The issuance of port passes by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to licensed customs agents and freight forwarders seeking to enter into Nigerian ports is generating controversies. The NPA has said that official clearance from the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) remains a criterion for issuing the pass.
Consequently, the CRFFN has also said that full payment of four years subscription fees must be paid by any freight forwarder or agent who seeks to get clearance from the regulatory agency. The fees run into N144, 000.
Clearing agents have however condemned this requirement describing it as an attempt to ambush them for a rip-off.
One of the agents who spoke with Shipping Position Daily exclusively in Apapa yesterday, Mr. Sulaiman Adeola noted that it was wrong for the CRFFN to be demanding N144, 000 from clearing agents before they could get port pass to transact business at Nigerian ports.
He observed that the Council has been running without a board for the past four years and it should not be demanding for such fees.
"If you want to obtain a port pass now, they would refer you back to the CRFFN after this, the CRFFN will ask you to go and pay your practicing fees for four years. This is a CRFFN that has no board till today"
"The practicing fees for four years is N144, 000 and I don't know the account the money is going"
"Before now, we usually write to the NPA and apply for the port pass and they give us a debit note to go and pay for port pass, but presently, instead of doing the documentation they would ask you to go and obtain clearance from CRFFN before they would embark on the processing of the port pass"
Other freight forwarders who confirmed the development to Shipping Position Daily correspondent also said that even if all conditions are met, it takes about two weeks processing before the port pass is issued.
One of them who pleaded anonymity also alleged that some of the NPA officials usually issue the port pass even without the CRFFN clearance after they must have been bribed.
Meanwhile the CRFFN had said recently released a list of amount to be paid by all freight forwarders, licensed customs companies and intending freight forwarders.
According to the Council, Annual Subscription fees for a staff freight forwarder is N10,000 for a Nigerian and N20, 000 for a non – Nigerian. The fee for executive freight forwarder, a Nigerian is N20, 000 while non-Nigerian is N40,000.
Nigerian owned freight forwarding companies are to pay N30, 000 annually while non-Nigerian is N60,000. Nigerian freight service provider is to pay N25,000 while a non-Nigerian is to pay N50, 000.
But, reacting to the development, the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has advised its members to comply with the CRFFN directive.
In a statement issued in Lagos by the spokesperson, Mr. Stanley Ezenga, NAGAFF stated that, "it is important to inform all freight forwarding practitioners that it is compulsory that every practitioner is at liberty (voluntarily) to be duly registered with NAGAFF and ANLCA for the purposes of facilitating quick issuance of CRFFN and NPA identity card for access into the ports"
"This is very critical because in a short while the implementation of “ease of doing” business reforms and curbing of touting activities at the ports shall start by the Nigerian Port Authority security officials and CRFFN Enforcement Unit“
"It is also a fact that Mobile Court may be attached to ports to summarily try offenders of Government Orders and regulations within the seaport and airports".
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