Dr Boniface Aniebonam, the founder of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), on Friday said that the delay in cargo clearance was due to low level of compliance with regulations by port operators.
Aniebonam disclosed this at a round table with maritime correspondents in Lagos.
He said that trade facilitation was a concept of doing things right and that a legitimate operator, who complied with port regulations, would be able to bring out his cargoes within 48 hours.
“You can move out cargoes from Ports and Terminal Multiservices Ltd., Tin-Can Island port as well as Apapa port within 48 hours if only you are compliant with port proceedings.
“If you are not compliant, definitely issues will be raised and government must insist on collecting revenues irrespective of the time, “ he said.
Aniebonam said that it was still acceptable if cargoes were moved out of the ports within three days.
He urged operators to comply with government?s regulations at the ports to attain the 48-hour cargo clearance target.
The freight forwarder said that the purported extension of Destination Inspection by foreigners by six months was an insinuation until there was a document to that effect from the ministry.
Aniebonam said that the passage of the Customs Excise Management Act (CEMA) Bill was in the right direction, adding that the law would facilitate trade.
He said that the CEMA law would be a road map to customs? efficiency, adding that the law would enable customs to perform better.
