Freight forwarders accuse SON, NAFDAC of mounting checkpoints on Expressway

By ZION Olalekan

There are fresh indications that Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and the National Association for Food and Drug Law Administration and Control (NAFDAC) have now deployed enforcement units to begin examination of already cleared containers on Apapa express way.

Investigations revealed that containers already cleared from the port are being diverted to some covert locations where the personnel of the agency conduct extra examination on them.

Freight Forwarders who have kicked against the development alleged that the SON and NAFDAC work in conjunction with police officers attached to their unit.

One of them, Mr Jonathan Owoh in a chat with journalists alleged that after finishing with all necessary clearing procedures at the port, SON and NAFDAC would carry out another round of examination on the containers.

He said that sometimes, the activities of the agencies constitute accident along the Mile 2 corridor.

According to him, while all the checks are going on, the agent is made to pay demurrage for the number of days wasted on the road.

Speaking, Mr. Owoh said “Multiple customs units along the roads includes headquarters, strike force, FOU among others, this is uncalled for because it is the same customs that released the cargo with many other units inside the port , this is an eye sore.

“If you go to Mile 2, you would see them lined up, SON and NAFDAC have equally joined them, you would see their trucks lying up there and stopping containers, meanwhile their officials are already inside the port.

“The government is seeing them but there is nothing they can do, obviously, these people did not send themselves to the road”.

The agent also lamented the challenges associated with dropping of containers at the port. He said there is still no easy access to the port.

He alleged that N18, 000 is being collected per day as demurrage by shipping companies, and that within ten days, the N200,000 container deposit is gone.

“Even though we have 21 days free with them, they charge you provisional demurrage for extra ten days, this means you pay N285,000. Many of the holding bays are filled up so the containers have to remain on the truck.

“When Okonjo Iweala was there, law is that any ship that comes with 100 containers must return back with 100 empty containers but this has been abolished and nobody implements it, this is why we have empty containers everywhere, I don’t see why a vessel should come with 5,000 containers and she is going back with 100” he said.

Also speaking on the new checkpoints by SON and NAFDAC, Mr. Femi Ilori, Director of FTI Shipping alleged that the agencies divert containers to unknown locations and start conducting a fresh cargo examination.

According to him, “Because they (SON, NAFDAC) saw that government has deployed customs FOU on the road waiting to scrutinize what has been done at the port, they also initiated their own enforcement officers, they have started intercepting containers on the road and taking them to unapproved sites to conduct another examination, with this, we cannot achieve the 48hours clearing in the port.

“We want the government to look into this as soon as possible because we are going to act, and we have started acting”.

The agents alleged that the SON team is always stationed at the Mile 2 and the Funso Williams entries into Tin Can Island Port and Apapa Port respectively.