…Threatens withdrawal of service
The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders, NAGAFF, Kirikiri Lighter Terminal, KLT has accused the management of the CMA CGM of adding to the cost and time of clearing of containers by stemming them to Ikorodu.
The Chairman of NAGAFF in the chapter, Engr. Emmanuel Umeadi who disclosed this to Primetime Reporters in Lagos on Wednesday, accused the shipping company of stemming the containers to ESS Libra terminal in Ikorodu without notifying the importers and their agents.
“They are making the cost and time of clearing up go higher and obstructing the Ease of Doing Business policy of the federal government “, Umeadi said.
Informing that this development started from the early part of November 2023, the Chairman maintained that some of the containers cleared at the Ikorodu terminal cannot be taken because there was no way for trucks to enter to carry those cargoes.
“They may have contracted someone who has the interest of making money from the importers by stemming containers there”, he further alleged.
When reminded that it is not within the purview of shipping companies to stem containers, he said, “I am just giving you the informationn now, I am just telling you what CMA CGM did. That’s what they did. That’s Nigeria for you. A lot of things are not right here. They have a permanent terminal at Kirikiri, they were meant to bring containers to Kirikiri, which is safe and okay for the importers and agents to carry their containers instead of taking them to Ikorodu but for reason best known to them, they took them to Ikorodu making the cost and time of clearing higher.
“You know the distance between here and Ikorodu. We are not happy about that. If they are working with any terminal operator in that regard, it is wrong. Will they pay the cost of taking containers from there? We just want them to henceforth stop sending containers to Ikorodu, they should bring all our containers to the terminal at Kirikiri Lighter Terminal.”
Asked if they have tried reaching out to the management of CMA CGM to hear from them, Umeadi said, “We tried calling them but they are not picking their calls. They are not giving us audience because the mistake has been made. We don’t want them to continue.”
On complaining to the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, he said, “That is what we are trying to do through this medium.”
He therefore, called on the management of CMA CGM to reverse the trend and save the freight forwarders unnecessary waste of time and resources threatening that should the act continue, they would be left with no other option that to mobilize the freight forwarders for a peaceful protest and thereafter withdraw their service.
His words, “We are going to do a peaceful protest if the act did not stop and thereafter, withdraw our services..”
Photo: Engr. Emmanuel Umeadi, Chairman, NAGAFF, KLT chapter.
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