ANLCA, NAGAFF Lament Lack of Social Distancing, Skeletal Services at Ports
Container depot
By Onyinye Apeh
The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) and its counterpart, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) have expressed concerns that shipping services providers have failed to create an environment of social distancing for customs agents who clear goods at the Lagos ports.
President of ANLCA, Iju Tony Nwabunike and NAGAFF President, Chief Increase Uche told SHIPPING DAY Thursday in a separate chat that the situation in which agents clear goods at the ports was very chaotic and one in which the ravaging coronavirus was not taken into consideration.
The two blamed shipping companies, terminal operators and banks for failing to make provisions for social distancing, adding that the agents were cramped either in a room or outside without observation of social distancing.
According to the two Presidents, the biggest problems facing the agents was that none of the service providers and the banks was providing full services, adding that agents who came to the ports struggled among themselves to be attended to during which the need for social distancing was abused.
Nwabunike said it was surprising that the shipping companies and banks failed to provide common sanitizes or water for agents to wash their hands during transactions.
The two who noted police harassment on members also called on agents who have no cargo to clear at the ports to remain at home to check the risk of spreading the COVID-19 pandemic.
It was also gathered that officers of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) at the ports were also not observing social services among themselves and customs agents.
NAGAFF’s Special Duty Officer, Rev. Emmanuel Agubanze, had also in a statement urged freight forwarders who have no business at the ports to remain at home.
Agubanze who called on other associations to join NAGAFF in its ’situation room’ reminded the shipping companies to obey the directive of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) on waiver of demurrage at the ports.
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