Mr. Osisi Tico Philips has a lot to share about the industry and his association. He told Roland Ekama some of the challenges that surround his position as the Vice President [International Relations] of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders [NAGAFF] and other industry issues.
As The Vice President Of NAGAFF [International Relations] What Have Been Your Challenges?
Mr. Osisi Tico Philips has a lot to share about the industry and his association. He told Roland Ekama some of the challenges that surround his position as the Vice President [International Relations] of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders [NAGAFF] and other industry issues.
As The Vice President Of NAGAFF [International Relations] What Have Been Your Challenges?
The major challenges as the Vice Chairman International Relations is funding because my position in the association entails travelling to attend seminars, workshop and programmes that concerns our industry. As it is I don’t think I have made up to 3 trips due to lack of fund and unlike what was obtained in the past. I can say that I cannot travel to Ghana for a programme that concerns the maritime industry because the fund to travel to and fro coupled with accommodation and other expense is not there. However with the present economic meltdown things have been quite difficult for now so the major challenge as the vice president international relations of NAGAFF is fund.
How Has The National President Been Able To Address This Problem?
I cannot say they are folding their hands towards the challenges but just like I said there is no fund and if the fund were to be available why not. You know as an association there are some challenges to address and as it is we attend more local seminars than that of international even with the fact that we have International affiliate.
As A Registered Freight Forwarder, Has CRFFN Lived Up To Expectation In The Area Of Manpower Development?
Of course they are living up to expectation but the only area that I am not comfortable about is the charges they collected in training chief executives and managing directors which for me is very high and I want to believe that most M.D ‘s needed the training but the amount was just too high for them to pay .Imaging a situation whereby a managing director of a company to pay a sum of N250,000 for a week programme so I believe that if the authority can reduce the cost in the next edition the turnout will be encouraging. For example if they can bring down the cost to N30,000 or less it will be a very good thing for us who are eager to be trained and it enable people to participate. I don’t think up to thirty people attended the recent programme where we have large amount of people into the freight forwarding business in the country, so am calling for a total reduction in that area because we are suppose to benefit from the training put together by CRFFN thus there is need for a lot of people to participate in the programme.
In Your Own Opinion Do You Think That Customs Would Be Able To Meet The N1.2 Trillion Targets?
It a two thing because as it stands they might be able to meet the target and on the other hand they may not this is so because over years they have been exceeding their target but with this one at hand,it is not going to be a easy task for them. The benchmark issue has created a lot of problem to everybody which will deter the target because even without the introduction of the benchmark they have been surpassing their targets but I must commend on the C.G courage but it is now a thing of the past.
How Can You Describe Who Is A Freight Forwarder And Is A Licensed Customs Agent?
A freight forwarding is that person that organizes, articulates, documents and arranges for movement of cargoes from the point of origin to the point of destination .While the reverse is the case .The customs clearing agent is that person that has that limited knowledge of been a customs agent and he is limited to the customs umbrella to either document or follow the day to day running of the business. There is no way you can compare a freight forwarder and a licensed customs agent because the freight forwarder has a vast knowledge of cargo movement compared to the customs broker or clearing agent. We as freight forwarder we know the nitty gritty of clearing of goods out of the port because we have that vast knowledge about logistics which we all know deals with the movement of cargoes out of the port.
What Can Be Done To Control The Influx Of People Into The Nigeria Port?
The government has tried in their own way to address the issue of human traffic in the port but there is a point that I will love to note which this is. A vulcanizer may have something to do in the port when a truck needs the service at any given time because the driver cannot mend the tyres when such instances comes up thus he is relevant at the port in that regard but what the government should do to address movement of people in and out of the port is to introduce the use of identity card in the system. However there must some kind of profiling about individuals that has business to do in the port.
With The Recent Development On Apapa Oshodi Expressway on The Evacuation Of Container Trucks And Other Articulated Vehicles On The Road Are You Satisfied With State Government And The Presidential Committee On Port Reform?
Yes because passing through that road to Tin Can Island port and Lagos port was terrible but for now normalcy has been restored and it is a plus to the government .Every user of that have to thank the government on the development they have recorded so far but it will nice to say that there is need for continuity because those trucks may find their way back on the roads again if proper measures is not put in place to checkmate their activities. The presidential committee on port reforms should however take the issue of arbitrarily charges by shipping companies serious because it can lead serious problem in the port operation. Apart from the roads which they have succeed I not satisfied with the committee in the area of port operations although what we have at the moment boils down to policy somersault and with that Nigerian are been strangled with the policies because there is no country all over the world that you have the cost of doing business in the port compared to Nigeria because Nigeria port is the most expensive port in the world and it is killing the economy .There is need for government to set up a regulatory agency to monitor the shipping companies because it is high time we have uniform charges because what is obtainable in Nigeria is scaring foreign investors away from the country and from what is on ground now most of the off dock terminals are scanty of goods which I will say is not encouraging to our economy.
Are you satisfied with the performance of the presidential committee on port reform in the area of shipping and terminal operations at the port?
No, I am not satisfied with their performance because it boils down to policy somersault and you find out that this expatriates are not being fair to Nigeria because no country in world over pay such huge amount in doing business in the port as you have in Nigeria. The cost of clearing cargo is more in the country than anywhere else in the world and just like the point you noted ,Nigeria is a country that you cannot have uniform charges on cargo because if there is regulatory body that is serious about regulating the shipping companies in the country, then I think things will work for us, furthermore it is high time we had uniform charges and the disparity in charges will not give any investor the opportunity to come over to Nigeria for any form of investment especially when an investor is coming in newly to do business in Nigeria. For instance, what APMT charges is quite different from what TICT charges and vice versa. So what I am saying is that if there is a very good regulatory body that is out there doing their work, I believe they will be able to tell this people about the nitty gritty of what is supposed to be done on charges because when you scare away the investors, for example take a lot at the ports, the terminals you find out that the terminals are scanty of containers. In the area of container transfer, demurrage starts from the first day the container is living the port to the off dock terminal which I must say it’s not done in other parts of the world. If you are to move your cargo from one point to another then you should be able to take that responsibility. So this are the areas that I expect the committee to look into and address the issues abruptly, because these are some of the problems we face in the ports that has hampered the smooth flow of trade. Until the major issue confronting the industry which involves charges ,issues of keeping containers at Apapa and charging the owner who is unaware of where the containers been transferred to are addressed, I can not say that the port reform committee has lived up to expectation. I think the committee should organise a stakeholders’ meeting and listen to the voice of the people that are doing the job, because you that wear the shoe knows where it pinches. You cannot sit in an executive office and tackle an issue that concerns an agent who runs from port to port because there is need to call such a person to find out what the problems or challenges in the business are so that he can tell you where he feels they should address and make amendment because he feels it more.
What about in the area of traffic along the port access road?
I will say they did well in that regard because they took a bold step to evacuate the trucks, tankers and trailers in conjunction with the Lagos government, but I pray that those vehicles do not find their way back to the roads.
In your own opinion, how can government control the influx of people into the port?
The port is a bonded area but one thing about the port system is that even a vulcanizer may have something to do at the port when necessary, because once a truck that is trying to load a container breaks down, then there is the need for a technician to come to the rescue. But I think the government should put a measure by in place that can address the influx of people into the port because so many people do not have business at the port and it has created a lot of problems to those who have businesses at the port.
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