The leadership of the National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA) has reported what it described as violation of section 30 of the CRFFN Act 2007 by the management of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) over alleged imposition of Council of Regulation of Freight Forwarders (CRFFN) requirements as condition for issuance of port pass.
Leader of the group and maritime ‘encyclopedia’, Mr. Lucky Amiwero, in a letter to the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, averred that “Freight forwarders are not authorised to practice in any seaport, airport and border station, as prescribed in section 30 of the CRFFN Act 2007”.
In his submission, “Only licensed agents are authorised by sections 153 to 156 of CEMA (Amendment Act 61 of Section 1B and 2) to enter, operate and perform their prescribed function of import, export, customs examination and clearance of goods from ports and border stations”.
Continuing, Amiwero argued that in times of provisional conflicts, the Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) has overriding authority over the NPA Act on the control of import/export of goods and persons, as prescribed in the NPA Act section 113.
He said nothing in the Act is deemed to derogate from the powers conferred on any person under the customs laws as defined in the CEMA Act C 45 of 2004.
He also contended that the control of movement of person, vehicles, goods, ships, aircrafts, in and out of the seaport, airport and border station is conferred on Customs by the CEMA Act, while the lead agency for the control of import and export on the clearance of goods is authorised by the Nigerian Customs Service under Port Related Offences, Amendment Act 61 of 1999.
Efforts to reach NPA for reactions failed, but a top official told Business Hilights that “NPA is not yet aware of any petition against the agency, but will attend to it accordingly”.
