Freight forwarders operating at the nation’s seaports have written to all the shipping companies operating in Nigeria informing them of their intentions to withdraw their service if their demands were not met in two weeks.
In a statement issued on Thursday in Lagos by Alhaji Ibrahim Tanko, National Coordinator, NAGAFF’s 100% Compliance Team noted that the intended action was sequel to multiple complaints of extortion bothering on depletion of container deposit refund, detention invoice, undue debiting of their clients, bringing freight forwarders into dispute with their transporters and clients as well as unnecessary extortion of importers up to N150,000 before dropping empty containers which the passed back to freight forwarders before giving them their container cards.
Others according to Tanko include: network issues, raising invoice, sending terminal delivery order (TDO) among others to which he said freight forwarders were losing N10 million daily as well as deceitful demand of opening of importer’s account/extortion before releasing invoice.
He went on to list the shipping companies’ excesses to include: transfer of containers against the wish, consent or approval of the consignee which he said was a dubious move aimed at extorting money from them thereby causing freight forwarders to lose N50 million per day.
“As a result of your negligence or lack of capacity, foisted on us undue equipment detention charges ranging from N200,000 per 1x40ft container and N100,000 per 1x20ft container multiplied by 1,000 containers per day.
“Our transporters should be paid by way of compensation for using their trucks as holding bay for days and weeks. Further more, we are no longer going to be induced or coerced into arresting our transporters over misunderstanding bothering on missing containers etc.
“Against these backgrounds, we want to notify that from the 25th October, 2021 through the 10th November, 2021, if these issues raised above were not properly addressed, we withdraw our services.
“It has come to knowledge that these shipping lines are not interested in the welfare of freight forwarders nor Nigerians hence non of them have investments in Nigeria. All of them are on rent.
“Take notice, do not open for operation after 10th November, 2021. To be forewarned is to be forearmed”, he warned.
Photo: Alhaji Ibrahim Tanko, National Coordinator, NAGAFF 100% Compliance Team.
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