A group, Trans Boarder Traders Association of Nigeria (TBTAN) has blasted the leadership of the Nigeria Customs Service for its inability to collect adequate import duty on rice imported through land borders.

President of the group Alhaji Mukaila Okunola who spoke to Vanguard in Lagos said that the reason being the inadequate collection of duty on the commodity is an indictment on the Customs Service who has failed in its duty.

Okunola stated that the decision to ban importation through land border is anti people adding that it has cause the loss of jobs to thousands of Nigerians involved in the trade.

The group’s president noted a few Nigerian elites with their foreign cohorts who want to dominate the trade and control the price have been able to lobby government and convinced the Minister of Finance to put a stop to importation of rice through approved borders.

He noted that since the ban, the price of rice has sky_rocketed to the satisfaction of a few Nigerians and to the loss of thousands of people involved in the trade..

He however challenge the leadership of the Customs service to convince government that it is capable of collecting every duties and levies on rice and any other commodity.

“Failure to do that is an acceptance to the fact that Customs has failed in its duty as revenue collection and if this is the case, then I think we should have a change of leadership in the agency”.

-Vanguard

Posted by admin on May 11 2011. Filed under Headlines. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry