Imported Vehicles Trapped At Clarion Terminal, As Customs Clampdown on 107 Clearing Licenses

By DAPO OLAWUNI

There are indications that the Nigeria Customs Service has blocked 107 clearing licenses for failure to make payment on imported vehicles previously assessed and valued by the importers but they were never cleared.

DAILY TREND NEWS gathered exclusively that this development is currently causing ripples at Clarion Bonded Terminal, a vehicle terminal located in Lagos, as vehicles were now stranded because the agents could not clear them.

Confirming this development to our correspondent, Factional Chairman of Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) at Tin Can Island Port, Mr Ojo Akintoye stated his executives have set up 10-man Committee to interface with the customs and find a lasting solution to the challenges.

Speaking, Akintoye stated that “Some of our people, when the copy of Bill of Laden is sent to them, without being paid by the importer, they would go ahead to carryout assessment and valuation of the cargo from Nigeria Customs Service”

“At the end of the day, maybe the importer did not give them the job or he doesn’t have money to clear the goods, their own practicing licenses would be flagged by customs”

“So, the new jobs that the licenses are now clearing is what the custom is stopping, asking the agent to go and pay for the assessment they did earlier”

Akintoye stated that this has been the procedure at all terminals, but that Clarion Bonded Terminal is only experiencing the challenge because they are only implementing their’s now.

Speaking on, he said “We have told the Customs that there is no need for them to block the licenses because this would affect revenue”

“The agent should look for a way of paying these money, it is not a fresh job, some of these assessment has been done for more than a year”

“I was told that most of the vehicles are still stranded at Clarion Bonded Terminal not yet cleared, but what customs knows is that assessment were done on these vehicles and they were not paid for, and you know that the Customs need money this time around, even more that Federal Government itself”

“I am aware that 107 agencies and licenses are being affected”

“I have set up a 10-man committee to interface with the Customs management, so that they can allow clearance of the new jobs to go on, while the agent look for ways to pay the unpaid assessment”

The ANLCA Chairman said the 10-man committee would carryout an investigation to establish if the affected vehicles are still inside Clarion terminal, adding that if the vehicles are there, the agent would not be made to pay.

“If the vehicles are inside Clarion terminals, it means they would be auctioned, and our members cannot pay for what has already become government property” he said