Blaming high cost of transportation and bad state of intra and inter-state roads, importers from the eastern parts of Nigeria may have started making ports in the eastern part of Nigeria their new destination.
Apart from the high cost of transportation, the traders are reportedly incurring huge debts almost on daily basis as trucks bearing their containers fall-off and get damaged along the two access pints into Lagos ports.
Activities of the Federal Operations Unit (FOU) of the Nigeria Customs Service are also being blamed for impeding transportation of duly cleared cargoes from the port.
The operators also lamented the numerous checkpoints between Lagos and the East, even as they stated that this is affecting some of the importers and their clearing agents in their way of doing business
Confirming the trend to Shipping Position Daily last week in Apapa, clearing agents to some of the importers said that their clients now prefer to clear their cargoes through Port Harcourt port because it is safer and far cheaper.
Chairman of Apapa Chapter of International Freight Forwarders Association (IFFA) Chief Osita Chukwu argued that whereas it takes up to N600,000 to transport a single container from Apapa port to Onitsha market, it takes just N150,000 to transport same from Port Harcourt port to Onitsha.
He said that soon, the eastern Nigeria would become the headquarters of sub-African trade and a hub; he argued that the Onitsha market is the biggest market in Africa and it remains so.
“If the importers move out finally, we (clearing agents) are moving out with them, because since we have been hammering on this road, nothing has been done about it. No country all over the world plays with their maritime sector; it is only Nigeria that does that, go to Ghana and Togo and see the roads to their port”
“It is cheaper to take cargoes through the eastern ports now, you can imagine that in Lagos, a distance of N35, 000 formerly is now costing N150, 000, between Apapa port and Brawal terminal in Kirikiri, truckers collect N150, 000. If you are going to the East, it is up to N600, 000, meanwhile, from Port Harcourt to Anambra is not more than N100, 000 and N150, 000” he said.
Also underscoring the imminent exit of Igbo importers from Lagos ports, a clearing agent, Mr. Frank Aliakor confirmed to Shipping Position Daily that some importers have decided to carry their goods in the east instead of taking it from Lagos because of the transportation.
He said despite the fact that Apapa port is the flagship of the nation's port where every government policy is being test-run, the roads to the port is so bad that people find it rigorous to come there and clear their goods.
“Eastern port is booming now because some Onitsha, Aba, Owerri guys have decided to move their consignment down there because the roads are not as bad as we have it in Lagos”
“Before now, some of the goods that go to the east come through Lagos ports, and transporters were charging between N500,000 and N600, 000 to take a 20-foot container from Lagos to Onitsha, while it takes between N150,000 to N170,000 from Port Harcourt port to Onitsha, so right now there is a great challenge in Apapa”
He said that cargoes that have paid duty at Apapa port are still being stopped on the highway by Federal Operations Unit of customs for them to check and even indict the officer that release the cargo from the port.
“The Eastern ports are enjoying now, importers are now going to the east to clear their goods, pay a small amount of money to transport it to various destinations around the eastern zones”, he said.
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