National President, ANLCA, Hon. Iju Tony Nwabunike

Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents ANLCA last week took a swipe at the Federal Ministry of Finance over the imposition of N4.1trillion revenue target for the 2022 fiscal year on the Nigeria Customs Service, saying such humongous target is not only outrageous, but also undermines the service’s primary function of trade facilitation.

The association has also expressed serious doubts over Nigeria’s preparedness to take optimum advantage of trade opportunities offered under the African Continental Free Trade Agreement AfCFTA, which came into effect January last year, expressing fears that the country might become a dumping ground in such borderless trade regime if nothing urgent was done.

National President of ANLCA, Hon. Iju Tony Nwabunike, who addressed the media shortly after the association’s first National Executive Council NEC meeting in Lagos, said: “We read in the media that Customs has been given a N4.1trillion revenue target for the 2022 fiscal year.

“This target in our opinion is outrageous, especially coming at a time trade volumes are declining across the globe for obvious reasons. This is given that most economies, including Nigeria’s are still grappling with the effects of the corona virus pandemic with the attendant negative effects caused by the shutdown of many of these economies in order to curtail the spread.

“In addition to undermining the overall productivity of Nigeria’s economy, this outrageous target will put the Nigeria Customs Service under immense pressure, thereby undermining its traditional and primary function of facilitating trade”

Recall that Customs Area Controller for Apapa Command, Comptroller Yusuf Ibrahim had during the command’s first media briefing earlier in January, disclosed that the Federal Government had given the entire service a revenue target of N4.1trillion, describing it as a welcome development.

He said: “We welcome you all to 2022, the year of hope and high expectations, particularly with increase in the service’s revenue target to N4.1 trillion. For us in Apapa Area Command, we have already boarded and fastened our seat belts towards the realisation of this revenue target”.

The ANLCA-boss, who fielded questions from newsmen, also expressed fears that he has not seen structures and programmes by the government towards taking advantage of the opportunities that AfCFTA would offer the participating countries, an indication that Nigeria is not yet ready for the trade scheme.

He bemoaned the lack of information and data base on the side of the government, unlike what is happening in other participating African countries where the home governments and their relevant agencies are constantly discussing with private sector operators towards presenting a common front for the trade regime.

“There is no information from the government and its relevant agencies. But on individual basis, we are in touch with our counterparts in South Africa, Morocco and other participating countries. For instance, we have it on good authority that South Africa is coming to the trade with 17 carefully selected and packaged products. We are also aware that a country like Morocco is strategically preparing for the trade.

“Our genuine concern is that Nigeria does not become a dumping ground for these products from 54 participating countries, given the size of her market and also considering that we are not preparing products that could compete in this borderless trade”, he further argued.

He therefore called on the government, its relevant agencies and the committee on AfCFTA to reach out to the private sector operators, especially manufacturers, freight forwarders and other relevant plays in the import and export value chain with a view to having a formidable front towards the trade for Nigeria’s overall interest.