Stakeholders have expressed frustration over what they described as the flagrant disregard of Federal Government directives by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to discontinue the collection of a four per cent Free on Board (FOB) charge.
The Ministry of Finance had suspended the levy last week after widespread condemnation from manufacturers, importers, clearing agents, and business operators. The ministry also directed the NCS to halt its collection immediately.
However, exporters and clearing agents told reporters that Customs officers were still enforcing the charge as of yesterday afternoon.
A licensed exporter, Bolade Oladipo, said the development undermines government policy. “We raised the alarm that what they are doing is against the presidential directive, but instead, they told us that they have yet to get a white paper from the government. When it was to go into effect, they did that immediately without waiting for the white paper. But now they have been asked to remove it; it has been excuses and stories for over a week,” he stated.
Another agent, Kayode Collins Farinto, also confirmed that the charge had remained in the system despite assurances that it would be removed.
The development has sparked renewed calls for urgent government intervention to ensure that the directive is enforced and to restore confidence among importers and exporters.
