The recent seizure of the container laden with 661 pump action rifles at Apapa port, has raised too many issues and many questions on the operations of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the government’s attitude to private sector participation in public enterprise.
So far, the information provided by the customs authority on the intercepted consignment is very brief, leaving some doubt on whether the arrest was not a public show to endorse the continuity of the Comptroller General of Customs (CGC), Col. Hammed Ali (rtd), at a time he is so embattled with calls for sack. The information simply stated that the container originated from Turkey enroute China to Nigeria. The destination in Nigeria or the owners of the cargo is not stated. How can the import document omit that critical chain in international trade?
Again, there are critical clearing personalities in Apapa Customs in the goods delivery process in Apapa port who are so experienced in consignments of these kinds who were clearly omitted, raising the question: Who endorsed the delivery of the container when approval officers were there?
There are more than meets the eyes in this 661 rifles saga! If Ali claims ignorant, then he should take responsibility and ask his men to say the truth.
Another leg to this that gave out this incident as an orchestrated interception from within is the manner the container was arrested. The imaginary importer and his agent declared furniture in the manifest and other relevant documents, and Customs officers knowing that furniture is contraband or under prohibition list, approved the container delivery. How and why? Is there a waiver for the consignment? How much was paid as customs duty on the cargo and what is the worth of Debit Note (DN) raised assuming it was cleared on the grounds of trade facilitation which Ali’s Customs management is averse to?
There have been public outcry over how the Federal Operations Unit (FOUs) are used to extort money from shippers, who are made to part with huge sums of money on the roads or highways after taken delivery of their goods at the ports. Customs authority has severally said the FOUs’ road ambush is illegal, yet can’t stop them from operating. When it pleases them they make a defence for them as being a check on the activities of the customs officers at the ports. Now, it is the FOU Zone A Ikeja men that intercepted the unwanted container. What a way of killing two birds with a stone! They just justified their illegality. The NCS should unmask the people behind this or have their soiled image completely drained of anything left!
How does the nation manage the mercantile philosophy of giving targets to NCS annually, pushing it to perpetually seek money against trade facilitation and managing security in the face of meeting target? Which is of these two factors here could have played a bigger role given the security situation in the country and the strangulating recession in the economy?
The concessionaire of the Apapa port terminal where the container of 661 pump action rifles was cleared, APMT, has been invited for questioning by the , NCS, on the cargo.
Also invited was Maerskline, the shipping line which brought the container into the country.
The Public Relations Officer of the Federal Operations Unit, FOU, Ikeja, Mr Jerry Attah, told newsmen that APMT and Maerskline were both invited to answer questions that may be useful in the conduct of investigation by the Customs.
Attah said the two were invited to state their roles as far as the container was concerned.
What comes to mind here is the government style of always shirking its responsibility to the private sector, without a proper due diligence and situation appraisals. Now, it is inviting the foreigners in control of the terminals and shipping line to explain. What does government want from them? It will end up being an exercise in futility because they are there for business.
It is not the duty of the terminal or shipping line to stop importation of contraband. They need cargo and cargo they got. But this development can only serve as an eye opener in future dealings with foreigners called foreign investors and private sector operators generally. What kind of concession arrangement does the nation want to keep? The looming danger that should be looked into now is the development of the deep sea ports.
The scenario in Apapa port where the terminal operator and shipping line are same could be disastrous, security wise. The initial profit motive could evolve to not only monopoly but territorial invasion by external forces, under the guise of business. The Federal Government should beware of the Badagry Deep Seaport, and its ilks. Every foreign investment inflow should be scanned.
