Waiver Crisis Rocks Lagos Ports As Clearing Agents Stop Cargo Clearance

Waiver Crisis Rocks Lagos Ports As Clearing Agents Stop Cargo Clearance

Clearing agents, on Thursday, embarked on strike over claims that terminal operators and shipping companies have refused to adhere to a directive from the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) that all storage charges and demurrage charges be waived. This is even as a cross-section of some port workers told Tribune Online exclusively that both the 21-Days and 14-Days free period granted by the NPA has ended on April 27 2020.

 

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It would be recalled that the NPA, in an effort to cushion the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on businesses, had on March 27th 2020 issued a press statement directing all terminal operators to suspend the collection of all applicable terminal storage fees for an initial period of 21-Days, effective from 23rd of March, 2020. The agency would later give a 14-Days extension effective from 13th of April, 2020, following the extension of the lockdown in Lagos by the Federal Government.

Speaking to newsmen in Apapa, some clearing agents lamented that efforts to make the terminal operators and shipping companies comply to the NPA directive has been futile, thus the reason for the industrial action.

According to the Chairman of Apapa chapter of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) Chief Dom Onyeka, “At the outbreak of the COVID-19 Pandemic, NPA told us that storage and demurrage charges would be waived off. NPA called us to come out and start working despite the risk of getting infected with the coronavirus disease.

 

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“However, despite assurances from the NPA, Shipping companies and terminal operators are not waiving storage and demurrage charges. Today, we (agents) have all agreed not to clear cargoes except the NPA directive is being implemented by the operators. We have stopped the generation and writing of Terminal Delivery Order (TDO) till further notice.

“We have sensitised all our members. This is not an ANLCA struggle alone, other agents from sister associations are involved.”

Also speaking on the protest, the President of the Save Nigeria Freight Forwarders Importers-Exporters Coalition (SNFFIEC), Chief Osita Chukwu, added that freight forwarders have met with the NPA Port Manager, Mrs Olufunmilayo Olotu, and she promised to call stakeholders meeting, on Monday, with all the agents, shipping companies and terminal operators.

In his words, “All the five associations are here, ANLCA, SNFFIEC, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), National Council of Managing Directors Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA), and Association of Registered Freight Forwarders of Nigeria (ARFFN). We are all together on this.

 

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We cannot continue to wait for the NPA to force the terminal operators and shipping companies to comply on the waiver directive anymore. We have tolerated it enough. We cannot continue to pay for what we didn’t enjoy. We didn’t cause the pandemic.

“Until they start complying to the NPA directive, we won’t clear cargoes at the ports.”

However, when Tribune Online approached some port workers who stood by, watching the protesting agents, they (port workers) explained that both the 21-Days free period and 14-Days free period has ended.

In the words of the port workers who wouldn’t want their names in print, “The NPA initially gave. 21-Days free period starting from on the 23rd of March, 2020. That ended on the 12th of April, 2020.

“Again, the NPA extended the free period by another 14-Days effective from on the 13th of April, 2020, and that has also ended on the 26th of April. Today is 30th of April, what waiver are the clearing agents asking for again? Did NPA say the free period should be for eternity?” the port workers told Tribune Online exclusively.

When Tribune Online got in touch with the General Manager Corporate and Strategic Communications of the NPA, Engr Jatto Adams, he said that NPA has already directed the freight forwarders to submit their evidence of payment of these charges for verification.

“We have told the agents that they need to give us evidence that the terminal operators are not complying. Let them give us their terminal documents. Learnt some of them have already submitted some documents to the Port Manager.

“For others yet to submit, these documents can be submitted to the port manager, and from there we would be able to know if shipping companies and terminal operators are complying or not to the waiver directive. This is not a matter of making protests or going on strike,” the NPA Spokesman explained.