Indications are rife that the Federal Government may have ignored the two foremost freight forwarding associations over their threats to withdraw their services from the nation’s seaports, airports and land borders over high cost of doing business at the ports and incessant extortion and harassments from the security agencies as well as other government agencies at the ports.
Primetime Reporters recalls that the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) and the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders had in their separate letters to the President and to the press issued a 21 day notice of withdrawal of Service to the federal government with effect from the 20th of March, 2017 urging it to address the issues raised or members would have no other option than to down tools which would ultimately amount to shutting down the ports.
But in swift reaction, the International Freight Forwarders Association (IFFA), another freight forwarding association though not registered with the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) dissociated itself for the said threat arguing that the current situation of the nation’s economy did not warrant such action even as it said that government’s efforts at rejigging the ports which had been on for some time now would be jeopardized if the action is allowed to go on thereby warning its members not to be dragged into the withdrawal of service action by anybody.
IFFA further called on the security agencies to provide security for its members who it said would go on with their normal business while the other members of the associations continued to down tool insisting that nobody should be molested or made to suffer any loss as a result of the proposed action.
On the other hand, the other three registered freight forwarding associations namely; the Association of Registered Freight Forwarders Nigeria (AREFFN), the National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA) and the National Association of Air Freight Forwarders and Consolidators (NAFFAC) posited that while the issues raised by the two freight forwarding associations as reasons for issuing the notice were germaine, they have to carry other associations along or the proposed action would fail.
However, as the 21 day notice gradually elapse, the federal government is yet to reach out to the two associations either through any of its agencies in the Transport Ministry or through any of its officials.
One of the leaders of the two associations who spoke to our correspondent under the condition of anonymity said that they were yet to hear from the federal government even as he said that efforts were on by the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Barr. Hassan Bello and the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Ms Hadiza Bala Usman to resolve the issue.
“In a meeting we held with the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council on last Thursday, he tried talking us out of the action but we told him that we did not direct our letters to him but to the President and that it would have made sense to us if we have heard from the Presidency on the matter. We told him that although we respect him, there is nothing we can do as it is now unless we hear from the Presidency. The Presidency is ignoring us and we have to go on with our withdrawal of service at the ports to score a point”, the source said.
The source further stated that the Nigerian Shippers’ Council boss expressed how helpless the council was in asserting its economic regulator powers as he said that the federal government was not doing enough to boost their economic regulator role as the council was nothing but a toothless bulldog.
On whether the associations would still go on with the withdrawal of service at the expiration of the 21 day notice, he said,” of course! ANLCA is on the same page with NAGAFF on this. Prince Shittu has said that we have to begin mobilization of our members in readiness for the withdrawal of service which is going to be total. We are going to reach out to other associations, critical stakeholders to ensure that the action succeeds”.
The source however did not rule out the possibility of the federal government relying on the conflicting letters to ignore them.
Recall that following the issuance of the 21 day notice, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Ms Hadiza Bala Usman made frantic efforts to meet with the two associations over the matter just as the Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali (rtd.) during his visit to the ANLCA Secretariat a fortnight ago appealed to the association to shelve the action, a plea the National President of ANLCA, Prince Olayiwola Shittu replied to by saying that he alone had no unilateral power to call of the action.
As the 21 day notice gradually expires, stakeholders are optimistic that the action did not succeed as many of them believed that the action will further aggravate the already worst situation in the country.
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