Prohited woods are not allowed into the country - Custom warns

THE Tin-Can Command of the Nigeria Customs
Service,(NCS) has said that only semi-treated and
fully processed wood products will be allowed
through its command as export.
Speaking with stakeholders in Lagos recently, the
Customs Area Comptroller of the Tin-Can Island
Command, Mr. Yusuf Bashar said that it had to
sensitize the trading public particularly exporters on
the need to ensure that only exportable wood
products are brought in to the port adding that
anything short of what the law permits will be
confiscated.
Bashar also said that the command had to bring in
officials of the Federal Environment Protection
Agency, (FEPA) to assist the Customs in explaining
and showing to exporters the difference between
treated and untreated wood products.
He explained that exports do not attract any duty
adding that in the light of falling oil price, the
government is trying to encourage Nigerians to
export as much as they can with a view to earn
more foreign exchange.
“It is an incentive to encourage export because it is
assumed that money will come to government based
on exportable products from Nigeria most especially
now that Nigeria is having issue with crude oil.
“Price per barrel is going down, it is our major
foreign exchange earner so Nigerians must be
encouraged to export as much lawful products as
possible.
“At a point, we asked ourselves how we can
encourage exports from our end, we thought that
the best way to do that was to sensitize the people
and tell what exports are allowed by law.
“We took wood products as the first item amongst
exportable products because it attracts a lot of
attention.
“The need for the campaign became imperative due
to the seeming confusion emanating from the export
of wood products .
“So we met exporters of wood products, freight
forwarders of wood exporters, our own Customs
personnel and any interested members of the public
and let them know the categories of wood that are
lawfully exportable”he said.
According to Bashar, other government agencies
that approved such exports were also invited to tell
exporters what is called processed and semi
processed woods.
He opined that the more there is communication, the
higher the compliance level ,adding that unprocessed
wood is banned from export.