But for the intervention of the PTML Customs Area Controller, Mr. Tajudeen Olanrewaju and the Divisional Police Officer of the PTML police, there would have been a breakdown of law and order at the port yesterday as freight forwarders downed tools over the death of their member at the Port and Terminal Multiservices Limited (PTML) owned by Grimaldi Shipping.
But for the intervention of the PTML Customs Area Controller, Mr. Tajudeen Olanrewaju and the Divisional Police Officer of the PTML police, there would have been a breakdown of law and order at the port yesterday as freight forwarders downed tools over the death of their member at the Port and Terminal Multiservices Limited (PTML) owned by Grimaldi Shipping.
The PTML custom command has also lamented that the shut down which started around 5pm on Wednesday and which equally affected the PTML Mile-2 bonded terminal, has affected the command's overall revenue collection as no document could be processed throughout the period.
Shipping Position Daily had reported exclusively yesterday that two licensed customs agents slumped on Wednesday at the premises of the terminal, allegedly as a result of suffocation at the overcrowded and poorly ventilated hall where scores of clearing agents are usually attended to.
The chairman of the PTML chapter of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA); Prince Bola Adeniran told our correspondent that one of the association’s members had died as a result of suffocation, he also gave the identity of the deceased ANLCA member as Adesina Olatunji.
But yesterday, executives of two freight forwarding associations, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) and the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) who spoke with Shipping Position Daily gave the rationale behind the action, saying that five clearing agents had slumped between Friday last week and Wednesday this week, and that one had died as a result of the poor ventilation at the releasing area where agents process their Terminal Delivery Order (TDO).
Speaking however with our correspondent around 2pm yesterday shortly after a meeting with the management of the shipping company, NAGAFF chairman at PTML, Mr Cosmas Ndimkora explained that normal activities have resumed at the terminal.
Ndimkora said that the terminal has equally agreed not to impose any demurrage charge on the agents from Monday to Thursday, while the strike lasted.
According to him, the tension had doused when the management conducted the leadership of the associations round the ongoing renovation of the releasing area which had initially led to the protest.
"In the course of all these we have had one death and three people lying critically ill at the hospital, but now the releasing area has been reconstructed, its more wider than before, there is enough air condition and fan now, we went on the inspection and it was when we realised what they have been able to do from yesterday till today, this doused the tension, and we were also assured that there will not be demurrage" he explained
Meanwhile, in a chat with our correspondent yesterday, image maker of the PTML customs command, Mr Steve Okonmah lamented that the shut down has affected revenue collection of the customs as well as at Mile 2 vehicle terminal.
"On our side, we are not happy because it is going to affect our revenue collection, at the moment, no agent can go into the terminal, and if they cannot go in how do you treat their jobs? In Mile 2 the same thing is applicable the shipping company there is closed, and if agents cannot go in to transact, they can’t go for examination of cargoes and this is going to impact on our revenue collection"
Okonmah explained that the losses could not be quantified just yet, but that the CAC had intervened on the issue and had appealed to the aggrieved agents to embrace dialogue with management of the shipping company.
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