By Ambrose Obioma Okehi (News Emperor)
ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme (ETLS) is a trade instrument designed agreed and signed by the 15 member-states of the West African countries under the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS, to be a tool to facilitate free trade Area within trade corridors of these countries. It was also meant to ensure that goods can be circulated freely without the payment of customs duties and tariffs.
Beyond these, ETLS was also puts in place as a measure aimed at facilitating trade by reducing red tape and paperwork at ports and border stations.
With the above benefits, there should be easy flow of traffick and trading within the member states of West African trading areas, but unfortunately, and in the recent time, this intention and benefits of this good trade agreement meant to amolotate trade difficulties is gradually eluding Nigerian trading public as the scheme is becoming a burden and a challenge on its own.
In this exclusive interview with the Seme chapter Chairman of the Association of Customs Licensed Agents, ALNCA, Chief Onyekachi Ojenm frowned at the way and manner of the implementation of the scheme here in Nigeria is going, that it negates the original idea of the initiators.
Chief Ojenma, who spoke to News Emperor online on behalf of other Stakeholders in freight forwarding business decried the ugly situation the various government policies and programmes have landed them into.
He called on Nigerian government to look into this scheme again and again as well as its implementation, particularly the Nigerian aspect goes in line with member states agreement.
The clearing agents also alleged that the ETLS-bond goods from other West African countries are now being containerised, a situation which is currently subjecting the freight forwarding Community into serious hardship and double payment.
The ANLCA chireftain while welcoming the new CAC of Seme command if the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, Comptroller Dera Nnadi, also pleaded with him to do something within his powers over that, urging him too, to replicate kind of achievements in Idiroko as its CAC last year in Seme too
The ANLCA Seme border Chapter Chairman, Chief Onyekachi Ojenma, who is also the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, CEO of Kachison Nigeria Limited, a freight forwarding company operating within the Seme area, specifically told News Emperor that their challenges as agents operating in Seme border over the years are too much and may soon be over with the new management in the NCS, saying because he Compteoller Dera Nnadi is a seasoned officer, a tested and trusted officer in anti-smuggling activities as well as being an expert in customs procedures and cargo classification.
While responding to question on the issues of containerisation of ETLS-bond goods to Nigeria from ETLS member states, the Seme ANLCA boss responded by saying:
“How can they containerise ETLS goods? Nigerian Government is making this business so stressful for we. In fact, they are just confused. It is a government that has no one to advise it. I don’t know who is even advising this government? Now you want to force a sourvergin (democratic country) to do your wish out of their wish. How do you think it will work? Now you told them to be containerising every ETLS consignment, how do you think it will work? Consignments are coming from all West African sub-region? Are you doing it in our (the business Community) interest or you are trying to push us out of business? Even when you know fully well that the buyers are from Nigeria. For instance, if you are buying goods whort of N3 million, you must first go and pay for empty container higher than the goids you bought”.
He said the cost of getting an empty container on its own is an additional cost to the importers and their agents.
“Yes, the cost of getting a new empty container is very much high.
Now you pay for freight and other logistics cost and you will ship it to Nigeria. It will first return back to the country of origin, may be England, or France before coming back to Lagos. Count the number of days. It takes not less than two months. This is a journey that will take you not lesser than two days, from Ghana to Nigeria.
“It is as high as that. And it is a must because the ships are coming from France or England. So you must go through that process. The ship must go back to England or France, depending. It is a must, as the country or origin”.
Reflecting on the effects such has on Nigerian freight Forwarders, their importers and their businesses, Chief Ojenma added that:
“Definitely, many businessmen and women have been thrown out of businesses as a result of this. Two, it will cause unnecessary delays and birtlenecks. and there will be high cost of commodities in the market. And the final consumers will be the ones to bear the cost, I mean, the end users will bear the cost. Now the goods will be as costlier as anything in the market. The goods will equally be out of the reach of the poor masses. Then, who is foolling who? Are they (government) protecting the us or they are killing us? Surely, they are really sending us out of business. I mean through the poor implementation of this scheme, they are sending our members out of business and in fact, we are no more doing business again. Now the high cost of duty payment is so high and it is affecting us too and has sent many of our members out of business”.
And the reopening of border on its own, the ANLCA boss said, has no effect at the moment in Seme.
According to Seme ANLCA, the reopening of the closed borders has no effect. Yes, the reopening of the borders has no effect. Nothing is working, the importers have ran away, some of them are stranded already. Most of them ran away because of the harshness of the business environment and government policies which are not friendly. They banned cars from coming through the land borders, for no reason whatsoever. The revenue the government is generating in Seme comes majorly from cars. Meanwhile, they stopped vehicles from coming through the land borders but the same vehicles they stopped through the land borders are finding their ways into the country through smuggling routes. Then, who is foolling who?
“This is why we say sometimes that Nigerian (government’s) policies are senseless. You make policies that you can never implement. Is it not mere waste of time? Because I heard that the president said he regretted closing the borders. He said that the closure of borders has no single effect rather it has side effects.
“This border (Seme border) used to generate more than one billion monthly. But now they cannot generate even up to hundred million in a month or even 20 million. Where the revenue coming from? Who will pay? Is it the Cotonou people that don’t even want to see Nigerian-bond trucks pass their corridor?
“Trailers that are coming from Ghana, passing through Cotonou, ordinarily should be allowed to pass their corridor because of the ETLS but Cotonou people would hold on to the trailers and and insist they must pay four million Cefa which is equivalent to N4 million. And don’t forget that some of their roads are built by Nigerian government under the big brother Africa of a thing”.
On the challenging issue of multiple checkpoints along Badagry/Seme road, Ojenma pointed out that from Ghana to Cotonou, you cannot even see more than four checkpoints. How many countries? You pass Togo before you enter Cotonou but you cannot count up to four or five checkpoints. But regrettably, when you enters Nigeria, from Seme border here, to Owede (Gbaji) in Badagry area, we are not even talking about getting to Okoko, you have more than 50 checkpoints”.
The bad road, he further added is not helping mathers: “Yes, we are not even talking about the deplorable condition of the road, an international road for that mather. The road is not in good condition. And you will see multiple checkpoints everywhere,” Ojenma stated..
On the security operatives on the highway, he told News Emperor that even the Nigerian Army has left their baracks and have come mount checkpoints along Seme road. They are on the road now. Police is saying, that they don’t have manpower, that they are lacking manpower. It is a liar. All the police officers on this Seme are all on the Seme road. Each checkpoint is not having not less than 10 policemen with their arms. Ten of them in each of these 50 checkpoints. So, if 50 of them are out there when you go their stations or Police posts, they will tell you their is no policeman. Why? The reason is because all of them are on the road. They are all there extorting motorists and disturbing free flow of trade. Police will stay in the glay eyes of the public and even collect money and give you change for the money you gave to them. There is no fear anymore, no respect and no integrity for the men and officers of the Police force. Pooice will be giving change in this hard time now? Even this time when there is no money in circulation. But if you are looking for change, let’s say #200 or #100, then come to police at the checkpoints, police will give you, don’t bother going to the bank or elsewhere,” Chief Ojenma added.
The Kachison boss also spoke on ANLCA’s relationship with the NCS. Here, he said:
“To the glory of God we are coming up gradually. The whole thing was messed up. I cannot say the former chairman did not try. He has done his best. It depend on us as an association to say whether he has done well or not. But to me, he has done his best. But I don’t want to talk about his regime, rather I will focus on my own.
“Our relationship with the Customs is so cordial. And again, you know, it is ‘Soldier come soldier go’ thing. And you know, Barack remains the same. Like I said earlier, we have cordial relationship with them but it is only that there is no business. There is no business here. We are crying and they are crying too. I will not say it’s well with them.
The ANLCA chairman while wishing the new CAC well in his new assignment, however added, that the CAC, who left before this present one, Compteoller Mohammed Jibo, also is a career officer, he knows his onions. So he came, he did his job well and he left with glory and commendations poured on him.
So, we have not been wishing our controllers bad but always wishing them well. Definitely, Compteoller Dera Nnadi will succeed. This is because when he (Nnadi) was in Idiroko as CAC, just within that short period he spent there, if you see what Compt. Nnadi did there, you will be surprised, That us why during our (stakeholders) meeting with him, we pleaded with him that should replicate such radical wave of achievements he brought to Idiroko within his shirt stay there. That he should bring same here in Seme, that he should repeat same here. And I know by the grace of God he will repeat same here. He has started it already and we are seeing it. His reforms are good”
On the final note, the Seme chapter chairman has these few words of advice for his members.
“My advice for my memebers is that they should be praying who knows everything, let his will be done. In short, all of us should be praying, let the glory of Seme border be returned back again. And we are hoping God will definitely restore the glory of Seme border back. Because we don’t have any other border than this one where we are doing our business and finding out daily breads,” he concluded.