CUSTOMS LICENSE RENEWAL: Group Clamours For Two Year Extension

Port activist group,  Save Nigeria Freight Forwarders, Importers and Exporters Coalition (SNFFIEC) has urged the federal government through the Ministry of Finance to reconsider the extension of customs licenses renewal from one year to two years.

The license in question is usually issued by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) an agency under the Ministry of Finance with 12 months expiration date.

 

The group also lamented the long process involved in obtaining the license despite the short duration , saying the  short live span of the license poses serious threat to trade facilitation.

 

 

National Coordinator of the group, Chief Osita Chukwu Patrick while speaking with journalists in his office on Friday, lamented the delay occasioned by the manual process.

 

He maintained that electronic issuance and renewal of licenses is the order of the day in other sector even as he wondered why such could not be inculcated in the customs licensing process.

 

According to him, “This is a clarion call to the CG of Customs and the Federal Ministry of Finance to understand that if automation in license renewal and procurement in vehicles and insurance, it is tenable, why would it not work in Customs licensing.

 

“DPR and others have gone automated and it lasts for two years.

 

Speaking further, he noted that “I want them to look at it and see how they can salvage the situation because it is so critical that if you pay money for renewal now, it will take up to four or five months before you get it and during the period, you cannot use the license.

 

“Before you apply for linking or password, it will take months again. I see this as something that is very vital and should be inculcated in our system and would help improve on the manual system.

 

“The cost of renewing a license is over two hundred and fifty thousand naira and obtaining a new license is over five hundred thousand naira payable aside the unreceipted fees that you will have to pay,” he stated.

 

Critical stakeholders in clearing subsector of the maritime industry have also called on the Ministry of Finance to digitalise the renewal of customs clearing license  to avoid unnecessary delay and the cumbersome process involved.

By Roland Ekama