As the maritime industry awaits the federal government’s decision on which agency will serve as a commercial port regulator to address issues of arbitrary charges by the concessionaires and to combat corruption in the nation’s seaports, stakeholders have again lamented the need to put in place a supervisory body to address the issues before it gets out of control.
As the maritime industry awaits the federal government’s decision on which agency will serve as a commercial port regulator to address issues of arbitrary charges by the concessionaires and to combat corruption in the nation’s seaports, stakeholders have again lamented the need to put in place a supervisory body to address the issues before it gets out of control.
The stakeholders called on the federal government to come to their rescue before commercial disputes affect ports business, even as they also threatened to shut down operational activities in the country.
Addressing stakeholders at a forum which held on Wednesday at the Apapa command of the Nigeria Customs Service in Lagos, Chairman, Apapa Chapter of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents [ANLCA], Sir John Ofobike said that the increased charges by the shipping companies are illegal and that the companies have erred in so many areas.
He said before the concessionaires can increase charges, the stakeholders must reach a consensus and before it can become binding.
The chairman assured the concessionaires that the various freight forwarding associations are working together to make sure that the terminal operators and shipping companies revise their charges.
‘’The way to increase charges is in the agreement that is between them and us the stakeholders and I have the document with me and they have not followed that procedure, but I want to assure that the management of various associations are doing something to make sure that they revise their charges and if they do not revise it, we have the right to say we are not working again, then government will come in to ask what is the problem ’’he threatened.
‘’The charges by the concessionaires are just too high and it is not friendly to Nigeria because it is the end users that suffer at the end of it all. Nigeria is an import- oriented nation and nobody is protecting that interest; that is why we say we need a port regulator that will check the activities of the terminal operators and the shipping companies. There must be a body to sanction them whenever they go contrary to the law”, he stressed.
‘’Until we have a regulator, I don’t think the concessionaires are ready to change their ways and we cannot sit down to allow these things happen to our country’’.
He also added that corruption at the ports cannot be discarded at the moment as a result of the non -existence of a commercial regulator to fight the ills that are associated with port operations all over the federation.
He charged the Customs Area Controller of Apapa command to continue with the meeting as it will help to solve some of the problems in the ports in Lagos.
In a similar response, national coordinator of the Save Nigeria Freight Forwarders Importers, Exporters Coalition Chief Patrick Osita Chukwu said that putting a port commercial regulator in place will reduce the level of corruption and demurrage charges by the concessionaire.
He also said the non-existence of a commercial regulator has made Nigerians to suffer in the hands of the concessionaires.
He also called on the federal government to act fast in ensuring that a commercial regulator is created to address critical issues that surround port operations.
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