Demola Irinyemi (registrar IFFN)
The new container tracking levy as far as I am concerned is not a good development for now. It is simply an additional financial burden on the shippers. As a maritime nation, our desire is to make our ports attractive on the ground of reduction on port charges, in order to embrace regular patronage from within and from neighboring nations as well.
However, with this there is the likelihood that it will amount to sharp reduction in patronage from shippers’ at the Nigerian ports. Financially it will also affect us due to the additional burden created.
On a final note, I am of the opinion that such development should be suspended for now, because of the heavy negative impact it will unleash on the Nigerian economy.
Isaiah Okonkwo (Consultant)
Those people behind the container tracking levy (CTL) imposed on importers do not have interest for good things for this nation called Nigeria; except their personal interest. Our government should rise up against the so called CTL quickly before these greedy people destroy the maritime industry in Nigeria.
Sonniel Onochie (PRO ANCLA)
I think the idea is very wrong and unfair to us, because it’s an additional document to the clearing procedure and also additional way of making us pay more on our consignments or that of our clients into the country.
The idea should not be allowed; in a nutshell I don’t support it at all.
Idowu Owoade (Clearing agent)
There is no fee that is not relevant, as far as I am concerned. If it starts today I will pay, if it is raised and supported by the government and its agencies. But there will be problems if all the fees are collected or generated and there is nothing to show for it in the ports, things like good access roads to the ports. Take for instance the so called “wharf landing fees” collected by the Lagos state government, we are seeing what they use the money for and we are wiling to pay, though there is room for improvement.
If we are to pay, what we are paying for should be visible and we should not pay to terminals again after paying such fees.
Usman Sanusi (President NAGAFF)
It is very contentious for now and we are updated with series of complaints about its introduction in Nigeria. In fact stakeholders were taken unaware by NPA and Federal Executive Council without consultation of stakeholders in the industry. We have tried to research its benefits to Nigerian citizens and we discovered it will inflict more hardship on already impoverish Nigerians. We feel it is unusual for the NPA or the agent they are representing to get up one day and impose taxes on citizens they are meant to protect, but we are glad to hear the implementation has been suspended till when Nigerians are enlightened as to its relevance.
Abdurasak Arabambi (Clearing agent)
I think we are the ones that will have to protest against the levy by ourselves, if we can not fight it then we don’t have any option but to start paying it so far its government’s agenda. its just like the 30% levy we use to pay in those days, we do pay many dues of such nature, for example then we have federal environmental pollution levy and jawura which was later canceled after the death of the late Abacha. I believe those levies where introduced by federal government then and if this cargo tracking levy is allowed to stay, we will have to pay. But all this will definitely have a direct impact on the consumer because it is the importer that is going to pay this money and it will definitely affect the prices of goods in the market.
Kayode Farinto (Chairman, TCIP ANLCA)
The container tracking levy is uncalled for at this time and we are not happy about the way the federal executive council narrow mindedly accepted it and is now trying to bring it into our system through the back door, I believe the MD NPA and the minister of transport are also a part of the meeting which led to it but they ought to be aware of the exorbitant fees that we pay at the ports to clear goods which we are still complaining about, now they try to bring this in. We will not accept it because it is completely alien, at the end of the day it is the end users: (both you and I) that are made to suffer it. We expect that the shipper’s council and the CRFFN at this time will rise up to do something about this levy, it runs into millions of naira when you calculate it, they have to protect our importers. We have written to the appropriate quarters and I believe other concerned associations have done the same.
Romanus Iheanacho (clearing agent)
This whole idea is going to make things very expensive in the market because for example when the shipping companies charge higher, prices hit the rooftop, in other countries the system is very different, once your container land at the port you pay necessary charges, pull a truck and you go to your destination, there is nothing like container tracking, it is here in Nigeria that we are doing so. There are many containers lying at the ports today because there is no money to clear them and that is why most of the importers prefer going to cotonou to clear their cargo and in so doing Nigeria is loosing a lot of money because hard conditions are being attached to it.
Ugochukwu Nnadi (NAGAFF chair, PTML)
We don’t know what government intends to do with the container tracking fee and besides what does container tracking means? Also talking about the amount involved, a 100 euro for a 40 footer and 50 Euros for a 20 footer, at the current rate a 100 euro is N23,000, money used in tracking what? To me the whole idea is very absurd and we will continue to fight against it. By the way, we don’t see what the NPA is doing with the 7% charge that we are paying because since the concessioning of the ports their burden has been reduced, the port has been taken over by other people and they have less things to take care of but yet we are still paying that money, look at our access roads gone bad, so let NPA tell us what they have been doing with the 7% charge before they start talking about introducing another levy, it is all nonsense and we will not support it.
Celestine Okafor (clearing agent)
In other parts of the world that are involved in shipping business, I don’t think they have this kind of fee, go to Ghana, Togo, Cameroun or Gabon there is nothing like container tracking fee in clearing cargo, it is because of the leaders we have here that makes all this to come around, they don’t care about what happens to the common man they just say okay let it go and whenever goods go high in the market people ask why, the man who earns less and the one who earns good salary are buying the same goods at the same price meanwhile the people that are supposed to talk are those at the head but they don’t, my advice is that they should withdraw the idea.
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