The Importers Association of Nigeria (IMAN) has come hard on the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) for demanding the cancellation of International Cargo Tracking Note (ICTN) operated by the Nigerian Shippers Council, even as it wrote a petition to President Muhammadu Buhari to disregard the earlier petition filed by MAN.
In a petition sent to President Muhammadu Buhari on November 18th 2015 signed by its President, Chief Osita Okereke and sent to Shipping Position Daily, the association accused MAN of trying to mislead the trading public through selfish propaganda and blackmail.
The importers association told President Buhari that rather than tinker cancellation of ICTN as demanded by MAN, the Nigeria Shippers’ Council should be commended for its timely intervention towards the recovery of funds being raked in by carriers from unjustifiable charges.
The association maintained that ICTN implementation will be at no cost to the shipper, and that it does not add to the cost of doing business at Nigerian ports.
The importers association blasted MAN, saying that the association should concentrate same energy it is using to fight the CTN to fight ills in the port such as arbitrary charges, 7% port surcharge, 70% auto levy among other illegal collections.
The importers equally noted with concern that cargo consolidators had since taken advantage of CTN implementation in other nations without Nigerian shippers knowing.
Apart from the tracking fee, it says certain unreasonable charges such as war risk, terrorism and Boko Haram, congestion; Ebola, etc are listed in the components of ocean freight for Nigeria-bound cargoes, which the Nigeria Shippers’ Council is aggressively pursuing to reverse.
The body added that: "It is important to note here that, the consolidators collude with the carriers to collect the said tracking fee (embedded in the ocean freight) from the shippers. It is therefore necessary that the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) and their cargo consolidators should exhibit due diligence and compliance to ensure genuine declaration of their imports’’
"There is no doubt that we are strategically positioned in our ports to give an insight into all these malfeasances"
"If members of the M.A.N. are genuine and sincere, why have they not protested against 7% import surcharge levy, the progressive storage charges of the concessionaires, the transfer charges of containers to outer terminals and bonded warehouses, the sale of auction containers, the 70% auto levy and other illegal charges in our ports"
"The entire burden is on the informal sector groups investments. They will not complain or protest because their goods are moved from the port on fast track delivery in the name of the so-called raw material imports" IMAN stated.
The importers association also argued that the Nigerian international trade peculiarities are not the same with that of Ghanaian international trade environment.
It says the CTN Implementation in Ghana (just like it happened in Nigeria in 2012) was recently suspended by Ghana Shippers Council due to noticeable flaws in the originating contract agreement, especially in protecting Government revenue interest.
It says this is, "unlike the Nigerian Shippers’ Council that meticulously crafted an originating contract agreement protecting Government revenue interest and shippers interest, thereby adding value to our international trade supply chain"
"The assertion by the antagonists of the implementation of the CTN that the Bill of lading used by other agencies of the government and captures the relevant information to be supplied by the CTN is unfounded, because the Bill of lading is a mere receipt of contract of carriage which is private to the originator and others concerned’’.
"Governments of nations do not have control over bill of ladings and as such it cannot be used as a strategic security document”,the letter maintained.
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