80% of Imported cargoes are under-declared – NSC Boss

From Eugene Agha, Lagos

Between 80 to 90 per cent of imported goods into Nigeria are under-declared by importers, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), Barrister Hassan Bello has said.

The NSC boss, who disclosed this at a two-day workshop for maritime reporters, reiterated the need for professionalism in the sector and assured that all bottlenecks in the clearance of cargo would soon be a thing of the past.

He revealed that the council would soon commence the implementation of the Cargo Tracking Note (CTN).

He noted that the Cargo Tracking Note will reduce under-declaration of cargoes by Nigerian shippers because the council would have got information on what is inside a container even before the vessel sets sail from the originating port for Nigeria.

“The CTN will also help the federal government to check proliferation of small arms. The moment this is noticed by Shippers Council, an alert will be issued to the security agencies and the Nigeria Customs Service” he added.

He further explained that by the time the CTN comes on stream, cargoes will no longer come into Nigeria without permission from the Nigerian Shippers Council.

“Our emphasis is on trade information and also, it will help us in clearance, the most important of this is that 80% of goods coming into Nigeria are under-declared, every importer always wants to cut corners and cheat the government”, he said.