The founder of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Dr. Boniface Aniebonam has called on the bonded terminal operators in Nigeria to collaborate with the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) and the freight forwarding associations especially NAGAFF and the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) to ensure that cargoes arrive at their various terminals.
Aniebonam who was reacting to concern raised by the Association of the Bonded Terminal Operators of Nigeria (ABTON) to the effect that the seaport terminal operators starve them of cargo thereby running them out business, advised the bonded terminal operators to leave the comfort of their offices and go look for business as Seaport terminal operators would not ordinarily stem cargoes to them when they have not had enough for themselves.
According to him,” I chose to disagree with him; they are not supposed to be working ghosts. One, they are private entrepreneur; the government has given them opportunity to operate by the licensing regulation of customs. All they need to do is to gather their acts together. For instance, the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria, the regulatory agency of all freight forwarding in Nigeria, NAGAFF is there for instance offering about five thousand members, ANLCA is there, our sister organization, so, what is the relationship?
“The contract of affreightment is very definitive; you say where your cargo is going to. So, if they are lacking cargo, they should enter into synergy with NAGAFF, CRFFN, ANLCA and other subsector operators and then we could simply advise our clients to confirm that the final destination of their cargoes could be any of the bonded terminals and nothing changes that. The importer has the right to say where his cargo will go.
“Cargoes are coming and the concessionaires are private operators also, nobody would want to send cargo to you. So, if you are having any grouse against the concessionaires, you are wasting your time because they are private operators who are in business to make money. They are sitting down in the comfort of their offices and blaming everybody, they have to work hard.”
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