ANLCA explains why it issued threat of withdrawal of service on TICT

…Says operations fall short of international best practices

The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) Tincan Island Chapter has explained the rationale behind its recent threat to withdraw its services from the Tincan Island Container Terminals (TICT) in Lagos.

The Secretary of ANLCA Tincan Island Chapter, Evang. Chuks Kanikwu in an interview with Primetime Reporters in Lagos explained that the TICT lacked the facilities to properly function and meet up with the rising demands of the teeming customers of the terminal.

Kanikwu disclosed that as a result of inadequate facilities to carry out their operations effectively, TICT had resorted to delaying the booking and dropping of containers as required by importers and their agents unnecessarily leading to incessant loss of money on the part of importers and agents.

“The problems are still mounting because now, due to their inadequate facilities, they cannot book you and if you book for examination, they cannot drop for you the next day. They wait for about two or three days before dropping it and secondly, they equally start billing our people even before the ship discharges. These are hidden extortions from our people.

“And the hours they open for booking, at least, officially you get them by 10 am and before 2pm they are closing. So, all these things are ploy to rip unsuspecting people of rent in TICT and they don’t find anywhere to waive some of these things for their customers.

“You know what caused all these things? Space. They have bitten more than they can chew. They are busy sourcing for ships without considering the limited space that they have. If they co conduct examination like the PTML twice daily, it will reduce these backlogs. So, it is because of this over trading that they are doing that has caused them to work on public holidays to tidy up their backlogs. It is not service to the people because the complementary services are not there”, Kanikwu said.

While recalling that most of the cases they recorded at TICT were affront to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he chided their sister associations which he accused of going about issuing press releases saying that they were not in support of what ANLCA was doing wondering how a “proper person that says he has an association to protect the maritime from being bastardized by foreigners who concessioned the nation’s ports should be saying all that”.

According to him,” Now, they (sister associations) are saying that our intended action is selective, it is not selective. You are a journalist, go to Ports and Cargo and check, they don’t charge us on those public holidays, go to Mid Maritime, they don’t charge us on public holidays, go to Five Star, they don’t charge us on public holidays, Why? Their people come on Saturdays and public holidays to tidy up their backlogs with a view to giving effective service when the public holiday is over”.

On the problem the association had with the TICT Management on SCOA terminal, the ANLCA Scribe noted that the establishment of a satellite terminal like SCOA was a prove that the terminal was over trading as a result of the terminal having bitten more than it could chew.

He said,” That is why because of their greed, they are creating terminals and they are running them outside the ICDs (Inland Container Depots) that are being operated by them for self aggrandizement. Look at it, before you transfer your container to SCOA, even before the containers get to SCOA, they have started billing you for the period the container s have not reached there. Is it not fraud?

“Now, the cost of transaction in that place, because in SCOA, it is a miscued set up, the valuation unit in SCOA is from KLT (Kirikiri Lighter Terminal) not from Tincan, the CIU (Customs Intelligence Unit)is from KLT not from Tincan. So now, the Tincan issue, you now have a problem with valuation and your SGD (Single Goods Declaration)is captured Tincan, now you have to valuation officer that is not here.

“Now, most of the time, the valuation officers in SCOA will put alert and when they realize the container is not for them, you now go there for them to refer you back to Tincan operation who never called up that document ab initio. Does it facilitate trade?”

He however informed that efforts were on by the authorities of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the Nigeria Customs Service and other relevant government agencies to resolve the matters amicably so that trade could be facilitated in the interest of Nigerians.

Meanwhile, efforts by our correspondent to get the reaction of the Management of the TICT proved abortive as the spokesman of the terminal was said to be away on official assignment outside the shores of the country.

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