Lagos Chamber Canvasses Dispute Resolution Framework For Customs, Business Community

The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry(LCCI) has expressed  the need  for the Federal Government to create an independent dispute resolution culture between the Nigeria Customs Service and the business community in the country.

It  advised that the initiative should  done within the framework of executive order.

Muda Yussuf,Director-General of LCCI,said the  development was  necessary to restore the confidence of investors in the international trade process.

He said:’’The reality is that the Nigeria Customs Service has a weak Trade Facilitation culture and an absence of customer service orientation. This disposition is hurting investment, frustrating trade, and creating a negative investor sentiment.

‘’Managing disputes with the Nigeria Customs Service on matters of product valuation and harmonized system of product classification is one of the most distressing encounters experienced by investors in the Nigerian economy.

‘’A major shortcoming in our international trade process is the absence of an independent, credible, and prompt appeal mechanism.  It is a situation that is hurting investment and weakening investors’ confidence.  Importers are left entirely at the mercy of the customs in the absence of a credible, independent window for dispute settlement between the customs and the private sector. Under the present arrangement, the Customs Service is the accuser and the judge.

‘’This mechanism is unfair to investors and not consistent with the principles of natural justice.  Many companies have been compelled to pay outrageous additional charges on imports thus distorting their investment plans and projections’’.

 He explained that a presidential   intervention has become inevitable, especially with the onset of the African Continental Free Trade Area [AfCFTA],adding that there is a need to ensure a balance between regulatory controls, revenue generation and trade facilitation functions of the Nigerian customs service.