Imported Cargoes Stranded At Lagos Ports As NAFDAC Officials Embark on Indefinite Strike
By DAPO OLAWUNI
There are indications that imported cargoes are now being stranded at the Lagos Ports of Apapa and Tin Can Island Port due to the ongoing indefinite strike action embarked upon by staff of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) since 7th of October 2024.
DAILY TREND gathered exclusively at the port on Monday that Licensed Customs Agents could not process their cargoes with NAFDAC because most of the officials have gone on strike.
The Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government-Owned Companies (SSASCGOC) an affiliate of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) representing employees of NAFDAC had initiated an indefinite strike due to unresolved promotion controversies and welfare concerns.
Speaking with our correspondent however, a licensed agent, Segun Olanipekun lamented that processing of critical clearance documents like invoice and endorsement papers have proved difficult since the strike commenced and cargoes could not move out of the port.
According to him, without securing the first endorsement paper which comes before cargo examination and second endorsement which comes after, cargoes cannot be exited from the port.
He said that failure to secure all document that is required from NAFDAC would result into fine of N50,000 or cargo seizure.
Speaking, Olanipekun said “We applied for an invoice since last Wednesday, and we still haven’t received it. We have three pending documents that haven’t been attended to. There’s also another document awaiting endorsement, which we are yet to receive.”
Our correspondent made an effort to speak with some senior officials of NAFDAC on the alleged negative effect of the strike action on port operations and one of them, Pharm Olaniran Olakunle told our correspondent the strike have not affected NAFDAC operation at the port.
“That cannot be true. While some of our junior staff are on strike, the operational staff are fully at work. The rest of us, including the management, are working remotely. Our operations run 24/7, as we are fully automated.
“If it’s about positioning containers at the ports, our team is present. As I speak to you, I am currently working from the office. Our Isolo office and laboratory checks will be resolved soon. The port operations are not affected.” He said
Speaking further, Pharm Olakunle said that “Invoicing is done virtually and electronically. If you have submitted an application and haven’t received an invoice yet, it may not have been processed through the portal. The invoicing is done online, not manually. If there’s a delay, it means the application is likely in the queue with other requests being processed.”
The decision of the NAFDAC workers to strike comes after multiple meetings with management yielded no positive outcomes regarding critical issues affecting the staff.
The aggrieved workers expressed that their grievances had not been addressed, prompting the drastic action.
“This decision is a result of NAFDAC Management’s failure to address the critical issues outlined in the communiqué within the given time frame,” stated Dr Ejor Michael, Secretary of the TUC.