The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko, wants the Federal Government to take punitive measures against its agencies that refuse to clear their cargoes from the ports.

Dikko who said this in Abuja lastTuesday while fielding questions at a forum expressed regret that several appeals made by the Customs Service to the defaulting government agencies had fallen on deaf ears.

He blamed some of the agencies for worsening the ports congestion situation.

The comptroller-general said that the only way out of the problem was for government to institute punitive measures against any of its agencies that refused to clear its cargoes in good time.

“We have been writing, informing them that please come and clear your cargo because staying there is not in the best interest of the country.

“What I believe the government should do is that I am telling you it is better government should start taking punitive measures on all these agencies that are abandoning their cargoes in the port giving them  specific time and period to clear these thing or else the agency should be sanctioned.”

Dikko said that the actions of the affected agencies were inimical to the growth of the sector and to the nation’s economy.

The comptroller-general observed that such cargoes which would have been designated for specific projects but ended up being neglected at the ports might be responsible for many cases of abandoned projects across the country.

Dikko also said that the delays in clearing of cargoes at the ports constituted impediments to the targets of the Customs Service, especially as it affected revenue generation.

He said he was aware that some of the cases of abandonment were not occasioned by non release of funds for clearing of the cargoes, but resulted from the refusal of some of the agencies to clear the goods in good time.

He said that the only way out of the problem was for government to sanction erring agencies.

Dikko, however, debunked insinuations that the NCS constituted a clog in the wheel of progress of some of its sister agencies, emphasising that the service held nothing against any government agency.

He said that a situation where the service imposed sanctions on individuals and other groups whose cargoes had overstayed in the ports while it does nothing to government agencies amounted to double standards.

He maintained that the NCS was ready to cooperate with other agencies to help clear their cargoes in the ports in good time.

The CBN and the NNPC are some of the state-run agencies with overtime cargoes at the ports.