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By Steve Agbota
The President, National Council of Managing Director of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA), Lucky Amiwero, has petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed to order the withdrawal of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Draft Bill 2022 from the National Assembly.
This is even as he said that the bill does not reflect the Trade Facilitation Agreement (FTA) and African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCFTA).
He said due to the importance of the Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) to the economy as an instrument that assists the Federal Government to formulate proper trade and fiscal policy direction, the draft bill must be withdrawn, reviewed and redrafted to accommodate the shortfalls of the international conventions, treaties and protocol missing in the draft.
Amiwero, who stated this in a letter to Buhari and copied to the Minister of Finance, Senate President, House of Assembly, Minister of Justice and Attorney General, argued that the NCS 2022 bill does not reflect the objective of trade facilitation process, which is predicated on Trade Facilitation Agreement (FTA) World Customs Organisation Kyoto convention (WCO), Harmonisation and simplification of Customs procedures, WCO Safe Frame work of standard to secure and Facilitate global trade, National Facilitation Committee of IMO, FAL convention for Harmonisation as well as Minimisation and Facilitation of Maritime Traffic among other conventions.
Amiwero, who was also a member of the presidential committee on the review of customs laws, said the 2022 bill, which still has the same content of the bill that was rejected by the Federal Government in 2013, is now represented in both the senate and the house of assembly without been subjected to stakeholders/ public hearing.
He noted that there is a need to subject the draft bill to the Committee of Trade Procedure Experts (TPE) and core stakeholders, to review it in line with international best practice, especially with the expected FTA and AFCFTA coming on board, which is not included in the draft bill 2022. He said the conflicting 283 clauses in the NCS bill will hinder trade, fiscal policy, international investment and protection of international trade community.
Amiwero stated that the bill has been designed and personalised for the management of NCS based on the removal of some power of the President and total removal of the Minister’s and the overriding powers over other federal government agencies.
