Posted by By Chimex Ndubuisi on
The Nigeria Customs Services Area II in Onne, Rivers State has introduced a new agent permit to be issued to all registered licensed customs clearing companies operating at Onne port which would only permit agents or staff of such companies to enter the customs offices and the port complex.
The Nigeria Customs Services Area II in Onne, Rivers State has introduced a new agent permit to be issued to all registered licensed customs clearing companies operating at Onne port which would only permit agents or staff of such companies to enter the customs offices and the port complex.
The Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mr. Inuekin Eyor who disclosed this to Telegraph said that five tags of the permit would be issued to each company which would in turn give to any of its agents or workers to come to the command to process documents or go for containers examination for clearance.
Mr. Eyor explained that the restriction became necessary following complaints it had always received from certain quarters in the Port Authority that it was responsible for uncontrolled number of agents that used to enter the port complex as against security code by the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
Some agents who confronted the PRO protested that the tags should not be limited to five because according to them, some of them have more than one clearing company and some companies send more than five clearing agents to the customs command to process the import documents.
The agents also complained that considering the cumbersome nature of clearing jobs, five persons would not be adequate to handle documentation at the customs central processing unit, accounts to container examination and requested that the tags be increased to at least ten.
But the command's image maker stood his ground that the command had resolved to experiment with five persons from each clearing company till when it would become absolutely necessary to increase the number.
In the meantime, the Nigeria Customs Service Area II in Onne, Rivers State has embarked on restriction of clearing agents flooding the Onne port complex.