WHARF LANDIND FEES KICKS OFF TODAY

..As Freight forwarders strike deal with LASG

About five months after the bill establishing it was signed into law by the governor of Lagos state, Mr Raji Fashola (SAN0, collection of the controversial wharf landing fees is expected to commence in Lagos this week following last minute endorsement by freight forwarding groups which had already told their members to cooperate with officials of the collecting agency.
Shipping Position Weekly confirmed that after meeting stakeholders recently, officials of the state government were able to convince freight forwarding associations on the need to cooperate.
Sensing a window of opportunity for them to also re-introduce the controversial professional fees, leaders of Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) and the National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed customs Agents agreed to play along.
Although, modalities for collecting the fees were still unclear as at press time, our correspondent confirmed that a firm in which a serving Senator and former chairman of Apapa local government, Senator Munir Muse had interests may have won the contract for the collection of the fees
The “wharf landing fees” has been categorised into =N=500 and =N=1,000 payable on each 20-footer container and 40-footer container respectively. Similarly, heavy duty vehicles and cars will attract N1, 000 and N500 respectively
The new law is a replica of what the Apapa local government attempted to introduce in 2001, but which did not succeed. It was during the tenure of Chief Ojo Maduekwe as transport minister and Alhaji Muse as the chairman of Apapa local government that the wharf landing fees ideas was first mooted..

Alhaji Muse had used his experience as a former port manager in one of the ports belonging to Nigerian Ports Authourity to attempt to take advantage of the relative newness of the democratic dispensation at that time to force wharf landing fees down the throat of importers.

He relied on the fact that the way the Presidency was structured at that time was such that the office of the vice president related directly with the local governments. He had a double advantage in the fact that he was well informed enough to canvass it and he also used the fact that the then-vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has tremendous background in port operations; being a former top customs officer.

Muse’s manoeuvrings almost caused the then-minister of transport, chief Maduekwe his job as he was not favourably disposed to imposition of any additional levy on Nigerian importers.

At one of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meetings, the issue of wharf landing fees was tabled, and the minister was given the opportunity to rubbish the proposal. He was able to convince the Council of the dangers inherent in allowing it. And so, it died.