Stories by Mathew OMEJE, with
agency report
The Tin Can Island
Command of the Nigeria
Customs Service, (NCS),
has rolled out new wood
export guidelines, saying
only semi-treated and fully processed
wood products would be exported
through its terminal.
Addressing stakeholders recently,
the Customs Area Comptroller
Mr Yusuf Bashar said that it had to
sensitise the business community
particularly exporters on the need
to ensure that only exportable wood
products are brought in to the port,
adding that anything short of what
the law permits, will be confiscated.
Oil price per barrel is going down;
it is our major foreign exchange earner
so Nigerians must be encouraged to
export as much lawful products as
possible.
“At a point, we asked ourselves
how we can encourage exports from
our end, we thought that the best way
to do that was to sensitise the people
and tell what products are allowed by
law.
“We took wood products as
the first item amongst exportable
products because it attracts a lot of
attention.
“The need for the campaign
became imperative due to the
seeming confusion emanating
from the export of wood products
as almost every container with
wood export despite the status,
is considered contraband by the
uninformed.
“So we met exporters of wood
products, freight forwarders of
wood exporters, our own Customs
personnel and any interested
members of the public and let them
know the categories of wood that are
lawfully exportable,” he explained.
He explained that exports do not
attract any duty, adding that in the
light of falling oil price, government
was trying to encourage Nigerians
to export as much as they can
with a view to repatriating foreign
currencies back home.
According to him, “It is an
incentive to encourage export
because it is assumed that money
will come to government based on
exportable products from Nigeria
especially now that Nigeria is having
challenges with crude oil.”
Bashar also said that the
command had to bring in officials of
the Federal Environment Protection
Agency, (FEPA) to assist the Customs
in explaining and showing to
exporters difference between treated
and untreated wood products.
According to Bashar, other
government agencies that approved
such exports were also invited to tell
exporters what is called processed
and semi processed woods.
He opined that the more there
is communication, the higher
the compliance level adding that
unprocessed wood is banned from
export.
He further explained that he will
ensure that the four policy thrust of
the Customs management will be
implemented to to the letter adding
that the agency must facilitate trade
as much as possible so as to make the
ports attractive
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