matters.”
“How do you get a job? It depends on where your specialty lies, some of us today are doing jobs for foreigners, that is, jobs owned by foreigners, do you know why? It’s because our job is an international trade.”
They argued that Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) 2020 has clarified that a Nigerian registered company, particularly a limited liability company could go into customs brokerage, without any entity shutting the door.
Meanwhile, the group added that it would pursue a percentage commission on the total revenue collected by customs brokers and freight agents in the nation.