We have what it takes to ease traffic congestion at Lagos Port-Group

By ZION Olalekan |

A new freight forwarding association in the maritime industry; All Ports Unified Freight Forwarding Practitioners Association (APUFFPA) has assured the federal government that it has what it takes to ease the traffic gridlock riddling the Lagos ports of Tin Can Island Port and Apapa port.

President of the association, Prince Mike Okorie said the association has written to the presidency, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Nigerian Shippers Council, assuring that it has what it takes to make the gridlock on the port access roads disappear.

According to him, the association came into existence because of the failure on the part of sister associations including Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) and three other existing freight forwarding associations to address the challenges confronting freight forwarders at the port.

Okorie said that the registration process of the association with the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) is almost completed.

He also assured that the new body is not a threat to existing associations, stressing that it has written letters to ANLCA and NAGAFF, requesting for a courtesy visit.

Already, the association he said has embarked on familiarisation and courtesy call on key government parastatals in maritime sector including Nigerian Police, Western Port Command, and Nigeria Customs Service.

He said, “This body was registered three years ago, we have been trying to do some underground work on how to synergize with other associations to move the freight forwarding industry forward.

“We are in time to solve the problems of agents because it seems as if other associations have gone to sleep, it is worrisome that most of them only go for their own work, they don’t care about the industry or their fellow agents.

“In the ports now after customs has released a cargo, you would see about five FOU checkpoints of customs on the road. Immediately you capture your consignment, they put various alerts on it including headquarters alert, Valuation, query and amendment alerts, and you have to go one by one to ensure that you clear them and yet custom is one body. This is some of the problems we have come to sort out and see how we can be of help to the agents.

“We have written to other associations, where they have stopped is where we want to continue, we have written to ANLCA and NAGAFF for a courtesy visit, we are not enemies, we just want to synergize with them to move the industry forward. There might be problems but I don’t foresee any, because already they are somewhere above us.

“We are on the process of getting registered with the CRFFN, we have paid the first debit note about two years ago, we have written to them and we are waiting for their reply” Okorie stated.

He added that “We have written to the presidency, the NPA, Shippers Council that they should give us time to manage the gridlock on the Apapa-Oshodi expressway and the Western Avenue, we are still waiting for their reply because we have what it takes to make it work”.

When he led the executive committee of the association to the Commissioner of Police Western command Apapa at the weekend, Okorie expressed hope that the relationship between the new association and port police will foster synergy and enabling environment for trade in the country.

On his part, the Commissioner of Police, Mr Muhammad Uba Kura, assured APUFFPA, of 100 percent cooperation as long as they ensure best practices within the ambit of the law.

He urged the association to live by the standards and ensure discipline among members.

“The ultimate aim of any association is to ensure discipline in the association; also you must ensure that members live in peace, as this is very important for the survival of any association.

“You must also learn to relate well with other stakeholders in the industry, we need to get intelligence information from you as agents that operate within the port”. He said.