Nigeria losing N6.3b daily to poor network connectivity at Lagos seaports 

The freight forwarding sector has lamented that the persistent lack of network connectivity at the Lagos seaports continued to cause significant economic losses, with estimates suggesting that Nigeria loses about N6.3 billion daily due to these failures.

Freight forwarding practitioners under the aegis of the Association of Registered Freight Forwarders of Nigeria (AREFFN) voiced serious concerns over the persistent network failures crippling operations in the sector.

The National Public Relations Officer for AREFFN, Taiwo Fatomilola, expressed frustration over the ongoing situation, which has left freight agents unable to process essential tasks since last week.

Fatomilola detailed the challenges faced by freight forwarders, highlighting that since last Thursday, there has been virtually no network connectivity for key operations such as job punching, releasing, and delivery of goods at the Lagos seaports.

He lamented that out of an expected volume of 1,000 jobs, only a handful of about 10 per cent are being processed, with many waiting for hours without progress.

Fatomilola said the ripple effect of these disruptions is far-reaching and is also severely impacting the revenue generated by customs, which the government relies on.

“When the government is so much concerned about revenue, how do you generate revenue when there is no network to pay the bank or access customer portals? The lack of network connectivity has led to significant economic losses, with estimates suggesting that Nigeria loses nearly N6.3 billion daily due to these failures,” he stated.

He criticised the Nigerian telecommunications landscape, arguing that reliance on one network provider for the entire maritime sector, has left the freight industry vulnerable to such crises.

The freight forwarder pointed out that technology could provide a solution, but political barriers hinder progress.

“Nigeria has the brains and innovations to advance, but these ideas are often discarded due to political affiliations. We are not ready for technological advancements because of the leadership’s approach,” he asserted.

Fatomilola detailed the economic ramifications of the network issues, stating that each vehicle incurs a daily demurrage cost, with cars paying around N9,000, SUVs N15,000, and trucks up to N30,000.

He called for immediate solutions to restore network connectivity and ensure seamless operations in Nigeria’s critical freight sector.

Also, the National President of the Africa Association of Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria (APFFLON), Frank Ogunojemite, decried the epileptic network connection during the clearing of cargoes from the port.

He lamented the inability of freight forwarders to capture jobs and pay Customs duty at the banks due to downtime in the bank’s server system, thereby incurring demurrage and rent on cargoes lying at the seaports and airports.

Ogunojemite said the server issue with Unity Bank cost the freight forwarders N120 billion for three days they faced the issue with the network with no assurance of refund.

He called on the Federal Government to engage another internet service provider as an alternative to the one being used in the maritime industry to guarantee service consistency.