Oduntan Highlights Inter-Agency Bottlenecks To NSW Implementation

…Says ANLCA Fully Disposed To 4% FOB Regime

BY EGUONO ODJEGBA

The Vice President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Prince Segun Oduntan has raised pressing concerns over regulatory disunity threatening the efficiency of Nigeria’s proposed National Single Window (NSW) initiative, while also affirming ANLCA’s readiness to support the reintroduced 4% Free on Board (FOB) levy on imports.

In a media chat with selected maritime business journalists in his office earlier in the week, he identified inter-agency fragmentation as possible threat to the successful takeoff of the National Single Window Policy initiative.

Speaking after the presidency announced the commencement of the NSW policy in Q1 2026, despite that Oduntan voiced optimism about its potential to streamline cargo clearance, he cautioned that the system’s success hinges on full integration of all relevant agencies.

This is even as he notes that ANLCA and port traders generally are prepared to swing with the new regime, indicating that perhaps, only government officials across departments and agencies still constitute pressure points and human barriers.

He criticized the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) for failing to integrate with Customs digital platforms, resulting in delays, duplication, and the rise of fake certification. “Cargo clearance is a process. If one leg advances while others lag, we won’t reach our destination,” he added.

“We are very prepared because it will make our job much easier. It means we can operate more from the comfort of our offices, so we are well-prepared. Issues where agencies like SON or NAFDAC (National Agency for Food and Drug Administration Control) will block bills of lading plus  the regime of the taking of samples of goods  will no longer arise because everyone will be integrated into the system and can see what’s happening.

“Personally, l think the problem has always been inter-agency competition. While Customs is advancing and transforming its modernization, not all other agencies are on the same page, whereas cargo clearance is a process. If you’re running and others are pulling you back, you can’t reach your destination.

“You can only say you’ve fully cleared your goods and can use them when they are delivered to your warehouse. Customs is upgrading, implementing Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) and B’Odogwu systems, but other agencies like SON and NAFDAC are not on the same level. So inter-agency competition is the real issue till date.”

Oduntan urged the National Revenue Service to ensure all trade-related bodies function within a unified framework to avoid revenue leakage and regulatory inefficiencies.

On fiscal policies, Oduntan addressed industry sentiment around the reintroduction of the 4% FOB levy. Initially met with skepticism, resistance to the levy has diminished following revelations that prior charges—1% Comprehensive Import Supervision Scheme (CISS) and 7% port levy—lacked legal backing.

This is even as he disclosed that ANLCA aligns with the reintroduction of the 4% FOB levy following official clarifications eliminating the legal cobwebs hitherto militating against its collection.

“Customs bamboozled us for years with charges not supported by law. But now that the 4% FOB levy replaces illegal surcharges and is backed by legal provisions, members are prepared to comply,” Oduntan said.

The number two ANLCA top shot commended Customs for improved stakeholders engagement and noted that compliance with the levy would be universal once implementation begins. “We’ve been paying levies all along. So, this will be 100% compliant,” he affirmed.

While responding to journalists questions on the longstanding opacity surrounding the Practitioners Operating Fee (POF) collected by the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN), Oduntan lamented the lack of transparency in fee accounting and questioned the absence of audited disclosures.

With agents now more informed and legally aware, he stressed that any future irregularities in regulatory surcharges or fund management would face scrutiny and possible court action.

He notes that the renewed commitment to policy compliance and advocacy for structural reform underscores ANLCA’s evolving role in shaping Nigeria’s freight forwarding and trade policy landscape.