Freight forwarders threaten ports closure over server failure

Freight forwarders under the aegis of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) 100 per cent Compliance Task Team, have threatened to shut down ports’ operations over the epileptic server failure and other inefficiencies of Customs digital service provider, Webb Fontaine.

Webb Fontaine is responsible for the provision of IT and telecom infrastructure for the Customs Management System nationwide via the Nigeria Customs Integrated System (NICIS II).

The freight agents lamented that the incessant failure on the part of the Information Technology (IT) service provider on the Customs platform over time has cost shippers, importers and their agent’s huge fiscal losses in cargo clearance from the seaports and arbitrary demurrage charges.

Meanwhile, NAGAFF has written to the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, in a letter titled, “Webb Fontaine’s Inefficiency: Our Painful Experience and Loss of Millions of Naira by Freight Forwarders” on the anguish and financial losses as a result of the company’s inefficiencies on the Nigeria Customs Service digital platform.

The freight forwarders, however, issued a seven-day ultimatum to the service providers to address the inefficiencies in their digital services or face total shut down of their offices in Lagos as well as operations at the seaports.

The National Coordinator of the NAGAFF Compliance Task Team, Ibrahim Tanko, who issued the ultimatum on Wednesday in Lagos, queried the IT Company, alleging that Webb Fortaine lacked adequate equipment to execute the project effectively.

Tanko said Webb Fontaine was supposed to provide single window solutions connecting all stakeholders involved in foreign trade, allowing them to perform from pre-clearance to post-clearance activities, noting that the company’s service has, however, been poor.

Highlighting some of the problems, Tanko said system failure is outrageous as the network failure may last for more than four days at a stretch, leaving freight forwarders with a huge backlog of demurrage running into millions of naira.

“Imagine the quantum of losses incurred by thousands of containers trapped by the downtime at most of the ports and terminals. Even the banks cannot transmit information about duties collected on behalf of the federal government,” he said.

Tanko reiterated that cargo clearance at the nation’s seaports has been in a deep depression over the irregular service failure, even as he called on the Ministry of Finance to intervene and save the business from further collapse.

He lamented that the incessant serve failure has also affected government revenue drive without any form of explanation from officials from Webb Fortaine.

Tanko said the situation was more appalling when members of the association paid a working visit to Webb Fortaine in Dubai to compare the level of operational activities, as they were shocked at the optimal efficiency and seamless system operations without any form of shoddy dealings with practitioners in the Middle East.

He queried the irregularities in Nigeria, noting that quantum losses incurred by thousands of businessmen with consignments trapped by the downtime at most ports have been alarming with nobody to hold accountable for a refund.

The group implored the finance minister to critically investigate and re-examine the process of the IT firm operations while warning that members may embark on a strike action if no response is gotten within one week after issuing the letter.