Customs online auctions will restore stakeholders’ confidence – NAGAFF

The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) says the introduction of an electronic platform to conduct auctions by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) will restore stakeholders’ confidence.

The NAGAFF Secretary, Ikorodu Chapter, Mr Obinna Okafor, told NAN on Saturday in Lagos that with the online bidding transaction, the sales would be less difficult and fraud free.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that NCS would commence online auction sales of overtime and impounded cargoes on July 1.

NAN reports that the Comptroller-General of Customs, Retired Col. Hameed Ali, had recently announced the Customs decision to change the old method through which overtime or seized goods were sold to the public.

“This is in pursuance of an all-embracing reform in the service to correcting the ills at the ports involving officers, and ensuring that there is transparency in whatever the service does,’’ Ali said.

The electronic platform is already undergoing user acceptability test.

Okafor, a freight forwarder in the Ikorodu Overtime and Auction Customs Terminal Command, commended the NCS for going online in the bidding process.

“The online auctions is what the stakeholders are yearning for, it will restore the people’s confidence in the service and create a rancour-free atmosphere in the whole transaction.

“It is advisable for customs to give preference to the industry stakeholders in the whole exercise to cushion the effect of job loss due to cargo seizures and overtime of containers,’’ Okafor said.

The NAGAFF scribe regretted that the industry was still witnessing overtime and seizure of cargoes at this time of economic downturn.

Okafor said that efforts should be made to discourage cases of overtime and seizure of cargoes as a way of sanitising the industry.