EXTORTION: Clearing Agents Urge FG to Probe Maersk Line, Terminal Operators

By ZION Olalekan

Frontline Customs agent, Barr Ada Akpunonu has urged the federal government to set up a high powered panel in order to investigate alleged extortion of port users by terminal operators and shipping companies, especially Maersk Line.

Barr Akpunonu, a former Vice Chairman of Tin Can Port chapter of Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) spoke with reporters over the weekend and noted that most of the concessionaires are going beyond their contractual obligations with the federal government.

She alleged that despite all efforts to regulate their activities by the Nigerian Shippers’ Council and the Nigerian Ports Authority, many of the shipping companies still don’t have holding bays for trucks.

While setting agenda for the second term of President Buhari in office, she urged the president to look into the bad access roads leading to the nations ports. She recalled that this was promised in the first tenure of the president but was never fulfilled.

Barr Akpunonu said that whenever the government wants to make policies, they should carry along the critical stakeholders who know where the shoe pinches.

Speaking on the shipping companies, she said “They are ripping off Nigerians, there is need to have a high powered panel to come and investigate what they are doing, especially the shipping companies and terminal operators.

“Most of them do not have holding bays, for example, Maersk Line, few days ago, people had their containers on top of trailers for almost nine days, and the worst is that this liability is supposed to be borne solely by them, but they still shift it to the importer, the importer then shifts it to the final consumers. They should be sanctioned.

“Government has good policies but the implementation has always been a problem because the level of corruption is too high, you see genuine cases referred to the shippers Council but the shipping companies and terminal operators don’t have regard for the Council, you begin to wonder why they disobey an agency of the government regulating them, this industry needs total overhaul”.

On the activities of the Nigeria Customs Service, Akpunonu said the major challenge has always been about non-compliance by the operators.

She however noted that the level of compliance has improved, while at tin can port, compliance is at its highest height, people are now complying, she said.

“The major problem we are having is trading problems, if we all do the right thing, I don’t think anybody would delay our consignment for whatever reason, but a lot of people have compromised and this gives room for corruption in the system.

“The issue of benchmark at Tin Can Port would have to be looked into, these are some of the impediments, if each area is bringing up different benchmark, it does not call for uniformity, we all buy from the same market, and Customs need to put their house in order”.