Lagos -The Importers Association of Nigeria(IMAN) and some freight forwarding associations on Monday in Lagos signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MOU) on various issues bothering on trade.
The associations are: the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), the National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA) and the Association of Registered Freight Forwarders of Nigeria.
Also among those who signed the MoU was the National Air Freight Forwarders Association and Consolidation while the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agent did not attend the meeting.
The Founder of NAGAFF, Dr Boniface Aniebonam, said part of the aims of the associations was to advocate for the recognition of individuals operating as a customs agents .
“We are targeting individuals who can be referred to as professionals and these are people who can be accredited then they begin to do things according to standards.
“If we want to get cargo clearance out of customs control we need to get the freight forwarders right or the issue of fraud will continue and government will continue to lose revenue,’’ Aniebonam said.
Some of the issues listed in the MOU were IMAN’s endorsement of the collection of Practitioners Operating Fees (POF) as approved by the Federal Government.
It was agreed that “all the importers should pay the association’s fees to IMAN’’.
It was also resolved that the Cargo Tracking Note (CTN) of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, which is at no cost, should take off immediately to enhance the security of cargo.
“CTN will also help to generate real time information and statistics, revenue collection and trade facilitation,’’ the associations said.
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The parties endorsed the appointment of the new Comptroller-General of Customs, Retired Col. Hameed Ali.
Aniebonam said the President Muhammadu Buhari had the right to appoint whoever he deemed capable so long the job would be done satisfactorily.
The associations also called onr the Standards Oganisation of Nigeria (SON) and the Federal Operations Unit of the Customs Service to stop what they described as ‘unwarranted arrests of containers on the highways’’. (NAN)
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