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Commercial banks, on Friday, fully opened their doors for port-related services in Apapa and Tin-Can ports in Lagos following their earlier closure in compliance to the lockdown of Lagos by the Federal Government.
When Tribune Online visited the ports Apapa and Tin-Can, on Friday, commercial banks were seen open for what they called port-related businesses.
Agents were seen rushing to the banks to pay Customs Duty and other shipping charges to enable them clear backlog of cargoes that were caught in the lockdown of the state.
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When Tribune Online entered one of the commercial banks inside Tin-Can Island port, one of the bank officials explained that they attending to only port-related payment.
According to the bank official, who declined not to have his name in print: “We are accepting payment for Customs Duty and other shipping charges. Anything outside that won’t be attended to.”
Some of the agents, who expressed relief at the commencement of work by the commercial banks, stated that the lockdown was really hard on port operations.
Yemi Egberongbe, a clearing agent, who specialises in dealing with Roll-On Roll-Off (RoRo) cargoes at the PTML Terminal in Tin-Can port said: “The lockdown was really hard on port operations. Banks shut down and everything stopped working.
“We couldn’t pay shipping charges and Customs Duty, and without the payment of those two charges, there is nothing like cargo evacuation at the ports. It was really terrible.
“Thank God for the softening of the lockdown policy that allows commencement of work by commercial banks, now cargo evacuation business can continue at the ports.”
It will be recalled that the Seaport Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN) had raised the alarm that the ports are currently 95 per cent full due to cargo owners refusing to come and pick their cargoes in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown of the state to contain the spread of the disease.
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