Few weeks after the ban on commercial motorcyclists by Lagos State Government, freight forwarding group under the aegies of the Association of Concerned Freight Forwarders and Logistics (ACFFL) has berated the government for not considering the plight of the frieght forwarding practitioners before coming up with the policy. The group also disclosed that the sector contributes over 30 per cent to the state’s Internal Generated Revenue (IGR).
Chairman of the group, Chief Andy Best Omenogor, who disclosed this in a chat with newsmen in Apapa, said that if the Lagos State government had considered freight forwarders, it would have exempted Apapa from the ban.
“Government has taken this our business as a caricature. Lagos State government never realised that we freight forwarders are contributing at least 30 per cent of their revenue and they didn’t appreciate that. If they have appreciated it, they would have exempted the ban on commercial motorcycles on Apapa roads.”
He said that it was unfair for freight forwarders to trek round the vicinity in the course of doing their businesses.
Omenogor advised the state government to adopt other strategies to checkmate the activities of commercial motorcyclists in the area.
He added: “You can strategies a way of doing that by making sure that all commercial motorcycles operating within Apapa are registered. You can go further by ensuring they have uniforms so that they can be controlled.
However, he decried the reduction of imports coming into the country.
The freight forwarder also lamented: “Nigerian imports have dropped they should tell us how many vessels are calling in Apapa ports now. Before now, we used to have at least close to 3000 containers going out of the ports but now we don’t have up to 200 containers leaving the ports.”
