Rivers Port manager, Mrs. Carolyn Akum Ufere has said that under-declaration of true value of cargo imported into the country is an act of fraud, which has its penalties.
Mrs. Ufere disclosed this in a release issued from the office of the chief port public affairs officer of the port, Mrs. Barbara Ejemeh Nchey-Achukwu.
She said that the real reason shippers always indulge in acts of under-declaration of their cargo was to cheat and evade payment of tariffs.
The port manager pointed out that the act has grave consequences on the economy, saying that it had reduced accurate revenue that ought to have been earned both by federal government and the Nigerian Ports Authority.
She said that practical measures had been put in place to address the issue of under-declaration, adding that “there are checks and balances already put in place. The 100 percent punitive measure against any airing shipper should they be apprehended is a check.”
Mrs Ufere said that any company involved in the act could be blacklisted from operating in the Port, which she said could serve as a deterrent to others to shun the act.