As the rush by the truckers to obtain the entry permit sticker continues to grow by the day, the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has warned the Management of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to desist from concentrating on collecting money and issuing stickers at the expense of ensuring strict adherence to minimum standard for trucks.
Recall that the Managing Director of NPA last flagged off the implementation of the minimum standard for trucks operating at the Western Ports hoping that the exercise would reduce accidents and death occasioned by rickety vehicles used in conveying cargo to the owner’s warehouse.
After the flag off, NPA barred unregistered trucks from gaining access into the ports to load consignments, a situation which forced truck drivers and owners who hitherto were opposed to the payment of the N10, 000.00 entry permit fee to rush to NPA office to get their trucks inspected, registered, certified and issued the NPA sticker to enable them gain entry into the ports to carry on with their businesses.
But speaking in an interview with Primetime Reporters on alleged certification of rickety vehicles by NPA, the National Public Relations Officer (PRO) of NAGAFF, Mr. Stanley Ezenga warned that if NPA should compromise its standard and issue stickers to trucks that were not of standard, it would bear the blunt.
“If you get your truck certified whereas you did not meet the required standard, of course, you are to be blame also because you know that what you presented is not up to the standard. But for somebody to have certified you, something must have happened along the line. So, those NPA staff who are saddled with the responsibility of certifying those trucks will be held responsible”, he said.
He however applauded the certification of trucks by NPA adding that this was the best time for the project to be implemented as there was a lull in business generally at the ports saying that if the project was implemented during business boom, it could have affected movement of cargoes away from the ports.
According to him,” This is the best time for it to be implemented because we believe that there should be minimum standard for trucks entering into our ports to pick cargoes. Why did I say now is the best time? We all know that because of the way the economy is going right now, there is a drastic drop in importation because few cargoes is coming into the country.
“Even if all the trucks are certified, not all of them can pick cargo. Now, if you go to our ports, most of our terminals are empty even though some are doing business but it could best be described as skeletal because the volume of the throughput has dropped drastically. So, even those who are certified now are very few. I can tell you that even the few certified ones are not picking cargoes. Most of them are still lying idle because there is no job.
“So, this is the best time and we will sustain it so that to make sure that all trucks going in are duly certified. Most of the truck drivers will claim that they don’t have money, they should approach their banks or for cooperative societies so as to raise money and upgrade their trucks. There should be sanity in the system and we believe that now is the best time to do it”.
He express doubt on whether NPA could be stopping trucks with empty containers from accessing the ports saying that if that was the case, NPA should allow them to return empty containers back to the ports but prevent them from loading a new cargo since the agents and their importers whose container deposits with shipping companies were the ones directly affected should trucks with empty containers on them were denied entry to the ports.
He said,” If those that are carrying empty containers that have left the ports prior to the implementation, they should be allowed to go and drop their empty containers but they should be prevented from picking loaded containers. I can assure you that the freight forwarders are not aware that the trucks are lying on the streets because there is no shortage of trucks to load cleared containers. So, it will be right to say that these trucks lying on the streets have no cargo to pick otherwise, they would have gone inside but those who carrying empty containers should be allowed to go and drop their empty containers.
“You know abinitio that even though we believe in maintaining minimum standard, we don’t believe in paying money to get it. If your truck is okay and certified, you access the ports and carry on with your business”.
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