By Sandra Chukwunyere
The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has commended the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) for suspending transire processing to bonded warehouses and free trade zones with outstanding reconciliation.
According to a statement signed by Fwdr. Godfrey Nwosu, Secretary-General, NAGAFF, the decision is a strategic measure that could strengthen revenue assurance, compliance and national security.
NAGAFF said the suspension demonstrates the commitment of the Customs Service to blocking potential avenues of revenue leakage while promoting greater transparency and accountability across customs collection points.
The association noted that the measure would help ensure optimal revenue generation and improve compliance within the customs clearance and bonded warehouse system.
To consolidate the gains of the directive, NAGAFF called for the deployment of automated reconciliation systems capable of tracking transire movements in real time and ensuring prompt reconciliation of transactions.
It also advocated continuous capacity building for customs officers and freight forwarders to keep them abreast of evolving compliance standards and procedures.
The association further called for regular consultations involving bonded warehouse operators, free trade zone managers and freight forwarders, stressing that effective stakeholder engagement would promote shared responsibility and improve compliance.
NAGAFF also recommended risk-based monitoring through intelligence-driven audits to identify high-risk transactions and prevent infractions before they escalate.
In addition, the association proposed an integrated revenue assurance framework across all collection points to promote consistency in revenue collection, monitoring and reporting.
The freight forwarding body said it remained ready to collaborate with the Nigeria Customs Service in implementing the measures, expressing confidence that stronger monitoring and reconciliation would contribute to stability in revenue collection and strengthen Nigeria’s economic resilience.
