Less than 24 hours after a top member of the association confirmed that its members were complying with the trucks standardisation directives of the Nigerian Ports Authourity (NPA), the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) has tasked the NPA to refund all monies collected from its members in connection with the N10,000 vehicle entry permit, saying that the levy is illegal and exploitative.
The leading truck owners’ association argued that vehicle entry permit is embedded in the payments made by importers, licensed customs agent and transporters in the delivery charges to the terminal operators on the Lease and Concession Agreement already in place, therefore NPA has no right to collect any other levy from truckers.
Shipping Position Daily recalls that the NARTO Vice Chairman of Dry Cargo section; Alhaji Inuwa Muhammed had said on Monday that the truckers have no option than to pay the fees.
Alhaji Muhammed had advised that truck owners who have businesses at the ports have to comply with the directive of the NPA, since it is for ‘’safety , standard and security. ‘’
Speaking on behalf of the various truckers’ unions via the telephone, he acknowledged that the unions cannot challenge or fight the government, hence there is need to comply.
But, yesterday, NARTO however threatened that NPA will face the consequence if it failed to refund the monies to its members.
In a statement made available to Shipping Position Daily yesterday and signed by its Executive Secretary; Mr. Ogbogo Aloga, the association called on the management of the NPA to stop imposing the levy immediately or face any consequences.
It added that, the issue was discussed at its third National Executive Council (NEC) meeting which held on 21st April, 2016.
The statement added that: “The NEC condemned in the strongest terms the wrongful imposition of N10, 000.00 (Ten Thousand Naira) vehicle entry permits on transporters for their trucks to enter into the port. ”
“The fee is exploitive and illegal because vehicle entry permit is embedded in the payments made by Importers, Licensed Customs Agent and Transporters in the delivery charges to the terminal Operators on the Lease/Concession Agreement already in place. ”
“The Management of NPA should also refund all the N10, 000 vehicle entry permits they have so far collected from transporters immediately. We call on the management of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and by extension of Federal Ministry of Transport to stop imposing the levy immediately or face any consequences the continued extortion may cause.”
According to him, the meeting also deliberated on the lingering fuel crisis.
He added that: “NEC expressed its displeasure over the lingering fuel scarcity being experienced in the country and the attendant hardship it brought on the people.”
Similarly, the meeting noted the inability of the NNPC to end the scarcity despite repeated assurances as disappointing and totally unacceptable.
NARTO also called on government to empower the marketers by giving the required guarantees for them to source money from the banks and through the provision of Concessionary Foreign Exchange allocation to enable them import sufficient quantity that would meet the needs of the people.
NARTO also noted that the lingering fuel scarcity was partially due to lack of adequate consultations with relevant stakeholders in the Downstream Sector of the Petroleum Industry.
The Association noted that since the beginning of the scarcity only one meeting was called by the Hon. Minister of State for petroleum resources to discuss the problem.
“We also observed that the Advisory Committee set up by the Hon. Minister to advise him on problems affecting the downstream sector operations did not include the actual players in the supply and distribution system.
“For sure, our Association is not on the committee. We therefore wonder how can anyone be more informed on matters of supply and distribution of Petroleum Products more than the transporters.”
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