Licensed customs agents are planning to stage a peace protest over the frequent upward adjustment of the exchange rate for cargo clearance.
The National President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents, Mr Emenike Nwokeoji, in a chat with The PUNCH on Monday, disclosed that the group had scheduled a meeting with the relevant government authorities between Monday and Tuesday next week.
The Federal Government through the Central Bank of Nigeria penultimate Friday raised the exchange rate for cargo clearance from N952/$ to N1,356/$.
In less than 24 hours, it readjusted the exchange rate for cargo clearance to 1,413/$ on Saturday, a few weeks after the cargo clearance rate was increased from 783/$ to 952/$.
While importers and agents were still grappling with the new exchange rate for cargo clearance, the CBN announced another upward review to 1.444/$ on Saturday, the third adjustment the apex bank had made this year.
Nwokeoji said that though the association had not taken any decision on the protest, individuals have the right to protest.
“As individuals, they have the right to protest whatever that is not going down well with them but as an association, we have not taken such a decision.
“We have written to the authorities concerned and we have a meeting in Abuja next week on Monday and Tuesday on the same issue.
“It is after that meeting that we will decide on the next line of action. We are watching the development,” he asserted
According to Nwokeoji, in the past eight days the exchange rate for the computation of import duties has been adjusted four times.
“There is no way we can live with it. So, after the meeting, we would now know what to do. We have never had it this way before. So, we would leave it at that until after the meeting so that we don’t create any fear.” he said.
Also, the Vice President of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders, Ugochukwu Nnadi, said, “If protests are being organised we would be part of it for the interest of everybody. We can’t just continue like this. We would engage the authority and when they fail to listen we can now protest.”
The National Public Relations Officer of the Association of Registered Freight Forwarders of Nigeria, Mr Taiwo Fatobilola, said the agents had started engaging importers to key into the planned protest.
“The peaceful protest we are talking about was supposed to be from the importers and not the agents. You can’t talk of protest when your importers are not giving you backup. So, we are trying to liaise with them to see their own reaction,” he stated.
He added that the association was engaging the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria to ensure they were on the same page on the planned protest.
“It is not only the union, we have to unify. We are engaging the importers already on that. The exchange rate does not concern NCS because they are only implementing the directive of the Federal Government.
“Out of the five registered associations, if three can come together and agree that there would be a protest then we will hold it. Individually, you can’t go on protest and one single association can’t go on protest. We have to be united before we can go for a peaceful protest,” Fatobilola explained.
