Ports Authority Police, Western Command, has urged the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) and the aggrieved freight forwarding unions to sheathe their swords.

It also advised them to embrace constructive dialogue and avoid actions such as picketing or protests that could lead to a shutdown of port activities.

Freight forwarders had protested at the offices of major shipping companies in Lagos over the controversial increase in shipping fees, defying the NSC calls for dialogue between both parties.

Worried about the negative impact of the tensions within the port sector, the Commissioner of Police, Oluwatoyin Agbaminoja, yesterday, held a meeting with the representatives of freight forwarding unions, including National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Africa Association of Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria (APFFLON), Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANCLA), and the management of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council to address the concerns and the tension caused by recent increment in shipping charges by shipping companies.

The meeting focused on the need to sustain peace, ensure uninterrupted port operations and protect the nation’s trade ecosystem from disruption.

The Commissioner of Police emphasised that Nigerian ports remain critical to the nation’s economy, serving as the gateway for international trade and warned that any disruption would have far-reaching consequences on the economy, supply chain and national revenue.

The Nigerian Shippers’ Council and union representatives present at the meeting commended the proactive intervention of the Ports Authority Police and agreed on the need to prioritise dialogue and peaceful resolution of disputes in the overall interest of the nation’s economy.
MEANWHILE, the Federal Government is targeting a reduction in cargo clearance time from as high as 21 days to under seven days.

It said this is a renewed move to dismantle bottlenecks in the nation’s ports.

The initiative under Phase One of the National Single Window (NSW) and the simultaneous upgrade of Apapa Port and Tin Can Island Port are aimed at tackling Nigeria’s cargo dwell time between 18 and 21 days, which stands at more than 475 per cent higher than the global average of four days.

According to a media brief released in Abuja yesterday by the office of the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, the Federal Government said that beyond the infrastructure gap, the main factor driving port inefficiency in Nigeria is bureaucracy.

Data contained in the media brief showed that 73 per cent of port delays stem from transaction processes, which include documentation, customs procedures, and regulatory approvals, rather than physical congestion.

Unjustified delay often results in congestion tax on the economy, which drives up logistics costs, delaying industrial inputs, and weakening the competitiveness of Nigerian exports.

As a result of this, importers face prolonged inventory cycles and demurrage charges, while exporters contend with missed market window constraints that have persisted despite Nigeria’s strategic position under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).