Freight Forwarders Issue 7- Day Ultimatum To Webb Fortaine Over Alleged Epileptic Server Collapse

By Roland Ekama

Freight agents under the auspices of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) 100% Compliance Task Team have issued a seven day ultimatum to service providers Webb Fortaine over alleged epileptic and inefficient server failure.

 

The freight forwarders lamented that the alleged incessant failure on the part of the Information Technology (ICT) service provider overtime has cost shippers to pay more in the cargo clearance from the seaports and arbitrary demurrage charges.

 

National Coordinator, 100% Compliance Task Team , NAGAFF,  Alhaji Ibrahim Tanko who issued the ultimatum on Wednesday in Lagos, queried the Information Technology company alleging that Webb Fortaine lack   adequate equipment to executive the project effectively.

 

Tanko reiterated that cargo clearance at the nation’s seaports has been in deep depression over the alleged 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.

 

He also described officials of the IT firm as arrogant alleging that most of the staff deployed to operational commands and formations of customs ignore complaints by freight forwarders.

 

 

According to him, members of the association had paid a working visit to Webb Fortaine in Dubai to compare the level of operational activities but were shocked that everything was efficient, seamless without any form of shoddy dealings with practitioners in the Middle East.

 

He also queried the irregularities in the  Nigeria counterparts noting that quantum losses incurred by thousands of businessmen with consignments trapped by the downtime at most ports has been alarming.

 

Tanko disclosed that plans are afoot to engage management of the Nigeria Customs Service on the best way to address the irregularities noting that the minister of finance, Mrs Zainab Ahmed  has been petitioned about the inefficiency on the part of Webb Fortaine.

 

On the best way out of the alleged irregularities, Tanko called on the minister to critically investigate and re-examine the process of Webb Fortaine operations .

 

While lamented on the alleged irregularities, the National Coordinator stressed that ” Webb Fortaine was appointed by the federal government of finance to implement a customs centric single window portal and the provision of IT and telecom infrastructure for Nigeria.

 

“Their system failure is outrageous; the network failure may last for more than four days  at a stretch leaving us freight forwarders with huge backlog of demurrage running into millions of Naira.

 

“Webb Fortaine was supposed to provide a single window solutions interconnecting all stakeholders involved in foreign trade allowing them from pre clearance to post clearance.

 

“In addition,they were to speed up customs and trade processes for both  the traders and government but here in Nigeria, we are inundated with outdated infrastructure and software.

 

While speaking on the trip to Webb Fortaine Dubai’s trip, Tanko queried that ” Our experience over there is what we expect hers adding stressing the need on how to recoup the monumental losses by government intervention.