By Stella Okocha
The Chairmanship aspirant of Apapa chapter of the National Associations of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Alhaji Tanko Ibrahim has vowed to expose the illicit activities of officers of the Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Police and the Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) at the Apapa Ports.
He made this promise at his flag off at the National Secretariat of NAGAFF on Friday last week.
Tanko highlighted the various challenges at the Ports and critically analyzed the officers of NCS, SON and the Nigeria police as their main problem in the Ports.
NAGAFF President, Uche Increase making a speech while the Founder of NAGAFF, Dr Boniface Aniebonam, and Alhaji Tanko sit beside him during the electioneering campaign recently in Apapa.
“When you go to terminals, long room, you will see agents turn to beggers and this is wrong. Agents should be treated the way bankers treat their customers. Customs should be able to provide a suitable place for agents to sit fully air-conditioned while they wait for their documents. But what you see is Customs pushing them away because of corruption.
According to him, “A Customs officer knows that we don’t have the equipment to offload a 40fit container in Nigeria but the officer will insist that you must offload the container; and when you are not able to do so, they will now tell you that they are suspecting that container and with that corruption sets in.
Ibrahim Tanko, NAGAFF Apapa Chairmanship Aspirant
“SON has become a revenue collector overnight. They surcharge agents and that is robbery. The Nigeria police had no reason to block a consignment, but they do that now so rampantly. The will give container number, and they get the manifest through shipping companies. There is no where in the Customs law where it states that a Police officer can do examination, but they do it at Alagbon and Obalende police station”
He said he was ready to notify the government of this abuse, by blowing the whistle against them.
He also promise to build a befitting Secretariat and provide transport logistics for the association if elected as Chairman