Corruption: Clearing agents threaten to shut down seaports

Licensed customs agents and freight forwarders have sounded it very clear that any moment from now they would shut down the seaports in Nigeria over arbitrary increase in charges by shipping companies’ agents and some frivolous charges being collected at the ports by some government agencies.

This became necessary following the additional cost, the hike in charges has engendered in the clearing of goods at the seaports and the inability of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), the Economic Regulator, to reverse the trend.

National President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Prince Olayiwola Shittu, gave this indication on Sunday while responding to questions in an exclusive chat with Tribune Online.

According to the ANLCA boss, “ANLCA is working in close terms with the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) to shut down the ports after the expiration of a reasonable grace period for all these frivolous charges to be corrected.

“We are calling emergency meetings for Wednesday and Thursday, where warning strikes will be given and protests made.

“If you don’t know, we are reaching out to Professor Itse Sagay because this issue does not only affect the shipping companies. It also affects the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), NAFDAC and the Police.

“We need them to come and define the clearing process because the extortion is too much. Why is there so much corruption at the ports? Why are regulatory government agencies being used to shore up government revenue base through extortion of port users?

“Why are penalties so prohibitive? Why are shipping companies raising charges when they don’t have any terminal? Why are there so much charges in the ports? Why should the Maritime Police be involved in cargo clearance at the ports? They will hold your cargo until you go and settle them in their offices before your cargo is allowed to exit the ports.”

On efforts of the port economic regulator, Shippers Council, he explained that the customs brokers and the freight forwarders had waited in vain for months for the Shippers’ Council to intervene and reverse the charges, adding that agents should not be blamed when they would down tools and close down the ports.

In his words, “It was discouraging that the government agency, which should call the stakeholders involved in the illegal tariff hike to order, had refused to do so on the grounds that there was a case in court against the shipping companies’ agents and the terminal operators over some increase in their charges in the past.

“We would close down the seaports any time from now as a way to fight for ourselves, since we represent the importers and Nigerians, who are always bearing the brunt of high charges at the ports.”

Some of the illegal charges, according to him, included shipping due departing charges, facility charge and others.

He added that there was also the sea protection levy that was being charged by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) while the Nigerian Ports Authority had likewise increased its dues.

“Shipping companies are reaping us off, charging all manners of fees. They believe Nigeria is big and they can get all the money they want from the country to service other West African region. We have it on good authority that what shipping companies get from Nigeria is what they rely on for survival because of the next to nothing charges they get from other countries in Africa.

“Again the demurrage they are charging in Nigeria they don’t have the facility to support it, they are required to have holding bays they don’t have. It does not matter if the fault is theirs or not you are still charged demurrage. Their charge is the cause of the high cost of doing business at the port and this is affecting the Nigerian economy,” the ANLCA boss said.