NAGAFF PARTNERS KLT CUSTOMS COMMAND TO ENHANCE TRADE FACILITATION

The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has entered into partnership with the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Kirikiri Lighter Terminal (KLT) under the supervision of Comptroller MM Tilley-Gyado in order to facilitate trade and improve revenue collection of the federal government of Nigeria.

This partnership was entered into during the official visit of the official visit of the executives of NAGAFF National Headquarters to the Command on Thursday, October 12, 2023 at the NCS Command, KLT in Kirikiri, Lagos.

In his address after the meeting, President of NAGAFF, Tochukwu Ezisi

said the meeting was part of NAGAFF’s effort to continue building of synergy between freight forwarders and the Customs at Kirikiri Lighter Terminal.

Ezisi, who spoke through Fwdr. Simeon Nwonu, Deputy National President, NAGAFF Headquarters also called on the command’s hierarchy to addressing issues affecting cargo clearance from KLT command in order to return it to its past glory.

He said “the challenges are not far from what freight forwarders are facing in other customs command but the peculiarity of KLT Command is that they don’t have cargo, the through put coming to KLT is small and as a result members of NAGAFF and other freight forwarders who are based in KLT are finding it difficult to meet up, the condition of KLT is not also conducive but with the interactions we had with the CAC and her management team we are expecting a return to the glorious past of KLT.

“That synergy has been established and we are going to abide by that.

The key take away is that we have now agreed with Customs that there should be a more friendly approach to freighting issues” he concluded.

In his remark, Fwdr. Afam Chukwuma, Deputy National President (Seaport) NAGAFF disclosed that “the visit is meant to be part of effort of the current administration of the President, Chief Tochukwu Ezisi to deepen a stable and cordial relationship between NAGAFF as an association and the Nigeria Customs Service from Command to Zonal and even to the Headquarters. We have been to PTML earlier and before the end of this month we will also be in Port Harcourt.

“In so doing, we help to facilitate trade, we need to let the Customs understands the need to facilitate trade which is their core mandate by the way. Our members used to bring up peculiar complaints from one command to another and this visit is meant to address those issues in order to help customs do their jobs and also for our members to carry out their assignments without any hitches.

In her remarks, the Command Area Comptroller, KLT Command, Comptroller MM Tilley-Gyado noted that the importance of NAGAFF cannot be overemphasized in the industry.

She promised to work with the freight forwarders in order to achieve the target of the Command.

“I want to assure you that you can count on my cooperation.

I want to assure you that I am always available to work with you, during and after office hours.

She stressed that issues bothering on alert on cargoes is not directly from the Command but from the service headquarters.

The Controller stated that the Command would try its best possible to ensure that the alert would be minimal to encourage trade facilitation.