The Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has been blamed for the present predicament of freight forwarders at the PTML terminal following the recent demolition of their secretariat by the Nigerian Ports Authority and the management of the PTML terminal.
A former Vice Chairman of the Chapter, Chief Emmanuel Tobi in a chat with Shipping Position Daily lambasted the incumbent chairman of the chapter; Prince Bola Adesokan and other executives for their lack of vision and focus, which according to him led to the present situation.
The Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has been blamed for the present predicament of freight forwarders at the PTML terminal following the recent demolition of their secretariat by the Nigerian Ports Authority and the management of the PTML terminal.
A former Vice Chairman of the Chapter, Chief Emmanuel Tobi in a chat with Shipping Position Daily lambasted the incumbent chairman of the chapter; Prince Bola Adesokan and other executives for their lack of vision and focus, which according to him led to the present situation.
Tobi alleged that the terminal operator; Grimaldi Shipping had issued a notice to the leadership of the associations three years ago for them to get an alternative space, but alleged that the executives did not take the directive seriously.
When our correspondent visited the terminal yesterday, agents were seen loitering around the terminal, while some of them including the chapter chairmen operated directly from their vehicles.
It would be recalled that the offices of both ANLCA and NAGAFF were pulled down on 10th of August by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the management of PTML which alleged that agents constitutes security risk to the port.
Apart from this, the management was not satisfied with the manner in which agents troop into the terminal daily because it is a violation of the International Ships and Ports Facility Security (ISPS) Code.
Shipping Position Daily gathered that there were last minute interventions from the national leadership of the two associations shortly before the structures were pulled down, but this also failed. The national leadership of ANLCA was led to the meeting by its national president; Prince Olayiwola Shittu, while NAGAFF was led by its deputy president, Barrister Fred Akhokia.
Speaking further, the ANLCA Chieftain told our correspondent that: "They have given us notice since three years ago that we should look for a space around and tell them so that they can give us, it is the fault of the chairman".
He blamed the ANLCA executives for failing to defend their members, saying that, "if the executives know what they were doing, they are supposed to fight for it by getting a space and tell Grimaldi".
"There are still spaces around, but we are not focused, we are not serious, had it been that we are serious, there is space inside the container complex where people are getting for offices, if we had told the management about it, they would have given us, but it all depends on the executives" Tobi said.
He stressed further that the laws of the customs has specifically provided that licensed agents are supposed to be very close to the port in order for them to be able to carry out their functions of cargo clearance.
"NPA is supposed to provide a place for the agents, if you look at Apapa in those days, they build houses for agents to come and rent at a low price so that they can be close to the port”, he recalled.
Speaking in the same manner, the Chairman of the PTML ANLCA task force on Ethics, Complaints and Discipline; Olorogun Andrew Ugwi also in a chat with Shipping Position Daily accused the Chairman of the chapter, Prince Bola Adesokan for being “too diplomatic” with the terminal operators.
He vowed that agents will continue to hang around and do their business from the spot where they had been evicted.
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