The comptroller-general of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Col. Hameed Ali, (rtd) has appealed clearing agents operating at the nation’s seaports to shelve its proposed strike.
Recall that the clearing agents gave the federal government 21 days ultimatum to shut the ports over alleged extortion.
But, Ali on Monday when he visited the national secretariat of ANLCA appealed to the association to shelve the 21 days strike notice which it had issued last week to the federal government.
He assured that the customs was working on addressing the challenges raised by the agents even as he assured that the decisions would be appreciated by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Ali urged the agents to be his “eyes and ears” in the industry, saying the customs and the agents were partners in progress.
“I want to appeal to you as the Customs CG and the Buhari administration to please exercise some patience on your strike notice, I can assure you that with this new synergy, the challenges will be tackled, we would do something,” he assured.
Speaking earlier, national president of ANLCA, Prince Olayiwola Shittu, read the report of the association’s recent NEC meeting on the challenges militating against cargo clearance at the port.
Shittu lamented the multiplicity of check points and clearance desks mounted at the port by Customs officers, stressing they need to embrace paperless transactions.
Other challenges according the ANLCA president include multiplicity of alerts, FOU interception of cargoes, demand for uniformed value on vehicles and challenges associated with ETLS cargoes among others.
Shittu however refused to grant the request of the customs boss to shelve the 21 days strike notice.
“Sir, we would not want to oblige you immediately, the strike notice would continue until we see that you have started doing something,” Shittu stated.