Clearing Licenses Fee Hike: What I told Hon Leke Abejide At Abuja Meeting, ANLCA Apapa Chairman, Chukwumalu Clears the Air

Fresh indications have emerged on the purported understanding which the Chairman, House Committee on Customs and Excise, Hon Leke Abejide reported to have had with leaders of Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) in Abuja last week about the proposed increment in clearing agents licenses fee by the Nigeria Customs Service.

Chairman of Apapa chapter of ANLCA, Chief Emeka Chukwumalu on Tuesday corroborated earlier report of his counterpart at the Tin Can Island Chapter, Prince Wale Cole, saying that the duo never discussed the matter nor agree in principle, with Hon Abejide on the proposed hike, which according to him, stands to impovevrish clearing agents.

The ANLCA Chairman in a statement explained that part of the discussion that took the front burner in the alleged unofficial meeting with the lawmaker, was the technical hitches being experienced by clearing agents on the customs B’Odogwu platform, as well as on how to ensure Indigenization of the customs brokerage practice in Nigeria, and protect the profession from foreigners who are making incursions into the business.

“We never discussed the matter or had any agreement with the Honourable to pay high cost of license renewal and high cost of procurement of new licences.

In a signed statement. Chukwumalu said “Let me have the benefits of making the following additional statements of what transpired at the private meeting with Hon, Abejide ,who actually got to know of our meeting at the headquarters. He invited us privately in his effort to do interventions to our complaints to the customs management team

“B’Odogwu downtime as an operational matter, of which Apapa being a major and premier port bears the main brunt far and more than any other ports in the federation was my motivation in conjunctions with other sisters associations for the movements

“The resultant effects of that engagement of last week is now very obvious with both Tincan and Apapa customs commands publicizing their recent duties tax collectables uplifts since last week, necessitated by a very crucial meeting of the principal authority-project head, Trade modernization project Nigeria limited with all sectional DCGs, the federal House Committee on custom with facts on Thursday last week, up till 11.00pm, when the technical team remedied the protracted hitch for restoration of the platform.

“I believe this is a big plus to my indefatigable president of ANLCA and a big relief to all ANLCA members and should not be misrepresented with the statements of Hon, Leke of which no agreement was ever made with him on fee hike for the records”