Involvement in clearing: Customs officers visit importers for jobs

By Godfrey Bivbere

THERE are indications that Customs officers involved in clearing goods out of the ports now trace importers through clearing documents to solicit for handling of their consignments.

Vanguard gathered that middle level officers of the rank of Superintendents of Customs and above, go through the clearing documents filed in by clearing agents, extract the addresses of the importers and approach them for clearance of their next consignments.

Vanguard learnt that the practice is becoming rampant and worrisome as small time agents are losing their clients to these Customs clearing agents. A source who spoke to Vanguard on the issue, said that it is more rampant in the Lagos ports of Tin-can Island, Apapa, Kirikiri Lighter Terminal, KLT and others.

The source further explained that the senior and leaders of the various associations of agents in the Lagos are not subjected to the poaching of clients because of their standing in the industry.

Confirming this to Vanguard, National President of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents, ANLCA, Olayiwola Shittu, said that Customs officers actually visit importers at home to solicit for clearing agency business.

He attributed this to the alleged poor remuneration in the service considering the huge amount that they help collect annually into the Federation Account.

But he stated, “There is a way we can discourage that, discourage temptation. Now, we have been telling Customs that the welfare package is very poor, when you put a man in charge to collect big volume of money for the Government and his pay is not enough, he would help himself.

“The same thing affects the agents; once the officer is helping himself, the agent will help himself and because the importer does not want to pay correct duty. That is why we talk about online operations, where you are expected to do your job online.

“The take home pay of an average Custom officer should be at par with all other regulating agencies in the country, if not more. When you see the guys at Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC and their take home pay, and you compare it to an average Custom officer.”

“They are really poorly paid, there are other government agencies like the police, they don’t generate money but they spend and they are paid better than the Customs. Still yet they are complaining that their pay is poor but I know that Custom officers are not getting reward for what they put in to generate money for government,” he noted.

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