…As imported cargoes trapped at ports
The Africa Association of Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics Of Nigeria, APFFLON, on Wednesday, lamented the inability of its members and other freight forwarding practitioners to capture jobs and pay customs duty at Unity Bank since Monday 2nd September, 2024 due to server downtime being experienced at the bank.
Otunba Frank Ogunojemite, President of APFFLON who made this known in a chat with our correspondent in Lagos, said that the system breakdown had affected all the Unity Bank branches adding that nobody was able to pay customs duty, culminating in demurrage and rent accruals on cargoes lying at the seaports and airports.
According to him, cargoes had been captured with the customs using Unity Bank, hence it was difficult to switch banks.
The APFFLON President lamented that demurrages had continued to accrue on the cargoes at the ports as a result of circumstances that were not the fault of the freight forwarders.
He stated that Unity Bank would have to compensate freight forwarders for the period the server downtime lasted in order to cover for the losses incurred at the ports.
“We have been unable to capture and pay for our customs duty since Monday due to challenges at Unity Bank. The bank has been unable to resolve the hitches and demurrage is accruing.
“It is difficult to switch banks because whichever bank you opened your Form M and captured your job is where you finish the transaction”, he explained.
Photo: Otunba Frank Ogunojemite, President, APFFLON.
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