Strike paralyses port operations, activities in Lagos

Truck operators and clearing agents on Monday shut down port operations, thereby threatening over N200bn seaport investment of the Federal Government. This is even as cargo clearance expert say the nation is losing close to N6bn daily to seaport closure

When Tribune Online went round the ports, Lagos Ports Complex (LPC) and Tin-Can Island Ports both in Apapa, Lagos State, it was observed that other ports were under lock as security operatives were seen stationed at both ports entrance to forestall the breakdown of law and order.

Many of the truckers were seen sitting inside their parked trucks while many of the clearing agents and freight forwarders refused to go inside the ports to clear cargoes.

Speaking to the Tribune Online, Spokesman of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Ezenga Stanley explained that the strike is total. According to him, “We are all observing the strike action since government has refused to repair the ports access roads.

“The strike is total, and if you go to Apapa and Tin-Can ports, you will see that both ports are closed. Until government moves caterpillars to failed portion of the ports access roads, then the strike will go on.

“We are all in solidarity on this issue. We the freight forwarders, clearing agents and truckers. We cannot continue this way again.”

Also speaking to the Tribune Online, Chairman of Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO), Chief Demi Ogungbemi also explained that the strike over the roads is total.

In his words, “We have decided to stop work because the bad roads are damaging ur trucks. Those trucks are our means f livelihood, and if they are spoilt, we will be n trouble. If government can fix an alternative road between Kaduna and Abuja within a week all because Abuja Airport runway was being repaired, then they should repair our ports access roads because that’s is where the revenue is coming from.”

When asked if the strike is only for today, Ogungbemi stated that, “If we don’t see caterpillars on the failed portion of the ports access roads by tomorrow, we will continue with our strike action,” Ogungbemi replied.

When contacted, the Spokesman of the Seaport Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN), Bolaji Akinola said there was no work at the various port terminals on Monday.

“Yes, we sympathise with everybody concerned with the bad orts access roads because we are also affected by the state of the roads. We did not work on Monday due to the strike. But we are ready to work with government to proffer a lasting solution to the issue of the port access roads,” Bolaji Akinola stated.

On the implication of port closure to the Nigerian economy, findings revealed that Nigeria is losing close to N6bn daily to the seaport closure.

“To quantify what this means to the Nigerian economy, you first have to look at what the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) generates into government coffers, mostly through the ports, on a yearly basis. In 2016, Customs said it generated N898bn as revenue into government coffers.

“With the port closure today, what this implies is that all port Commands of the Customs will not make revenue today. So on what they generated last year, it mean’s Customs generates N2.4bn on a daily basis. With the ports closed, the N2.4bn becomes very much eroded.

“Now let’s look at other port operators that generate money into government coffers aside Customs. We have the operators who remit into the coffers of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), shipping companies, truckers, agents etc who all pay dues in one form or the other into government purse. With this, maybe we are talking of another N2bn eroded.

“Lets not forget that with the closure of the ports, vessel berthing will be affected as newer vessels won’t  be able to berth since the ones that are anchored at berth have not been attended to due to the strike. This means it will also effect collection of the 3 percent gross freight on cargoes by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).

“Don’t forget that this revenue is in Dollars, even though I don’t have statistics on amount collected daily. With all this, obviously, Nigeria may be losing close to N6bn daily to the ports closure,” stated Chief Chuks Ndubuisi, a cargo clearance expert and member of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA).

Last minute effort of the NPA Managing Director, Hadiza Bala Usman to salvage the day by persuading striking port users to call of the strike failed as they demanded to see caterpillars on the road before calling off the strike.

The protesting port users were seen walking off the venue of the meting with the NPA MD. One of them simply told Nigerian Tribune, “if we don’t see caterpillars working on failed portion of the ports access road, we won’t call off the strike. If the caterpillars arrive now, we will call off. If not, the strike continues tomorrow.”