Clearing Agents Associations, LCCI Dissect Committee Report on Proposed Customs Licensing Fee Hike

By DAPO OLAWUNI

There are indications that the proposed increment in the licensing fee by the Nigeria Customs Service has forced freight forwarding associations and clearing agents to close ranks and speak in one strong voice, and to kick against the proposed increment.

Recall that the Customs recently revealed its intentions to increase clearing agents licenses fees from N515,000 to N10million for fresh issuance and N215,000 to N4million for renewals. This proposal had subsequently caused anxiety among the practitioners, and the President of Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) initiated an all encompassing meeting of the practitioners on August 21st ,2025 at the Rockview Hotel, Apapa Lagos.

A committee was subsequently constituted, comprising of all the various groups including ANLCA, the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA) National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) Association of Registered Freight Forwarders of Nigeria (AREFFN) Africa Association of Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria (APFFLON) among others. The terms of reference of the committee was to look into the customs proposal and come up with a position on behalf of all the practitioners.

Meanwhile, on Friday 12th September, the committee, led by its Chairman, Retired Comptroller of Customs, Lewis Ogunojemite submitted the report and it’s many proposals to ANLCA President at the the association’s national secretariat in Amuwo Odofin Lagos.

Speaking with journalists at the end of a closed door meeting, Compt Ogunojemite (rtd) said that the committee has concluded that the proposed increment in customs licensing fees should be put on hold for now.

“We need to know the reason for such an increment, take note that the proposal is 2,000% increment, personally I have never seen such, the highest increment recommended for any trading association is 25%, so what really informed this 2,000% increment?

“Considering the situation of the economy of Nigeria, there is no jobs, you cannot impose such a levy at this time, licensing fee collection from customs agents is a tax, and moving it from N215,000 to N4million is an astronomical increment” he said

Also speaking, Emenike Nwokeoji, ANLCA President said that inputs have equally been taken from other regions, including Eastern Ports and Kano, where all the practitioners unanimously rejected the proposal by the customs.

Speaking on the report submitted to him by the Lewis Ogunojemite-led committee, Emenike said “The committee comprises of all the associations in the freight forwarding sector, they have finished their work and are here to present their finished work.

“We have also harmonised it with reports from the other zones, and we are ready for the CGC’s invitation so that we can present our position to him.

“Before now, the associations have not worked together, but the licensing fee hike is so important that they have decided to put their differences aside”
Speaking on the suggestions by Chairman of House Committee on Customs and Excise, Hon Leke Abejide that Licensed customs agents should consolidate in order to maintain one operational license, the ANLCA President faulted such logic, saying that it would cause more harm.

“We are operating a democratic country and you cannot force people to consolidate or work together, ordinarily, people would fizzle out when they have no jobs, but if they are still having jobs why must you force them into a marriage that would create more problems?

“What i think should be done is for the regulatory authorities to live up to their responsibilities. In the issuance of Customs licenses, there are conditions given, are they following it up?
“For example, how many officers have been sent to jail because the containers they were assigned to escort to bonded terminals disappeared on the way? This is where we should start.

“Some of the bonded terminals were also reported not to have cargo handling equipment, if the officers manning these terminals had brought reports that there are no equipment, why should containers be continously stemmed to such terminals? If customs continue to allow people take containers to places where there is no equipment, why are they blaming us? Let them live up to their expectations.

“On the aspect of freight forwarding associations unity, before now, you can hardly see us together, some would wait for ANLCA to go right and they would go left, but today, we are all working together, what are we really fighting ourselves for? None of us can finish the clearing of containers at the port, all we need to do is cooperate with one another, you have your client, I have mine, association is just a place to protect the interests of their members, but if we lose sight of this, and we are fighting based on ego, or on who is bigger than the other, then the regulatory agencies would take advantage of us” Emenike concluded.

The meeting was attended by Chairman of Freight Forwarding Group of Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Mr Las Alli Shobande, Chief Ben Nde, Festus Ukwu, Otunba Frank Ogunojemite, Prince Taiye Oyeniyi, Chief Oye Ariyo, Prince Segun Oduntan, Elder Olumide Fakanlu, Frank Obiekezie among others.