By Tobi Awodipe
The National President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Emenike Kingsley Nwokeji, has flayed the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) for charging some duties payable to them in dollars, saying this is affecting operations and the cost of goods.

Speaking at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Stakeholders’ forum on port efficiency, held yesterday at Commerce House in Lagos and themed, ‘Improving Trade Facilitation Through Port Efficiency and Cost Effectiveness,’ he regretted that the increased 15 per cent charge has negatively affected the cost of goods in the country, spiking inflation.

“The irony is that NPA now charges in dollars even for services rendered locally. This adds to the cost of doing business in Nigeria and significantly raises the cost of goods.”

Decrying the decayed infrastructure at the ports, he cited that containered goods often fall off the flatbeds of the trucks as a result of the terrible roads, resulting in a loss for importers. “The infrastructure at the ports must be addressed immediately,” he said.

Pointing out that the lack of a proper automation system delays cargo clearance, he said most of the agencies encourage human contact ‘for their gains’. Lamenting the numerous charges, Nwokeji said, “When importing from China or India, for instance, NAFDAC asks us to get a Clean Report of Inspection (CRI) at the port of inspection in those countries. When that same cargo that we got CRI for arrives in Nigeria, we still have to go to NAFDAC again to pay again for inspection, permits and clearance, all on the same cargo, what then is the point of the CRI?”

Also touching on the multiplication of agency functions, he said after getting all the documents of clearance from NAFDAC, SON and Quarantine also come to check and clear (after being paid) for the same cargo. “How can we facilitate trade this way? We cannot continue like this,” he said.

Pointing out that the ports in nearby Ghana are almost fully automated, he said the Tema port has over eight scanners, whereas no port in Nigeria has more than two, with most ports boasting of none.

“The strangest part for us is the poor network our ports always claim to experience. Every Friday, the server goes down mysteriously and never comes back up till Monday. Is this how to facilitate trade? Ports all over the world operate 24 hours a day, whereas ours here close like regular offices at 5 p.m. Ports in other parts of the world function more at night, but the reverse is the case here; this is also why there is heavy congestion and backlog,” he said.

Describing efficient port operations as extremely fundamental to trade, economic growth and expansion as well as the country’s standing in global logistics ecosystem, he expressed sadness and regret that despite their cries, the ports and their operations are still riddled with high charges, poor or non-existent infrastructure, overlapping regulatory frameworks and slow customs processes.