Factional national president of the National Council of Managing Director of Licensed Customs Agents [NCMDLCA] Festus Ejiofor has described shipping companies and terminal operators as major setbacks for the Nigerian maritime industry.
In a chat with Shipping Position Daily in Lagos on Wednesday, the president said that the mode of operations and the arbitrary charges by the concessionaires have made activities in the Nigeria ports to be static.
Factional national president of the National Council of Managing Director of Licensed Customs Agents [NCMDLCA] Festus Ejiofor has described shipping companies and terminal operators as major setbacks for the Nigerian maritime industry.
In a chat with Shipping Position Daily in Lagos on Wednesday, the president said that the mode of operations and the arbitrary charges by the concessionaires have made activities in the Nigeria ports to be static.
‘’The shipping companies and the terminal operators are the ones causing most of the problems in the port, this is because the Inland Container Depot [ICD] are being starved of containers and this has created congestions at the ports’’.
‘’What they do is that they will block-stack your container and continue to charge the importers while containers are still at block-stack, same also goes to the terminal operators and whenever you complain, they give excuses”.
Ejiofor stated that as law-abiding citizens, the association has tried to ensure that some of the problems could be addressed but the heavy weights behind the concessionaires made the situation to remain the same.
‘’We have done all that we could for a change in the business, but all to no avail. We have written to the Presidency hinting them about the problems which led to establishment of some committees on port reforms in the sector, but there have being no changes from the concessionaires’’.
He also said that Nigeria Customs Service officers are considerate in addressing issues that affect licensed customs agents in the clearing process and procedures, adding that the concessionaires are not considerate in issues bothering port business.
Ejiofor noted that the concessionaires are major reasons why doing business in the country is expensive because according to him, “if the shipping companies and terminal operators are considerate as the Nigeria customs are, then I must say that there will be a tremendous change in port operation’’.
He commended Customs for the improvement in the area of service to importers and clearing agents.
‘’Presently, when you cry to the customs about a particular issue they will listen and attend to you, but the shipping companies are not ready for such’’.
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