Customs Agents, Trade Groups Demand Suspension of License Fee Hike

BY EGUONO ODJEGBA

Nigeria licensed customs agents associations and relevant trade professional bodies on Friday, September 12, 2025 rejected the recent hike in customs license fees by the federal government, even as they demanded the suspension of its implementation until all grey areas said to be associated with the proposed increases are addressed.

A cross section of participants at the meeting, Friday.

The groups including the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), the National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA), the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) and others, took the position after a Committee earlier set up by it at its August 21, 2025 meeting in Lagos, submitted its report to the group at the ANLCA National Secretariat, Amuwo-Odofin Lagos, venue of their meeting, earlier today.

The Committee chaired by Chief Lewis Ogunjemite, a retired comptroller of customs said the report encapsulates the position of all the groups, and appealed to the federal government to put the proposed license fee hike at abeyance and allow for robust stakeholders engagement to first of all discuss and debate the issue, given its sensitive nature, before making a pronouncement.

The quiet but powerful resistance which is gaining momentum vide a united rallying cry described the hike as a threat to trade equity and affront to the sensitivity of trading professionals confronted with a growing presence of foreign intruders, a development they attributed to the liaise affaire attitude of government and its officials.

Also speaking, ANLCA National President, Mr. Emenike Nwokeoji said “The Associations and Groups are not just rejecting the hike; we are also challenging the logic behind it. Licensing should not be a revenue tool; it should be a regulatory safeguard.”

A group picture of representatives of associations and groups after the meeting

The groups knocked the federal government and its agencies for claiming that part of the reasons for raising the customs license fee is to curb customs license associated abuses, saying such official posturing is lacking in clarity and pride.

“Well if the authorities concerned are saying that customs license abuses are part of the reasons they are jacking up the fee, it must be seen as an admission of failure on their part.

“All they need to do is one sentence: no container should be sent to this terminal until they certify that they have equipment to handle services. But they still allow it and turn around to blame us.”

The committee’s report highlights a troubling pattern as agents are other stakeholders are demanding that regulators enforce compliance and revoke licenses where necessary.

At the heart of the disagreement is Nigeria Customs Service’s proposal to raise license renewal fees from ₦215,000 to ₦4 million and new license fees from ₦515,000 to ₦10 million. Customs agents argue that such a hike would cripple small operators, concentrate power in the hands of a few, and undermine the very principles of fair trade.