The Association of Nigerian Licensed Custom Agents (ANLCA) rose from a stakeholders meeting on Tuesday with a decision to down tools concerning custom clearance of all goods that came into the country before the lockdown announced by the federal government as part of measures to contain the spread of the dreaded novel corona virus in the country.
The implication of the purported strike by the custom agents is enormous to the recovery of the economy ravaged by low international oil price and ravaging corona virus occasioned by the lockdown including; non remittance of taxes, custom duty payments, handling charges among other things.
A statement signed by Mazi Emmanuel Eni Njoku, Secretary ANLCA MMA Chapter, said the association hinged their grievances on the continued flouting of the presidential order on palliatives on goods that came into the country before the lockdown by agencies of government including the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria( FAAN), Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NACHO) and Skyeway Aviation Handling Company (SACHO).
He said that inspire of the ongoing disagreements which is now in its second week, the minister of Aviation Hadi Sirika who supposed to intervene as he supervises most of agencies as minister has remained adamant even when this issues have been reported to the presidential task force to the knowledge of the chairman, Boss Mustapha.
He said that the situation is even more worrisome because other port agencies such as Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) and Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) have implemented the measures to cushion the effects on the collection of demurrage, wondering why FAAN and its related agencies on the air port has decided to go against the presidential order hence the imbroglios
