Many assume that a freight forwarding job or better still, being a clearing agent is an easy job. This involves going to the port to clear consignments, with lots of money to spend. Some even assumed that it is easy getting the bill of lading from an importer, collecting money from the importers, and going straight to the office of the Nigeria Customs Service and terminal operator for necessary payments; they feel the money goes into your pocket as a clearing agent.
Recently, the CBN and the NCS took the ongoing foreign exchange reforms to the maritime sector with a 40 per cent increase in the exchange rate used for calculating import duty.The development, which has led to a corresponding 40 per cent increase in import duty on imported cargoes including vehicles, has angered operators in the maritime sector with clearing agents, freight forwarders, and importers calling for an immediate reversal of the policy.
The Chief Executive Officer of Siktemstar Logistics, Remilekun Sikiru, while speaking on the new exchange rate, says that the customs duty payable on vehicles has increased astronomically.