Fate of sealed Lagos bonded terminal uncertain
Fate of sealed Lagos bonded terminal uncertain
Importers, agents ask Ali to
resolve problem
By Eguono Odjegba
The sealing of a
controversial bonded terminal situate within Kirikiri Lighter Terminal Command
by the management of the Nigeria Customs Service which has remained in force
three weeks after, have put question mark on the fate the terminal as well
indeed, fate of containers that have been processed for clearance and
technically released.
The terminal which was still
under ‘lock and key’ as at weekend also have all articulated trucks numbering
over ten already in the facility to pick up containers before the sealing was
carried out, trapped inside.
Users of the facility
including importers, clearing agents and freight forwarders have expressed
frustration at the protracted development and called on the Comptroller General
of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali, retired, to resolve the issues without further
delay and allow importers take their consignments.
Chibundi Okeke, a customs
clearing agent commenting on the development said the situation is driving
business people frantic because of its cost implications and faulted the
leadership of the Nigeria Customs Service for causing what the he described as
“avoidable embarrassment.”
“This is tree weeks they
sealed this place, containers that have been positioned to exit are trapped
together with the trucks. And what we are hearing doesn’t make sense and does
not even concern us, they should just open the settle their internal problems
and open the place for containers insider to be taken by their owners.
“This problem is avoidable in
the first place. Ali created a command within a command, that’s the problem. If
they are telling themselves the truth in Abuja, this matter can be resolved
very quickly, identify the problem and correct the mistake, simple. Instead
they are keeping us here, that is very unfair because we are losing money and
time, some of us are working with loans, we don’t have all the time in the
world”, he lamented.
Pinnacle Time checks revealed that
the bonded warehouse known as
Clarion Terminal was established within the premises of KLT Command and
operated by Apapa Command, until it was sealed. The sealing believed to have
been ordered from the customs headquarters is further believed to have followed
operational and administrative hitches, prompting headquarters to order the
terminals immediate shut down.
National President of the
Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents, ANLCA, Iju Tony Nwabunike said
“I don’t see it as a big problem, government business sometimes run into some
conflicts. I think the actual problem here is the inability of customs leaders
to critically look into the matter and come out with the best solution, they
are wasting time and business cost is building up.
He said, “Ordinary misleading
address can create problem in a business setup. From what I heard, permit was
granted to the terminal to be sited at Kirikiri, it appears customs acted on
incomplete information submitted to it, because at the end of the day, the
actual address was not Kirikiri but a customs command premises in Kirikiri.”
Adding: “We believe that the
customs management can do better by working as a team and carrying out proper
vetting of business proposals to avoid this unfortunate scenario in the future.”
Efforts to get the Lagos
Zonal Coordinator, ACG Katherine C. Ekekezie give an update on the development
proved abortive as she did not pick telephone calls made to her. She did not
also reply a text message sent to her on the issue.
But a senior customs
officials attached to the troubled terminal said “the matter has been resolved,
we are only waiting for Abuja to make pronouncement. I don’t know whether the
terminal is going to be retained by Apapa Command or placed under Kirikiri
Lighter Terminal Command, but however it goes, customs is one, so there is no
cause for alarm.”
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