Agents accuse WACT, OMT of illegal POF collection at Onne port

Some clearing agents have accused the West African Container Terminal (WACT) and the Onne Multipurpose Terminal (OMT) of conniving with some freight forwarding associations to collect Practitioners Operating Fees (POF) without the consent of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN).

This is even as the CRFFN revealed that the Council has written to the National Assembly over the claims and investigation is still ongoing to confirm if WACT is really involved in such illegality.

Speaking with the Nigerian Tribune on the collection of POF at WACT and OMT Onne port terminals, a clearing agent, Chidi Anthony Opara, explained that the collection of the POF is in connivance with the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Onne port chapter.

According to the clearing agent, “ANLCA payment receipts are used to perpetrate the rackets, in which the affected terminal users are forced to attach ANLCA payment receipts among other documents before their cargoes are finally released.

“When freight forwarders pay, they are issued with ANLCA receipts of payment. To hide the racket, the same ANLCA receipts of payment must be attached with the other documents for final release of cargoes at WACT and OMT Terminals. That way, the payers wouldn’t have concrete evidence of payment. Those freight forwarders who handle WACT and OMT aspects know this. They are there at the terminals.

“Monies realised from these rackets are shared between the CRFFN accredited associations in Onne seaport, with a percentage given to the terminal operators.”

When contacted by the Nigerian Tribune, the Registrar of the CRFFN, Sam Nwakohu, explained that the Council is investigating the matter.

In the words of the Registrar, “Yes, I have had to go to Onne port several times to investigate this allegation. Nobody has been authorised to collect POF on behalf of the CRFFN. I have been at WACT and the terminal operators have denied it on several occasions.

“We have written to the National Assembly over these claims. POF collection is done online. No terminal operator has been mandated by the CRFFN to collect POF on its behalf. We are still investigating the claims that it is been done secretly. But as I am speaking with you, there is still no proof.”

It will be recalled that CRFFN had, in a letter dated September 3, 2013, with reference number: CRFFN/WACT/RG/001 and entitled: ‘Illegal collection of money by the ANLCA/NAGAFF joint task force at your terminal’ drew the attention of terminal operators at the Onne ports, including WACT, to the illegality of such actions and asked all concerned to desist.

Similarly, the Nigeria Shippers Council, acting on complaint by a group of concerned Nigerians known as ‘Coalition of Freight Forwarding Practitioners’, in a letter dated February 26, 2014 and referenced: NSC/ES/SCU/2014/vol. 01/06, pronounced the action illegal and equally warned those involved to desist from such illegality.

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