The Secretary, Coalition of Ports Dry Cargo Transport Operators (CPDCTO), Mr. ifeanyi Ekwunife has accused the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) and its National Publicity Secretary (NPS), Dr. Kayode Farinto of not having a grip of the politics behind the certification and registration of trucks as being championed by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Western Ports.
Ekwunife who made this position known in a rejoinder on the press briefing held by Dr. Farinto recently who he directed all ANLCA members not to patronize trucks not registered with the NPA, Western Ports, said that it was curious that ANLCA could go to the press based on the information available to it from the NPA on the issue.
While reminding ANLCA that there were two sides to a coin, he reiterated that CPDCTO had through various publications made it very clear that the coalition supported NPA policy of truck standardization adding that ANLCA in responding to an official invitation from CPDCTO did sent a representative to a meeting of the coalition where its stand on the matter was clearly stated even as he expressed surprise that Farinto could allude to the fact that truck owners refused to subscribe to the certification policy.
According to him,” It is pertinent here to educate Farinto on why the truck owners are opposed to the registration levy referred to as Truck Entry Permit (TEP). Does Farinto remember the pre-concession era when trucks were given Authority to Load (ATL) and VEP (Vehicle Entry Permit) by the clearing agents before they could access the terminal to load? These documents were paid for by the agents and not the truck owners. Or is Farinto not presently aware that by the dictates of the Concession Agreement, the Terminal Operators (TOs) do collect VEP and TPR (Truck Parking Rate) charges from the importers through their agents and remit a stipulated percentage to the NPA?
“With this foregoing, is it not obvious to Farinto that the N10, 000 TEP amounts to double taxation? The CPDCTO wants Farinto to know that it is ready to ask its members to submit their trucks for registration exercise if and only if NPA cancels the monetary attachment. Be it known to Farinto and his co-travellers that we truck owners only do business with T.Os (terminal Operator) not with NPA. So, why should NPA levy us when we do not have any business with them? NPA can only levy fleet owners who are NPA contractors and who do business with them”.
The Coalition Secretary disclosed that on the database issue as raised by Farinto in his briefing, the CPDCTO was not against that either saying that it was a welcome idea to them in as much as there was no levy attached it.
He further scolded Farinto for alleging that most of the trucks plying the port access roads were in bad condition wondering if he had not been compromised as he chose to be silent on the condition of the port access roads which were more or less death traps and replete with ditches and craters.
“Does Farinto’s one sided allusion not smack off prejudiced? Does Farinto ever take inventory of importers’ cargoes that are destroyed and wasted on daily basis as a fall out of accidents caused by the shameful deplorable condition of the port access roads? What of the sound trucks that have been rendered unsound and ram shackled by these port access roads? Again, may I ask Mr. Farinto whether the provision of good access roads into the ports is not a critical index of international best practices?if the answer is in the affirmative, then one can only presume that Farinto and the leadership of ANLCA may have been promised a chunk of the TEP extortion largesse in exchange for their support of the obnoxious policy hence their ominous silence in not putting pressure on NPA to provide an enabling environment vis-a-vis provision of good access roads among others which will be immense benefit to them and their clients’= (importers) cargoes”, he Ekwunife said.
On allegation by Farinto that truck owners made their agents to be languishing in Alagbon and Panti Police Stations, Ekwunife posited that those agents were at the jail out of their own making arguing that the said agents were there because they failed to engage the genuine truck owners and pay them the commensurate charges thereby engaging the services of touts who do not have any stake which amounted to these touts colluding with hijackers to make away with their cargoes.
He asked,” is it not a case of penny wise, pound foolish? There are even cases where agents ask our divers to aid them in diverting their clients’ (importers) cargoes. In accusing truck owners of delay in returning empty containers, Farinto should realize that it is the fault of the T. Os who do not have space, the technological capacity or adequate logistics to receive empty containers. This is responsible for the long and unending queues which contributes 50% of the traffic gridlock along Oshodi-Apapa expressway”.
He continued,” Or is Farinto not aware that there is a subsisting NPA directive since 2012 to Shipping Companies to provide holding bays outside the ports for their empty containers for ease of operation? This directive was issued out of pressure and agitations by truck owners. May I ask why Farinto and his ANLCA have not drummed support for NPA to enforce it or direct its members to stop patronizing the shipping companies and T. Os knowing that they are the direct beneficiaries of the policy?”
He therefore called on ANLCA to strive to partner with truck owners in the interest of the maritime business to promote a responsive and viable maritime industry instead of casting aspersion, denigrating and throwing mud at fellow stakeholders.
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