Newly sworn-in Chairman of the International Freight Forwarders Association (IFFA), Ports and Terminal Multi Purpose Services Limited (PTML) Chapter; Mr Sunny Nnebe, has said that his team is coming to serve freight forwarders and correct the abnormalities in the maritime sector of the Nigerian economy.
Speaking recently in Lagos during the inauguration ceremony of the PTML chapter of the association, Nnebe, commended the vision of the founding father of IFFA , Dr. Sam Onyemelukwe who is also the national President.
He said the association will continue to collaborate with stakeholders and government agencies to get things right.
“Part of my agenda is information and enlightenment. I discovered that some executive members of other association get more favour than other people working in the maritime sector by getting some rebates only to themselves, while some others will be given higher rates. These are some of the reformation we planned to carry out. Let there be equal right for everybody”, he said.
Speaking further on the relationship between the freight forwarders, the Nigeria Customs Service, shipping companies and other service providers, Elder Nnebe said it was not too cordial in the sense that corruption and extortions have eaten deep into the system.
According to him, the NCS is discriminatory in treating issues as it affects individuals.
“Talking about the shipping companies and terminal operators, the situation is getting worse on daily basis. They are not treating us as stakeholders. I don’t know why I should take a job from an importer because l know that the cost from the shipping companies, only for the charges to be changed overnight. It is worrisome. If we continue that way, it will not lead us anywhere. The manifest supposed to come out early enough for effective clearance and to avoid goods entering demurrage, but reverse is the case. With the terminal operators, after payments, the containers are supposed to be dropped for examination either the same day, or the next day. But they will tell you three days and at times four days before they could drop your container for examination. This will result to incurring demurrage”
He also accused the shipping companies and terminal operators of collaborating to delay goods in the ports
“The terminal operators and shipping companies collaborates in making sure your goods are delayed in order to pay demurrage to them. Also customs is not helping matters. By the time you get to the exit get, it is a different ball game by the customs who will start talking about alert or no alert.” He concluded.
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