Allegation of Customs Extortion At Onne Port : Freight Forwarders Blamed for Poor Information Management

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By DAPO OLAWUNI

Coming on the heels of allegation of extortion against the Nigeria Customs Service officers at Onne Port and subsequent debunking of same information by the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) freight forwarders have been blamed for poor information management system.

This is even as the freight forwarders have called on Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) to carryout amalgamation of all freight forwarding association in Nigeria.

According to reports which surfaced in the media on Monday, clearing agents had last week expressed their grievances and operational challenges at Onne Port to the Acting President of ANLCA, Dr Kayode Farinto who was on a three days working visit.

The agents alleged that despite the poor cargo traffic at the port, Customs officials have further worsened the situation with their activities.

The clearing agents, aside from many other complaints against the service, listed the challenges confronting them to include, the multiplicity of alerts, lack of customs personnel to escort containers thereby leading to demurrage charges, the disparity in duty payment, and activities of Customs strike force, among others.

However, the Onne Chapter Chairman of ANLCA, Mr. Mike Ebeatu almost immediately, made a disclaimer in a statement, faulting the reports as untrue, misleading and does not represent the facts.

According to the chapter chairman, members of the association are not aware of such happenings, even as he said that the customs and clearing agents enjoy robust regulatory partnership which frowns at sharp practices that creates room for either giving or taking of bribes.

Meanwhile, freight forwarding expert, Chidi Anthony Opara who is prominent at the same port has called on freight forwarding associations maintain good information dissemination system.

On a freight forwarders platform monitored by DAILY TREND, Mr Opara argued that even in masses oriented organizations, information management is not as chaotic as it is in freight forwarding subsector in Nigeria.

“There is hardly any other sector/subsector in Nigeria, where almost everyone speaks (without substantial evidence of course) for the sector/subsector, especially in the event of crucial happenings. This happens all the time in the freight forwarding subsector in Nigeria.

“Recently, subsector observers were inundated with news information about unwholesome practices at a major seaport in Eastern Nigeria. Someone made the allegations in an event by one of the accredited freight forwarding associations.

“The news information on the unwholesome practice was almost immediately debunked by the chapter leadership of the same freight forwarding association. This situation is as chaotic as it can be.

“A critical reading of the first news information would indicate that the allegations were made without foundation or at least a solid one.

“Even though the earlier news information was debunked, damages were already done by this chaotic information management situation.

“The freight forwarding regulatory authority in Nigeria should insist on recognized channels of information dissemination for all their accredited associations.

“Whenever this referenced chaotic information management system rears its ugly head, it creates unnecessary tension, harms existing synergy necessary for smooth working relationship between freight forwarders and governmental agencies statutorily required to operate in the ports.

“Freight Forwarders in Nigeria can no longer afford to allow flimsy attention seeking characters awash with questionable money to continue to hijack information management channels in the subsector.

“The freight forwarding regulatory agency should step forward immediately and order the streamlining of information management in the subsector through their accredited associations” he stated

In the same vein, former President of National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) Dr Eugene Nweke called for unification of voices in the profession.

“Unification of voices is the way to go via the evolution of, amalgamation of all freight Forwarding associations of Nigeria or the federation of freight forwarding Associations of Nigeria” he said

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