By Joy Enamuna
The National Coordinator of 100% Compliance Team of the National
Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarding (NAGAFF), Alhaji (Fwdr) Ibrahim Tanko has reaffirm his commitment to reduce to the bearest minimum, the series of challenges his members are encountering at various terminals in the ports across the country.
Ibrahim Tanko who made this known in Apapa, Lagos, during a briefing after a protest which was organized with the full backing of sisters’ associations, was interupted by phone calls from ‘powerfull stakeholders’.
Briefing journalists immediately after the protest was suspended, the coordinator who is bitter about the attitude of APM Terminal Papa Ltd towards clearing agents and shippers said, “we would pay to APMT to drop our containers for examination by officers of Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) for close to two weeks but this Terminal will not drop containers. “This made clearing agents to be paying demurrage from the profits we ought to make from shippers or importers who gave us the job.”
“APM Terminal will transfer importers container without notice and collect money. Then the bonded terminal they transfer the containers to will in turn collect another double charges from the clearing agents who will now transfer the bill to shippers while the Shippers will transfer it to the final consumers”.
While still enlisting NAGAFF Compliance Team members griviances, he urge the Nigerian Shippers Council and other government agencies to wake up and fight corruption, assist federal government to implement government policies and as well follow up those policies.
“Before this protest, we have written to government agencies inside the ports to varify documents properly before apending their signatures, expecialy in the area of examination of containers.
Also speaking during the protest is the National Secretary to 100% Compliance Team Fwdr Chukwuemeka Iwegbuna who elaborate the series of challenges and surffering importers and clearing agents are passing through in the hands of APM Terminal. “APM Terminal will collect money to transfer ur containers for a month or two and they will not transfer the containers, and demurrage will be increasing, he said