The Western Zone of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has appealed to terminal operators and shipping companies to grant clearing agents waivers on demurrage which had accrued on the consignment that were trapped at the ports during the just concluded strike action.
In a letter of appeal written to all the service providers, the Vice- President of the association, Alhaji Tanko, who spoke on behalf of all his colleagues, noted that the strike action was not their own making, hence his appeal for demurrage waivers .
Some Licensed customs agents and freight forwarders in the maritime sector have earlier threatened to stop paying customs duties and other charges to terminal operators and shipping companies on account of the strike action.
Speaking with our correspondent at the Apapa Port, the customs agents said that it was wrong for Customs Service to keep charging duties while demurrage and rent kept accruing for agents and importers to pay.
The agents said there should be an understanding after the strike action has been called off, and the need for terminal operators to waive some demurrages.
“At Grimaldi now, people are still writing TDO. I have finished my job since last week but I have not taken the delivery, now I have to go and re-rate at N169,000.
“The transporters meant well, they have given enough time for NPA to address the situation and the alleged extortion.
“Government is collecting duty and that is why they don’t want to intervene, and we are the cause of it, if we stop paying duty for two weeks and no money is going anywhere, they will seat up. But as it is, it doesn’t concern them, the government has collected their money,” he said.
Meanwhile, port operators may soon heave a sigh of relief as the stand-off between truck drivers and the Nigerian Navy over alleged extortions in the traffic call up system has ended.
For almost two weeks, the truck drivers, protesting the extortion by naval officers, Nigerian Ports Authority officials and the operatives of Lagos State Transport Management Authority (LASTMA) involved in the Apapa traffic call up system, disrupted port activities when they embarked on a strike action.
However, after the intervention of Barrister Hassan Bello, the Executive Secretary of Nigerian Shippers Council, the truck drivers agreed to shelve their strike action.
The Chairman of Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMARTO), Chief Remi Ogungbemi confirmed the resumption of services to our correspondent.
The meeting, it was gathered, was attended by NARTO, AMARTO, RTEAN, NPA and the Navy.
The strike action was embarked upon in Lagos Wednesday last week.
The truckers also embarked on a protest action last week at the Apapa and Tin Can Island Port, thereby vandalising two patrol vehicles belonging the Nigerian Navy.
Also speaking with journalists in his office, the Deputy Comptroller in charge of Administration at Apapa Customs Command, DC Igbita JB noted that though customs is working presently, but warned that if care is not taken, the strike action might lead to a major port congestion.
Also speaking in Lagos, a licensed Customs Agent, Mr. Ojo Akintoye, lamented that the nine days strike action has affected operations.
“The good news is that the truck owners are holding series of meetings with the government and they are looking for a permanent solution to the problem of articulated trucks.
“The strike action has had nothing to do with revenue, the Nigeria Customs Service are collecting their revenue, the terminal operators are dropping containers for examination and they are also ready for the delivery of cargoes.
“The only thing is that it is now building up to port congestion because there is no space to put the containers.
“We have written to the terminal operators, we need to appeal to them because it is a national problem, whatever affects one group in this sector affects all, the problem of one is problem of all,” he said.