Freight forwarders tasked on genuine declaration

The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has tasked freight forwarders on the need for a genuine declaration of goods imported.

Coordinator, NAGAFF, 100 per cent compliance team, Ibrahim Tanko, who appealed in a statement, said freight forwarders making genuine declarations would help government to realise its revenue target.

The NAGAFF 100 per cent compliance team was established to ensure compliance with government regulations in the port.

Tanko said it would not be business as usual for terminal operators, shipping companies and freight forwarders who fail to abide by government directives on ease of doing business policy.

“We are campaigning and trying to reach out to people to understand the needs of the compliance team.

“People are seeing us as confusionists or whistleblowers but with our recent picketing of two bounded terminals, they now know that we mean business in what we are doing,” he said.

Tanko, while reflecting on the team’s achievements, urged freight forwarders to always do the right thing.

He said the right thing had to do with 100 per cent documentation and declaration so that the government would not accuse them of contributing to revenue loss.

Chief of Staff, the Compliance Team, Berth Okeke, noted that the group was ready to take the assignment to a higher level.

“We expect all members to comply with government directives so that businesses will move smoothly in the port,” Okeke said.

The National Secretary, NAGAFF compliance team, Chukwuemeka Iwegbuna, said the team would focus on advocacy and the consolidation of what they had already achieved.