EFFORTS by the management of the Nigeria Customs Service, to get striking clearing agents back to work seem to have failed as the meeting between the two parties has ended in a deadlock.

The freight forwarders operating at both the Tin-Can Island as well as the Ports & Terminal Multipurpose Limited commands of the Customs had last week begun an indefinite strike following the expiration of a 72-hour ultimatum given to the Federal Government to review the electronic valuation system for imported vehicles and cargoes.

The government through the Central Bank of Nigeria had recently introduced e-valuation and e-invoicing policy for imported goods, using what is called Vehicle Identification Number for the valuation system

At the stakeholders meeting organised by the NCS with the clearing agents in attendance in Ikeja, Lagos, on Tuesday, the striking agents vowed not to restore their services until their demands are met by the government.

Addressing journalists after the meeting, the Controller General of Customs, Hammed Ali, who was represented at the event by the Assistant Controller General of Customs in charge of Zone A, Modupe Aremu, explained that Customs was going to modify the complaints of the clearing agents to arrive at a conclusive arrangement for the VIN initiative.

She said, “We are going to modify their complaints going forward. The modification will take care of the complaints of the clearing agents as regards VIN”

She also said that the meeting was more of a family meeting with the clearing agent.


https://punchng.com/cbn-e-valuation-clearing-agents-insist-on-strike-despite-customs-intervention/

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