The Sun News Online

Comrade John Ofobike is the current Chairman Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Apapa. He spoke on the level of development in the maritime industry since the concessionaires took over port operations, the bitter gruesome experiences faced by the importers and freight forwarders in the hands of shipping companies operating in the maritime industry.

Our position about reform
We came into office when the reform took place, maritime industry is a global phenomenon and when we came on board we opted to forge ahead by forgetting old wounds. I know I will be remembered that it was during my time that the reform took place.

Effect of reforms
We have no option than to follow the trend as regards the reform, I will like to say that the reform is operating one sided, if you are thinking to reform the operation of the port, you don’t have to think of Customs and the agents alone without reforming the shipping companies and other stakeholders, I think the reform will not bring the desired effect. For instance, the shipping companies are doing their things alone without following the trend of things.

The shipping companies continued to bring in contrabands, the shipping companies generally contravene so many reform agenda put in place by the Federal Government and also skyrocketing their charges from time to time without due process. Government is talking about 48 hours delivery of cargoes, from ships to the terminal, from terminal to the owners of cargo within 48 hours, how can we achieve that when we don’t have uniformed shipping companies charges.

Some shipping companies are charging N800,000 as container deposit, some are charging N400,000 it is quite unfortunate. I believe the essence of the concession is to bring efficiency, but unfortunately the presence of concessionaires has brought more hardship to Nigerians. They continued to increase their operational charges on daily basis as if they are going to recoup their money under one year.
The Nigerian Shippers Council should be empowered by law to sanction any erring shipping company as-well as to play a regulatory role and not an advisory role.

Multiplicity of agencies
It is high time government did something about the numerous agencies in the ports. Government should make it work on practical terms and not just on the pages of newspapers.

Slavery in the shipping companies
Every shipping company in Nigeria belong to the foreigners but manned by Nigerians. Nigerians, importers and agents are like captured slaves in the hands of these shipping companies, you know when slaves are being captured, your liberty to speak and to be heard of is ceased. Our government does not bother, it is quite unfortunate that we have democracy and democracy is the government of the people by the people and for the people but unfortunately, nobody is listening to us who are one of the movers of the economy of this great country.

The EFCC and ICPC should beam their searchlight on the level of corruption within the shipping companies in the country. Somebody should regulate their activities so that Nigerians should have a say in the industry.

Destination inspection
The drawback is not the fault of Customs, in fact, the service has been heated, it has been battered left and right, Nigeria Custom is the best in the whole world, the manpower is there, the operatives are there, they are doing their best this time.
Destination inspection is a modern way of inspecting goods.

Challenges and aspirations
The Bible says my people perish for lack of knowledge. When we came on board we discovered that our people are not well informed about government policies and way of reforming them, now that the world is almost like a global village and when we discovered this we made sure we secured a place where we can congregate. Let me say that freight forwarders in Apapa are now happy that they have a leadership that knows how to solve their immediate problems.
We want to take our members to next level by creating Information Technology for them and to computerize the secretariat and also to train our members to be computer literate and many more.