ANCLA Tin Can Chairman Assures Members Of Constant Medical Check Up

Chairman , Tin Can Island Port Complex Chapter , Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) , Akintoye Ojo Peters on Tuesday , assured members at the grassroot that plans are afoot to provide medical facility, saying most of the practitioners do not have time for check-up.

 

 

Akintoye who promised to bring  medical experts to the door steps of his members disclosed this shortly after a courtesy visit to the Commissioner of Police , Maritime Force Hqtrs, Anderson A. Bankole, seeking solutions to some of the challenges faced by freight agents in the course of cargo clearance at the port.

 

He said the nature of the freight forwarding practice requires constant checks on medical adding that health is very important to life.

 

Chairman of the chapter, Akintoye Ojo Peters while briefing newsmen in his office  said that within the 100 days in office, most of the members would have known their health status.

 

 

 

Speaking on the meeting with force, Akintoye said the visit was necessary, in order to draw the attention of the police boss to the challenges faced by members of his association in the port.

 

Akintoye said that the blockage of cargo by maritime police could not be said to be out of place especially at this crucial period of insecurity in the life of the nation.

 

According to him, he counselled the police top gun to despatch more officers to the port for ease of operations especially in the area of dispatch and cargo blockage to avoid much waste of time especially if the cargo suspected does not carry dangerous goods.

 

His words, “We the newly elected officers of ANLCA in Tincan went on a courtesy and familiarisation visit to the AIG Maritime and to also tell the police about the challenges we face in the course of cargo clearance in the port.

 

“I am sure you are aware that there are some blockages from police maritime though some of the blockages are justifiable because of the peculiar nature of the country at this time in terms of insecurity.

 

“We cannot say that they should not carry out their due diligence and a nvestigations of cargo suspected.

 

“About two or three weeks ago, there was a cargo nabbed at the port with ammunition and sophisticated weapons and if thorough search was not carried out, such a cargo would have scaled through and get into the society and people use it to wreck havoc.

 

“Because of all these precarious situations, we cannot say they should not do their job but in the course of doing their job, they should make sure that the operation is seamless

 

“The cost of going to Obalende because your consignment is blocked, and at the end of the day, you find out that there is truly no need to have blocked it, that will set you back.

 

“Even though we don’t have problem with that, the area we have challenges is the area of dispatch because in the entire western port, there is only one dispatch officer and before only one person tours the entire port, you will agree with me that it will take two or three days.

 

“It is the same officer that will go back to the office and process what he has done on the field, so it makes the job tedious.

 

“This is leading to more demurrage with the shipping companies and terminal operators when dispatch is being delayed. He agreed with us on that,” he said.

 

 

By Roland Ekama