Confusion looms over 200 containers auctioned by Customs

THERE seems to be confusion over the fate of more than 200 containers already auctioned by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) following declaration, on Friday, by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) that it would go after the auction beneficiaries for possible return of the auctioned goods.

The TCN Managing Director, Usman Mohammed, said it had recovered more than 693 containers of power equipment abandoned at ports due to tariff, and that about 200 of the power equipment, which had been auctioned by the NCS, would be recovered by the transmission company.

Efforts to get the Customs spokesman, Mr Joseph Attah, on phone were abortive as he requested that our Correspondent send him a text message. A text message sent to him based on his request was not responded to as of the time of filing this report.

However, a reliable source in the NCS, in a chat with Saturday Tribune, wondered how easy such auction recovery would be, given the fact that the auction beneficiaries had paid for the goods and such payments had been remitted into the federation account.

“The goods were in the port for too long and constituted hindrances to cargo evacuation at the ports, so they were auctioned.

“I don’t understand what you mean by going after auction beneficiaries, because the monies paid by these beneficiaries have been deposited into the federation account.

“Is it that the beneficiaries will return the auctioned goods and get their monies refunded? If yes, who will refund them? And where will the refund be sourced from?

“What if the auction beneficiaries threaten libel? Don’t forget that they legitimately bid for those things and won,” the source stated.

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The TCN MD had said that “we were able to recover 693 containers as of last week, out of a total of 800 containers that have been in the ports.

“Some of these containers have been there for 15 years.

“Others have been auctioned and we had to trace the auctioneers to get the containers.

“The government is supporting us. And with the same way they are supporting us, I know that as government has beamed its searchlight on the distribution companies, they are going to solve the problems with power distribution.”

Mohammed said the government was set to solve the problems in the distribution arm of the power sector.

He disclosed that the government had approved that the TCN anchor the N72 billion the Federal Government planned to invest in the 11 electricity distribution companies in Nigeria.

He said the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, got the approval for the TCN to manage the N72 billion planned investment in the Discos.