By Stephen Ubanna
Barely one year after the Nigerian Customs Service, NCS, reopened the Seme International Bonded Terminal, operated by one Wasiu, a well -known clearing Agent, to keep the Nigerian –bound transit Containers, received from the neighbouring West African country of Benin Republic Customs Authority for proper examination, it is still not serving the purpose as expected.
The Nigerian government had banned the use of Trucks to bring in transit cargoes imported through the Autonomous port of Benin , Cotonou, or any other port seaport in the West African sub-region , on trucks, insisting that it must that the Container used in loading the imported Consignment must be handed over to the Nigerian Customs Svervice, NCS, area Command, at the Seme-Krake joint border Community, between Nigeria and Benin Republic, in their original form.
This is to ensure, proper documentation for the trnsit-bound cargoes before being transferred to the Wsiu operated Seme International bonded terminal where the Customs personnel are waiting to receive it and commence the process of examination with other security agencies personnel. Comptroller Mohammed Jibo, the Seme Command, Area Controller, was said to have set up the necessary structures to beat the Benin Republic Customs Authorities demand that h all Nigerian-bound transit Containers released from the country’s seaport must be emptied and the container returned to the country same day for record purposes but the Beninois Authorities are not releasing the Containers as expected.
The situation is so bad that the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents, ANLCA, National Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents, NAGAFF, National Association of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents, NAMDLCA, Secretariats and trailer park, which used to be a beehive of activities, are now empty, for want of job to do by the agents and trailer drivers.
The Value News learnt that on several occasions in the recent time that the Seme Command Customs Authorities and the Leadership of the various Associations of the Agents at different times , have held meeting with the Beninois Customs Authorities to resolve all the problems that have been identified as militating against the smooth transfer of the Nigerian bound-transit Containers to the Nigerian Customs Authorities at the Joint Land border but nothing appears to have changed. As it is still the same old story: Benin Republic Customs Authorities still not ready to release Nigerian bound-transit cargoes as at hen do.
The Benin Republic government, may have seen the country’s seaports’ as their own Crude oil, for export, to generate the much need revenue , to provide basic infrastructural facilities in the country that they are not ready to play along with the Nigerian government to release the country’s transit Containers as expected. This is because the Benin Republic Customs personnel and their Customs Agents Collaborators, within and outside the country are used to loading three to five Containers loads of good in one truck to the disadvantage of the Nigerian government which was losing billions of naira annually.
The Benin Republic, government , may have realised that the Nigerian government would benefit from the new deal, coupled with its anger that President President Muhammadu Mohammadu Buhari, shut Nigeria’s Land borders against its neighbouring West African countries of Brnin Republic,Niger, Chad and Central African country of Cameroon, in August in August 2019 and refused to reopen it despite pressure from other Economic of West African States,ECOWAS, Heads of State and Government.
President Patrick Talon, on the Advance, of the country’s ministry of Finance officials, may have slammed a cfa 9million on Nigeria bound ransit cargo instead of 0.3percent that the transit cargo importers are supposed to pay based on the ECOWAS, Protocol.
There is no gain saying the fact that the Nigerian transit cargo importers ho are forced to pay outrageous duties in Benin, for making use of the country’s Autonomous port of Benin, to take delivery of transit cargo and at the same time pay duty to the Nigeria government on the Consignment, may have informed why the Nigerian importers and their agents are no longer pushing piling pressures on the Beninois Customs Authorities to release heir transit cargoes to their Nigeria Counterparts to take delivery of it.
Onyekachi Ojinma, ANLC, Chairman , Seme Chapter, had cried out this have been their style of doing business at the Seme/Krake joint border, before the border closure, insisting that that the Benin Republic government must drop the outrageous duty slammed on Nigerian bound-transit cargoes and collect the usual 0.3 percent charge of the value of the imports as allowed in the ECOWAS, Protocol.
The Value News took time out on Wednesday, November 1,2022, to visit Seme border Community and stayed around the Seme International bonded terminal for over hours but no truck laden Container with goods entered or truck carrying empty Container exited the terminal. It was as bad as that.
Many believe that Talon, the Beninois, President is expecting the Katsina state born Nigerian President to visit his country to talk things over with him as he did when the Nigeria borders were shut against his country and other neighbouring countries , in the West and Central African sub-regions, which Diplomatic experts had said may not be possible, meaning that the Nigerian bound-transit cargoes , would remin trapped in Benin, except if the importer is ready to pay the outrageous duty to Benin Republic and still pay duty to the Nigerian government to take delivery of the Consignment.
Financial analysts may think that there I life at the same/Krake , joint bOrder, because Comptroler Jibo, the Seme Command, Area Comptroller and his ECOWAS, Trade Liberalisation, ETLS, and Export Sea , officials, are still carrying out their statutory responsibilities at the border Community.
Comptroller Jibo, may not have allowed no import situation at the Command which have kept the officers less busy to affect the Command operations. The Command Enforcement Unit and the Operations team, under the close watch of Abubakar Dankigari, an Assistant Comptroller, described a as a terror in the camp of the VIP, Petrol, smugglers, are said still alive in making Contraband seizures. AC. Dankingari, team, particular, which had continued to bust VIP petrol crimes, around the Seme Jurisdiction and Badagry axis, appears to have driven most the highflying of foreign rice and vehicles, and petrol smugglers off the Lagos – Seme road.
Even most of the Lagos branded Commercial buses, frequently used by cross-border traders and fireworks, shuttling between Nigeria and Benin Republic, to do their illegal business of buying foreign rice,and smuggling into the country and in turn , smuggle plastic bottle or five litrees, filled petrol to the road, were said to have also disappeared from the road for fear of playing into Comptroller’Jibo’s men’s hands.the busy Lagos – Seme road.
It is not surprising why the FOU, Zone A, Seme Comand, Headquarter Strike Force, HSF, ad Border Drill, officers, along the Badagry and Seme road , Gbaji checkpoint and the Owode Apa road, as the Comercial vehicles are no more much on the road for the officers to do their routine search of looking out for foreign rice, , Poultry products and gallons or plastic bottles of of petrol .
This may have left the smuggling of foreign rice, Vegetable oil, and vehicles, into the country to Customs and other security agencies personnel both within and outside the Land border Community. This is where acting Comptroller, Kehinde Hussaini Ejibuno, of Federal Operations , Zone A, and his Counterpart, at the Borderdrill and the Deputy Comproller, Yusuf, Coordinator, HSF, Zone A, may have to join forces, with the Seme Command, Area Controller, to sanitise, the Lagos- Seme road, to make it a no go area for both the high flying and petty smugglers.
Many local transporters , shuttling between Badagry and Seme border Community , away from carrying load to were said to kept away from the road toiavoid playing into the hands of, Comptroller Jibo’s men, who are everywhere along the road.
The Customs Customs Comptroller, who was said to have read the riot act to the Command Patrol Team Leaders, and their Team members, and those at the approved checkpointssometimes mount to ensure that no Contrabnd , enters the country or petrol, loaded in plastic bottles, 5 litres, 25 litres or sacks of petrol leaves the country to Benin Republic, according to a Seme based agent, are leaving up to expectation as no officer want to enter the cell on account of Compromising on his job. This may have informed why there is total sanity along the Lagos-Seme road and the Owode/Apa road as most of the petty smugglers have relocated to the Idiroko xis, in Ogun state, to do what they know best: Smuggling on a low scale.
