…As stakeholders identify challenges to 48-hourclearing at the ports
The Lagos State Government on Thursday indicated its intention to end the ongoing rift between it and the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) saying that it was not in the best interest of its citizens.
The Commissioner for Transportation, Comrade Kayode Opeifa who stated this at a one-day National Discourse on Attaining 48-hour clearance of cargo at Nigerian seaports disclosed that the state government was ready to put an end to the dispute and build a good working relationship with NIWA for the interest of its teeming citizens who use waterways as an alternative means of transportation.
Opeifa, who was represented at the event by the Director, Transport Policy and Coordination of the Lagos State Ministry of Transportation, Dr. Taiwo Salaam, said cooperation between the state and NIWA, which is an agency of the Federal Government, will open up the waterways for viable commercial activities and also ensure safety of lives and property.
It will be recalled that the rift between both bodies has lingered for over two years now over the creation of the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) to regulate water transportation is Lagos State, an action which NIWA frowned at and dragged the state to court claiming infringement of its constitutional responsibility by LASWA.
A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, however, declared LASWA an illegal entity affirming the exclusive powers of NIWA to regulate inland waterways in all parts of the country.
“We have 59 jetties while NIWA has just two, so you can see reason why we should not be at loggerheads with each other,” Salaam stated.
He said that if the water transportation and railway systems work efficiently, the clearance of goods at the ports would be done faster.
Meanwhile,the Lagos State Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has identified the misinterpretation of government policies by the Nigerian Customs Service, bad infrastructure and inappropriate government policies as the reasons for the non actualization of 48 hours cargo clearance in the country.
The LCCI Chairman, John Alluya who was speaking at the event said that the Nigerian Customs Service was not facilitating trade rather they harp only on revenue generation.
According to him, Customs all over the world facilitate trade but the Customs in Nigeria places more priority on revenue generation.
He said, “Customs forgot that when trade is facilitated, more revenue will be generated and that would have solved the problems.”
Aluya also said misinterpretation of government policies by Customs Service is another reason he believed quick cargo clearance was not achieved.
“If a circular is sent from the ministry of finance to the customs on a particular issue, when it get there they will give the circular another interpretation which will take several weeks before it is clarified”.
Citing an instance, Aluya who is also a member of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) observed that over two thousand of MAN containers are trapped in the ports because of the misinterpretation of the policies of government by the Service.
“There was a circular of government that say that any one that have perfected their documentation of import are allowed to pay the duty at the old rate but customs said that no and it was given another interpretation and as we speak over 2000 containers are still trapped at the port”, he said.
He stated further that a meeting was scheduled for last week but was cancelled because of the lock down in Abuja due to the World Economic Forum on Africa (WEFA).
“This week that we are supposed to meet the ACG, when we called we were told she is in Dubai, how can the country move forward with this trend.”
The LCCI Boss also stated that should the goods be taken out of the ports what about the roads that it would take to its destination?
“The roads taking the goods out are not worthy, though the roads cannot be extended beyond what it is but the government should make it worthy for easy flow of traffic.”
Also speaking, the General Manager of Western Zone of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Adenike Shonaike said that the documentation procedures should be addressed.
Shonaike who was also represented by the Barr. Ephraim Effiota stated that there are over one thousand documents to be signed before a consignment could be cleared at the ports.
“If we divide the 1000 documentation to be signed by 48-hours then that will tell us how we can achieve the clearance.”
On her part, Mrs Julie Ogboru urged importers to be honest when declaring their cargoes arguing that if all importers are honest with their declaration there would be lesser problem at the ports.
She also said that the Nigerian Customs was under a lot of problems with the failures of the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR).
“The problem is that if you have a PAAR, Customs will jack up the FOB, insurance but the CG had said that if there is PAAR one can get goods out of the Ports but we keep getting alert and that keep your cargo at the Ports for another day, that is not helping trade”.
She also identified Corruption as another menace that affected the quick clearance of goods at the ports, adding that everybody sees the port as a goldmine where money can be made.
“Everybody want to come to the port to make money, every agencies of government want to come to the port to make money, if we are to achieve this aim, they have to be prune because there are mostly duplication of duties.”
She however urged every stakeholders to put all hands on deck in other to achieve 48 hrs clearance.
Michael Ivenso of Trident PLC also attributed the non actualization of 48-hours cargo clearance at the nation’s seaport to high rate of physical examination of goods.
He Further identified the problems to include; manual handling of import and export processes and ineffective transportation system.
He however advocated for need to develop the Inland Container Depot (ICD) facilities which he said are largely underutilized.
“Our inland container depots are largely underutilized and I don’t know why, for real efficient system to clear goods when it comes into the ports, they are moved to inland depot and people go to pick them up there, that way, nobody goes to Tincan and Apapa to add to the already existed choked and traffic situation.”
