In furtherance to its determination to enthrone transparency and ease in doing business in Nigeria, the Federal Government has ordered the Nigeria Customs Service to immediately remove all the illegal check points mounted by its personnel across the country.
In a letter dated July 18, 2017, the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBE) had directed the Customs Comptroller-General Hameed Ali to issue directive to his officers “to ensure removal of all illegal check points across Nigeria”.
PEBEC’s directive to Ali, signed by PEBEC Secretary, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, reads in part: “Further to the mandate of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) on the scoping of reform initiatives to be implemented under the new reform area, Trading within Nigeria, the Technical Committee of the Enabling Business Environment Secretariat (EBES), and Key Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), including the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), have commenced weekly engagements for the implementation this mandate.
“From the on-going scoping exercise of the Technical Committee, the following reform initiatives have been identified and agreed as short term reforms to be implemented by the NCS before Friday August 11, 2017:
“Issuance of directive to all customs command across Nigeria to ensure removal of all illegal check points across Nigeria.
“Enforcement of compliance of the above stated directive.
“Creation of awareness on the approved NCS check points across Nigeria through publication on the NCS website and all NCS command office.
“Please be informed that the NCS will be required to provide a status update to the Council on the implementation of the above stated initiatives at next PEBEC meeting holding on August 15, 2017.”
Oduwole is also Senior Special Assistant to the President on Industry, Trade and Investment (Office of the Vice President).
In deference to the directive, , the Customs Comptroller-General has directed that in line with the Federal Government’s Ease of Doing Business policy, Customs checkpoints “mounted outside 40 kilometres to the border are illegal while information patrols outside this point should not last more than 24 hours at any given time”.
The directive was contained in a circular number 10/2017, dated 25th July 2017 and titled “Removal of all illegal check-points across the country”.
The circular, which was in compliance with the directive of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), was signed behalf of the Customs Comptroller-General by Acting Deputy Comptroller-General, Dangaladima, A.A.
Part of the circular reads inter alia, “The 40 kilometres radius applies only to the borders and consequently there should be no check points within the port areas.
“To further clarify these issues, it should be reminded strongly that only two check points situated at Agbara and Gbaji along Lagos-Badagry-Seme road are statutorily approved, for instance.
“Henceforth, Zonal Coordinators, Comptrollers FOUs, CACs, CIU and other Units will be jointly held responsible for flouting the directive.
“Ensure widest circulation for strict compliance, please.”
Nigerians would heave a sigh of relief from the constant harassment by the men of the service who mount these illegal road blocks.
They have been severally accused of high-handedness, extortions and bogus issuance of Debit Notes on consignments duly cleared from the ports and border posts.