Anxiety As Freight Forwarders Await Outcome Of Friday’s Executive Meeting With Liners
Even as they await the outcome of Friday’s executive meeting with shipping companies, the five accredited freight forwarding associations under the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) have insisted that if their demands are not met, they have no other options than to withdraw their services from the ports.
The freight forwarders had issued a notice of service withdrawal which expired on November 10, 2021.
They met on Wednesday with representatives of some shipping companies to review and probably see if the ultimatum served them to embark on total shut down of the nation’s ports can be averted.
The groups include: Association Of Nigeria Customs Licensed Agents, (ANCLA), National Association Of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Association Of Registered Freight Forwarders Of Nigeria, (AREFFN), National Council Of Managing Directors (NCMDLCA) National Association of Air Freight Forwarders and Consolidators, (NAFFAC) .
Among their reasons for the planned protest include, depletion of container deposit refunds, undue debts on equipment detention, bringing them into dispute with their clients , unnecessary extortion of transporters (N150,000 per drop) at holding bays and network issues, difficulty raising invoices, transmitting TDOs, losing not less than N10m per day among others.
Addressing the press after a closed door meeting with the shipping agents, Registrar, CRFFN Barrister Nwakohu Samuel expressed optimism that Friday’s executive meeting will be a win win situation for all parties involved.
Nwakohu called on the freight forwarding associations to channel their grievances to the regulator for effective management resolution adding that the issues will be addressed amicably.
He disclosed further that CRFFN will introduce a quarterly meeting with all stakeholders involve in the cargo clearance from the ports within the first half of 2021.
The Vice President of ANCLA, Dr Kayode Farinto who spoke on behalf of the aggrieved freight forwarders said the practitioners will not want to preempt the meeting of Friday but added that for the first time, all the associations are coming together as a forum.
“Whatever we tell you today is a collective decision of the association. It’s a forum which is lawful under CRFFN act.”
“When the shipping companies come to the country with cargoes, they don’t want to go back with empty containers. They prefer to go with export because they are going to get their freight from there.
“Meanwhile they are transferring these responsibilities to Nigeria. It’s possible in Nigeria because anything goes here. But we are saying no to it. The Friday meeting will also involve Nigeria Shippers Council.
“We are going to look at the issues holistically.
“All the five associations are represented. I don’t know where they are going to hide now. Every shipping company is supposed to have holding bay. And the number of holding bay they have cannot contain the number of empty containers they have.
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“How can you bring 500 filled container load and you have only 200 holding bay.
“Meanwhile you are allowing our container bay to be depleting on truck and Shippers Council continue to sign for them to repatriate this money.
“We have studied the intricacies and the technicalities of these thing. We know it and we are now saying the Shipper’s Council will desist from signing these things for them and if they do that there would be sanity in our ports it only we are allowing them to have field day.
“You are charging people for deposit, you have container on a truck, and you are imposing container detention charges. Consequently, you are repatriating this charges. If we are able to reach compromise on Thursday that means the strike will be called off.
“We are elected. You are expecting me to go to my members that are suffering out there that God dey. Are we representing them well when we know all the politics? CRFFN should not be protecting shipping companies.
President of NAGAFF, Tochukwu Ezisi said the main decision will be taken on Friday at the executive meeting.
Açcording to him, the issue of demurrage and excessive arbitrary charges will be decided.
The NAGAFF President said “We have been working individually but now we are working together.
The National Deputy President of NAGAFF, Simeon Nwonu lamented that “A situation where a foreigner will come to Nigeria and begin to manipulate our businesses to their advantage is uncalled for.
He lamented that the shipping companies kept frustrating the freight forwarders on every aspect adding that thousands of freight forwarders are suffering.
Caption:
From Left: Deputy President NAGAFF, Simeon Nwonu, President of NAGAFF Toichukwu Ezisi, Vice President ANLCA, Dr. Kayode Farinto, and National coordinator 100% Compliance Task Team of NAGAFF, Alhaji Ibrahim Tanko during the press briefing held on Wednesday in Lagos
By Roland Ekama
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