The Joint Council of Seaport Truckers (JCOST) has fixed April 1st 2017 as implementation date for the new rates which will henceforth be charged for their services at Nigerian ports.
The umbrella body of all the maritime transport unions said that their decision is coming on the heels of so many complains of extortions coming from practitioners in the maritime industry by Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) among others.
At a stakeholders meeting held in Lagos yesterday, the truckers came up with a revised haulage freight rate in the port and agreed that henceforth, the least that would be charged on a general cargo container travelling not farther than Apapa to Coconut Bus stop is N80, 000. The maximum for a general cargo truck going outside of Lagos shall be N850, 000 depending on various locations after leaving the port.
On a 40foot container also, the truckers agreed that N80,000 would be charged as minimum fee for trucks moving between Apapa Port and Coconut bus-stop, while as much as N850,000 would be charged for trucks going outside of Lagos, depending on the location. However on a 20 foot container, the least is N60, 000 and maximum is N800, 000.
As for a container carrying double 20foot containers (2×20) the charges is placed at N100,000 and N850,000 maximum.
The truckers also however said that it sees the monetary involvement of NPA in their registration policy and standardization scheme as double taxation.
JCOST also said that NPA is drawing FRSC and Vehicle Inspection Service (VIS) into milking truck drivers.
In his words the Chairman of the body, Alhaji Kayode Odunowo said, “For over half a decade now, we have been engaging NPA and stood against the monetary involvement in their registration policy”
“Our reasons include that it amounts to double taxation, confirmation /certification of extortion and anti-people in implementation of policies. We had stood against the enforcement until recent when some black legs, not from JCOST joined the debate to argue that it would eradicate corruption in the system, provide NPA with money to facilities etc. they are now drawing FRSC and VIS to milk us”
“We are not relenting, we are still engaging the authorities at different levels and we only pray you do not deny or betray us again in the fight. We lament seriously our disappointment and frustration of genuine members over the failure of that last struggle against the sticker project”
“There shall be two tiers task force, central task force by JCOST and local by the unit. We are advising for complete adherence to the approved Standard Operating Procedure as harmonized and domiciled with the Nigerian Shippers council with effect from the first day April 2017” he said.
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