Freight forwarders at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA) have threatened to down tools following the refusal of two aviation handling companies to grant waivers on demurrage accruing on imported goods warehoused during the COVID-19 lockdown.
“We are planning to withdraw all members from the two warehouses as a protest in order for the government to address the demurrage crisis,” a member of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents ANLCA said.
Members of the union have kicked against the mandatory payment of demurrage on cargo by the managements of the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) Plc and the Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO) Plc during the lockdown occasioned by COVID-19 pandemic.
Secretary of ANLCA , Mr. Emmanuel Njoku, who addressed a press conference at the end of the meeting by the freight forwarders, described the insistence of the two handling companies to charge demurrage as a breach of the Federal Government’s directives on businesses affected by the lockdown of Lagos, Ogun and Abuja.
Njoku said when its members returned to work on May 4, following the lift on the lockdown, NAHCO and SAHCO managements insisted that the agents must pay demurrage for shipments affected by the lockdown.
“The goods from the seaport never paid demurrage, while NAHCO Plc and SAHCO Plc want the goods from the airport cargo to pay demurrage within the same lockdown regime. We operate an open market where the same importers who use the seaport are still the same importers who use the airport cargo and these goods arrive at the same market as their final destination,” Njoku said.
Njoku said the Federal Government had given approval for the clearance of essential materials and vaccines as regards COVID-19 pandemic adding that freight forwarders have lost millions of naira as a result of lockdown.
He said it as a great injustice that freight forwarders at the seaports did not pay for demurrage accruing during the period, whereas clearing agents at the airports are compelled to pay at the airport for businesses not conducted while the lockdown lasted in Lagos.
Njoku said despite the ease on the lockdown by the Federal Government, its members were yet to commence work due to the imbroglio caused by the two ground handling companies and called on the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to intervene in the crisis, just as Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) did in the maritime sector.
The ANLCA secretary also urged Mr. Boss Mustapha, Chairman of the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19, to intervene in the crisis.