Oluyinka Onigbinde
Clearing Agents operating in the eastern port have alleged that activities of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) officials are killing trade at the eastern port.
The clearing agents under the umbrella of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), while speaking during a three days visit of the association’s acting president, Dr Kayode and other national executives, alleged that despite the poor cargo traffic at the port, Customs officials have further worsened the situation with their activities.
The clearing agents, aside from many other complaints against the service, listed the challenges confronting them to include, the multiplicity of alerts, lack of customs personnel to escort containers thereby leading to demurrage charges, the disparity in duty payment, and activities of Customs strike force, among others.
Speaking, the chairman of the ANLCA Calabar chapter of ANLCA, Dr. Ohaebuchi Uchechukwu Magnus stated that containers spend up to two weeks before it can exit the port due to lack of Customs personnel to escort the consignment. He lamented that the situation is a serious challenge affecting clearing agents at the port.
In the same vein, the Chairman Oil and Gas zone of ANLCA, Okere Chinyere said it takes a minimum of 30 days to move bulk containers from the port due to lack of customs personnel to escort the consignment.
She explained that as a result of that, freight forwarders are running into loss due to huge demurrage charges incurred.
She said: “For someone who has bulk containers to clear; let say you loaded 100 containers going to Kano, it will take you a minimum of 30 days to clear all the containers because Customs rations the consignment in five, so before the 100 containers leave the port you have incurred huge demurrage because NPA charges N25,000 for each day you stay in the port after the first two days free grace period.
“So most time you finish the job without even making money for yourself and customs are living large” she lamented.
Speaking also, one of the clearing agents who simply gave his name as Uzor lamented that multiple alerts on consignments is discouraging trade in the eastern zone and as well making many of the freight forwarders to develop high blood pressure. He said there is need for the NCS to harmonize alerts to reduce the burden on freight forwarders.” This issue of multiple alerts needs to be tackled, because the more bill of lading you have the higher your blood pressure”.
Giving a breakdown of the multiplicity of the alerts, he said Valuation on 20ft charges =N50,000 on 40ft =N100,000, CPC 20ft=N100,00, 40ft=N100,000, Compliance 20ft=N30,000, 50ft=50,000 CIU 20ft=N50,000, 40ft=N100,000, T&T 20ft=N50,000 40ft=N50,000, Strikeforce 20ft=N100,000 40ft=N100,000
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He urged the acting president of the association to address the issue as it’s a major challenge the agents are faced with in the eastern zone.
Also speaking, the chairman of Onne chapter of the association, Chief Mike Ebeatu, said at times, containers stayed on trucks for over five months; not allowed to go in or out
Speaking on other challenges affecting the eastern zone, the chairman of Airport chapter area 1, Port Harcourt, Charles Onyeama lamented the issue of the low volume of cargo at the eastern port, particularly at the airport chapter. He added that there are no jobs anymore, this is even as he said the MSC Shipping company has practically moved out of the area, he said this is due to the fact that the Port Harcourt Airport is not a certified airport and as such international airlines doesn’t come down to the airport making them lose cargoes that would have been coming to the port.
The clearing agents also lamented the non-refund of container deposit freight disparity among other factors affecting the eastern ports.
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