Open SOS Letter To Comptroller-General Nigeria Customs Service by... Ayo Bakare

Dear Sir,

I am forced to write this open letter to you in the hope that someone who knows how to contact you directly or sincerely wishes to aid in the war you are waging to reform the Nigeria Customs Service in the interest of our country, will bring it to your attention directly. I am of course acutely aware of the threats made, that my company (and myself) run a serious risk of being victimised for daring to speak out, but that is a risk I am willing to take as quite frankly; ‘enough is enough’.

Since the commencement of this traumatic and vile process of extortion and sabotage which I have suffered at the hands of your officers and men, I have tried to contact you and lodge complaints through every means deemed available:

– I have gone through your website.
– I have written mails to complain@customs.gov.ng
– I have written to pro@customs.gov.ng
– I have dialled the PRO at the stated number of 09-52364694
– I have provided my full details including name, email address, and telephone number to make it easy to respond to me and verify my claims.
– I have even offered to be an accessory for uncovering the nefarious activities of these saboteurs using my predicament as a vehicle for you to verify the extent of this corruption first hand.
– However, all my efforts were never responded to and I have been forced to ‘play ball’ so as not to lose my entire business since no one seemed to care about the situation.
– I have contacted some of my ‘friends’ who are Customs personnel, seeking directions about the process to follow to get my complaint to you. Upon reflection, maybe I was being a bit naive in this regard as they all disappeared and have since not responded either.
So is this a grand conspiracy to continue (and perhaps worsen) the corrupt cesspool that is the Nigeria Customs Service? Are you (Col Ali) tired, frustrated, or have become indoctrinated as some say? I don’t think so. I refuse to accept so. I know you and your antecedents, and I know you are too good a man for that.

MY EXPERIENCE
Today makes it 24 days since my goods have arrived at the Apapa Ports and I have been involved in the endless gauntlet of extortion and bribery which is the Nigeria Customs Service. Please allow me to give some insights into my transaction:

– This is a CBN funded transaction with approved Form M, LC and PAAR.
– Because it is CBN funded, it can not be undervalued for obvious reasons. This is because when you undervalue a CBN transaction of N197 to $1, then you would have to go and buy the shortfall from the black market at N350 to $1 to pay the balance to the supplier. Only a stark raving certified lunatic would do that, and nobody in Nigeria has ever done such yet.
– This is a Single-Good importation with nothing except tyres in the containers.
– Customs Duty and all other charges were paid immediately on arrival so as to be able to clear the goods within two or three days of arrival and thus avoid costly demurrage.
– I must also state that we are not talking about the ‘nigerian cultural gratification-after-service’ which is rightly or wrongly expected by government workers; but this is outright extortion by demanding large cash payments so as to pass a genuine transaction which has no issues at all.

SO WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?

– The Customs have delayed the consignment at each stage, demanding bribes to allow it to pass their positions…….Not at one or two positions, but this extortion has been the situation at every single stage of the processes it has to pass through.
– They start by threatening to send it to ‘Valuation’ where they claim that they will ensure that it is penalised. Or they claim that they will request to have it set down for re-examination which will take several days and cost significantly in Port and demurrage charges. They work out some formula which one is ‘advised’ to pay to avoid these inconveniences and losses. They then simply fold their arms and wait for a couple of days while your costs mount and then you have to pay up or just stay stuck.
– They claim that importation of tyres is a ‘Central Job’ for which a special amount must be paid to be shared by the Customs bosses, otherwise the consignment cannot be released.
– They claim that PAAR is only ‘advisory’ from Abuja and that they can impose or orchestrate their own penalties if one does not play ball.
– If you doubt me Sir, ask for the trail of my transaction and note the number of days it was delayed by each officer. Then ask each officer involved to tell you what the problem was and why the transaction suffered delay when it got to them. They should be able to let you know why they delayed it. And if it was for a genuine reason, you should be able to see the corrective action which they took in the interest of the Federal Government.

SO WHAT DO I WANT NOW AT THIS STAGE?

– I realise that my cry for help has gone totally ignored or unnoticed and that I have been a helpless victim of the men and officers of the Nigeria Customs Service up to this point.
– I concede that since I have come so far along in the process, it would be foolish to say I am waiting for your response before I finish the transaction, especially when I do not even know whether you or any well-meaning Nigerian will ever read this open SOS letter.

– But even if you can not help me anymore, at least you can use my experience to help others and sanitise the Customs Service so as to prevent other genuine business people from falling helpless victim to these extortionists who hurt our economy without conscience.

– In this regard, I restate my willingness to come forward and provide the details of my experiences, including names and figures. But this is only if I am assured of your direct intervention or direct delegation of this assignment. Sorry Sir, but I can not deal on any other basis as experience has taught me that no other Customs personnel is worthy of my trust in matters such as these. I say that with the greatest respect to you personally.

– Time and delay is the main weapon used in this extortion racket as every importer is acutely aware of mounting demurrage and shipping line charges. May I respectfully suggest Sir, that you provide a speedy method by which victims can bring their case directly to your attention and also specify a time frame for resolution of such cases. The fact that victims seem so helpless is the reason why these acts of corruption and extortion are brazenly carried out without fear by the perpetrators. If there was an effective way to bring attention to their activities or call them to order, perhaps they would be more careful.
– Sir, can you make a public declaration about the veracity of PAAR and whether it can be overruled by any Customs Officer at the Port after duty has been paid, especially if the goods imported are in conformity with what was declared in assessing that PAAR. Your Customs officers use this perceived power to overrule PAAR as the major negotiating tool in forcing people to bribe them.

– Sir, can you institute significant penalties against any Customs officers who falsely detain any goods for reasons which are found to be frivolous and unfounded. Their acts of extortion thrive on the power to delay consignments for frivolous reasons until the victim pays up, without any fear of reprisals or even fear of investigation to check the genuineness of their actions.

Sir, I have a lot more to say but this open letter may already be getting too long. Suffice to say that there are many of us who laud your efforts and are willing to support you to rid our Customs Service of corruption and extortion. Customs is the gateway to a vibrant economy and its activities impact significantly not only on revenue generation for the government, but also on the cost of doing business and the eventual pricing of goods to final consumers.

If I can still get some reprieve or relief for my harrowing ordeal, I will be grateful. However, if all I can hope for at this stage is to get the opportunity to assist in your crusade against corruption at our ports, I will still consider it a duty and a privilege.

With your kind permission, I will also copy and paste this open letter to the same Customs contacts stated on your website in the hope that it may also serve as an avenue to get it across to you.

Please be assured of my highest regards now and always. Thank you and God bless.