Apapa Port: Stakeholders alleged bribery, delays at Valuation Unit

The presidential directive on the ease of doing business may be in jeopardy, if the allegations of corruption leveled against an officer of the Valuation Unit of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, Apapa Command, Deputy Comptroller Idris Shallangua is anything to go by.

It is alleged that Mr. Shallangua, who was redeployed to the Customs Valuation Unit about three months ago, is allegedly involved in unwholesome practices, ranging from bribery allegation and arbitrary delays.

These had angered Customs Licensed Agents, manufacturers and other business men, who thronged the Apapa Port daily to do their legitimate business having to pay outrageous fees to clear their goods, which was a big contrast to the smooth clearing of goods and services at the Valuation Unit before he was deployed there.

According to a source, who craved anonymity for fear of being reprimanded, “It is an open secret that every import declaration form that passes through his table are either delayed tactically; and once released, are laced with outrageous levies running into millions of naira that must be paid within certain days, if the owner of the good wants it released quickly. There is no benchmark for his levy, he uses estimation to put outrageous bill to those who come to his office to clear goods.

According to the source, “Those who are under pressure to meet their customers’ demand are (allegedly) asked to pay into a bank account number of his Bureau De Change front, named Ismaila Babangida, while he (Ismaila) will in turn pay him the dollar equivalent of the naira received on his behalf.

Shallangua is also alleged to be a truant or late comer: “He comes to the office around 12noon, and by 4.00pm, he is off for the day’s work, while those who have business to process there would have been waiting for him as early as 8.00am, this often creates situation that makes them stay longer, frustrated and leave late in the evening after handling them an outrageous bill in the name of additional debit note which runs into millions of naira.

The source said that for instance, on “Monday, 19 June, and Tuesday, 20 June 20, 2017, he was not in the office throughout the day. This action necessitated all those who have business to transact with his office on many occasions to see one of his boys, named Nuhu, an Assistant Superintendent of Customs, who acts as go-between for him.
But, the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, LCCI has said in its recent communique that, “This use of discretionary valuation by Customs officers at the port, is not consistent with the vision of this administration to improve the ‘ease of doing business.

Those at the receiving end of Mr. Shallangua alleged unwholesome practices at the Apapa Port maintained that the entire department held by him should be overhauled in order to enable transparent, easy and credible business culture at the Apapa Customs Valuation Unit, which is the busiest and most sensitive business gateway in Nigeria.

Attempts to get Mr. Shallangua to react to the allegations were unsuccessful, as calls to his mobile phone indicated it was switched off. He did not respond to the sms sent to him either before going to press.