From Uche Usim, Abuja
The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Hameed Ali, and the Director-General of Customs and Indirect Taxes, Republic of Benin, Mr. Sacca Boco Charles, have agreed to tackle smuggling and other trans-border crimes that have inhibited free trade between the two nations.
At a meeting in Abuja yesterday, Charles said his visit was to meet with his Nigerian counterpart to finetune various agreements and memoranda of understanding (MOUs) aimed at securing both countries’ borders for better movement of goods.
He stated that movement of goods via unapproved routes by smugglers was a major issue that needed to be tackled, even as he assured his host that the military would be involved to address the issue at his end.
Charles described Nigeria as a big brother that had always helped in growing the economy, urging his host to do everything possible to sustain the relationship.
“All the agreements are in consonance with the World Customs Organisation. It likes bringing countries together. For us, Nigeria is a big brother. It’s like a tree that shades us,” he said.
On whether his visit was also to appeal to the Nigerian government to lift the ban on vehicle import via land borders, Charles said it was not, but a working visit aimed ensuring a harvest of mutual alliance.
Ali said the MOUs binding both nations have to be properly perused to identify grey areas and address them adequately: “This will enhance our countries. We are looking at ways of doing business with ease. There are extant laws on movement of good in transit. We need to see how we can escort goods into each other’s countries as expected so that illicit items don’t come in.”
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