Licensed customs agents have declared as a tall order the recent directive of the minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo Iweala that the nation’s seaports must work round-the-clock.
The minister’s directive has also been reiterated by the Presidential Committee on Port Reform, which is headed by Professor Sylvester Monye.
The realization of the futility of that desire was one of the highpoints of the meeting between the national leadership of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) and members of the association in Apapa port.
Licensed customs agents have declared as a tall order the recent directive of the minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo Iweala that the nation’s seaports must work round-the-clock.
The minister’s directive has also been reiterated by the Presidential Committee on Port Reform, which is headed by Professor Sylvester Monye.
The realization of the futility of that desire was one of the highpoints of the meeting between the national leadership of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) and members of the association in Apapa port.
The ANLCA leadership which was led on a visit by the association’s national president, Prince Olayiwola Shittu was told by members of the association that although the ports are expected to operate round –the-clock every day as directed by the federal government, port operatives and government agencies are not seen to carry out the directive, yet shipping companies charge demurrage for work that they did not do, because according to the clearing agents, none of them are seen in the beyond the usual customary working hours and days.
But responding, the association president explained that the security implications of working round-the-clock have made it to work 24Hours.
According to him, it will be difficult and risky for anyone to transact business in the night and there is also no guarantee of safe delivery of the cargoes in the night because of bandits.
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