Ibrahim Tanko

Ibrahim Tanko

…Advises Customs To Concession Newly Aquired Scanning Machines

By DAPO OLAWUNI

The National Cordinator of 100% Compliance Committee of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) Alhaji Ibrahim Tanko has said that his main aim of seeking election into the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) is to ensure that the cry of ordinary freight forwarders is heard by the government.

Tanko has equally called on the management of Nigeria customs service to concession the operation of the newly acquired scanning machines recently deployed to the ports into private hands to ensure efficiency.

Recall that since his assumption of office as the 100% Compliance Committee Cordinator, Ibrahim Tanko has been forcing port stakeholders, especially bonded terminals and customs to do the right thing, and solving myriads of challenges bedevilling the freight forwarding profession.

In an exclusive chat with DAILY TREND NEWS, Tanko said he is going into the CRFFN Governing Board to reciprocate the same zeal with which he has been defending and protecting the practising freight forwarders.

“There are two things, the first is that when the 100% compliance team started, there was a lot of arguments in the CRFFN that we don’t have rights to picket some of the bonded terminals, and that we are doing some of the things the council was supposed to be doing

“I responded that we don’t have power of arrest but we have power of complaints as a citizen of this country and as a member of NAGAFF, we have the right to complain bitterly, there is no law stopping us from protesting, as long as it is a peaceful protest

“Now, the CRFFN Election came and we selected some people to go and represent us there, but we cannot pinpoint one single achievement they have recorded for us, this was was prompted me to want to go into the Council and make a change

“I will make sure that the cries of freight forwarders get to the CRFFN Council, I realised that nobody is taking our complaints to where it is supposed to be

“So, I feel that through this CRFFN Governing Council, our complaints would be heard and actions would be taken, this is the reason for my interest in the elections”

Contrary to insinuations that the present crop of contestants were going into the CRFFN because of Hillux Cars and collection of controversial Practitioners Operating Fee (POF) Tanko said these were not his aim.

“Somebody even said we are going into the Council because of the Hillux Cars, thank God that I have been riding Hillux for the past three years now, and my Hillux now is the latest 2021 model, so I don’t think because of Hillux or POF money, my mind is not in these things at all

“Mg main aim is to have a body where you would complain and it would be heard.

“I hate to see freight forwarders crying or complaining, everytime I go to the port, especially customs CPC or to SON and other agencies, you would see a lot of freight forwarders besieging me with their operational challenges and complaints

“This is how God designed me, leadership for me is inbuilt, God designed me to be solving problems.

“I was a member of ANLCA before I left to Council of Managing Directors, I know what I did in the Council of Managing Directors, when I left them, where are they today? Have you been hearing them again? And when I came into NAGAFF, there has been changes, this is what they call leadership, the records are there” he said

Speaking on the recently acquired scanning machines deployed to the ports, Alhaji Tanko expressed doubts if customs can manage the scanners.

He said “The advise I gave to the customs, they refused to take it, but they don’t have a choice than to go back to it.

“They should look for a company to manage the scanners, when Cotecna, SGS and Globalscan were in charge of the scanners, everything was going fine, immediately customs took it over, it stopped working

It is not just to raise money and buy scanners, can the customs manage it?
It is like you buying a vehicle for the police, come back in six months and see the vehicle, it would have been driven roughly. They believe that it is government property.
But if a company is managing it, they would maintain it as their own.

“Look at Webfontane managing customs servers, if it was customs that was managing it, there won’t be one computer left.
Let government concession the scanners to private hands, or else we are still going back to square one” he said

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