ANLCA President Laments Non Implementation Of 21 Days Storage Charges Waiver

LUCKY LAWAL

The National President of the Association of Nigeria License Custom Agent, ANLCA, Hon Iju Tony Nwabunike, while speaking on Arise Television lamented the non implementation of the 21 days waivers of Storage Charges as mandated them by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) despite nine days into the lockdown in Lagos as declared by the Federal Government not considering the difficult circumstances Customs brokers and Freight Forwarders were operating from.

According to the ANCLA President, the NPA has given an order that  terminal operators are to waive 21 days storage charges beginning from Monday 23rd of March 2020 for all cargoes in Lagos ports in order to bring succour to importers and their agents for continuous port operations due to the lockdown by the Federal Government.

He said Customs Brokers find it difficult to access the ports due to the lockdown until the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) in collaboration with the  Council for Regulations of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) stepped in to provide the buses which assisted his members for easy entry and exit from the ports. 
He complained that despite the 21 days waiver which was yet to be implemented, people are scared of the dreaded COVID-19 and this has made the ports to witness skeletal services.

He advices on the decongestion of cargoes from Lagos ports to other ports to ease congestion in Lagos ports after the Coronavirus pandemic.

According to him, “It is going to be very hectic. We were told clearly that is only essential goods that are to be cleared from the ports during this period. Essential goods like medicaments, hospital equipment, beverages etc and these are not up to 30% of cargoes in the ports. And as you know the ships are discharging every container, so the congestion will be hectic after the pandemic and that is why I said the 21 days storage charges waiver given by NPA is not even enough”.

Hon Iju however, commended the Federal Government for allowing ports operations to continue during the lockdown as the maritime sector is next to oil in sustaining the economy. He called on the government agencies to continue to assist port stakeholders to carry out their duties during this trying period in Nigeria.