Hyacinth Chinweuba
The All Ports Unified Freight Forwarding Practitioners Association (APUFFPA), has blamed arbitrary charges by shipping companies on export trade for reasons why shipments of goods from the ports are delayed to Europe, thereby making cargoes of perishable items get spoilt before it reached its desired destination.
While speaking recently as guest to the Association of Maritime Journalists Of Nigeria (AMJON) in Lagos, Prince Mike Okorie alleged that the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) which have been assigned with the responsibility of enforcement of the law also lacks compliance, adding that how would you explain that goods said to have been transparently released by Senior Officers of the Service and cleared from the Nigerian ports are intercepted on the highway by a very junior Officer, and is thereafter taken to the Federal Operations Unit Zone ‘A’, Ikeja to have been falsely declared.
Okorie pointed out that, should this act by Customs not be regarded as self indictment?
He maintained that there is the need to bridge the information gap among freight forwarding operators who have not been aware of the Service killing tendencies, stressing that Customs compliance with the law will boost trade by increasing the nation economic growth.
“That is the reason for our mission to ensure things are adequately done rather than being frustrated out of business” okorie said.
“According to him, it is very much abnormal of the alleged additional levies imposed by shipping companies on import and export goods, saying such acts constantly lead to delays in the export process and clearing of consignments from the terminals in the country”.
Prince Okorie, who was guest at the monthly programme of (AMJON), tagged, ‘Roundtable Meeting,’ said except the regulators comply fully with the extant laws, Nigerian-bound goods due to frustration by the Customs and other agencies on the highways, the nation will continue to experience diversion of cargoes to neighbouring ports of Cotonou in Benin Republic, Togo and Cote Voire respectively.
He therefore urged the Nigerian Government to address the problems associated with the clearing procedures and delays to prevent diversion of imports to neighbouring West African countries, which he said Nigeria loses billions of dollars in revenue and high frequency of job loses in the country.
He lamented that, “How can Nigeria the leading factor and giant of Africa operates in an atmosphere of disorganized system, while “Our neighbors among the West African sub-region close to Nigeria have more efficient and effective operational system,”
He expressed concern over the port concession programme which supposed to have addressed issues of bottlenecks associated with clearance of cargoes, but not much has been achieved 12 years after concession.
Noting that, the country’s exports are rejected overseas due to inadequacies heralding in the process of documentation and lack of infrastructures at the terminals, disclosing that most perishable goods get rot before transit due to delays by shipping lines, he revealed.