Ports: 12 Terminal Operators Shun Ministerial Directive on Collection of POFs for CRFFN
ROTIMI AMAECHI
*They are afraid of customs agents, says CRFFN official
*Customs agents hate CRFFN with passion – official claims
By Francis Ugwoke
The Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRRFN) is currently having serious challenges in the collection of Ports Operating Fees (POFs) in the seaports and border stations across the country.
A source close to the agency disclosed that the problem is from some terminal operators who are accused of shunning the ministerial directive that the POFs should be paid along with other charges in the ports and evidence of payment produced before a Terminal Delivery Order (TDO) is issued to the agents to take his goods.
Our source told Shipping Day that out of the 16 terminal operators in the country, only four of them have fully complied with this directive which has the backing of the Ministry of Transportation.
It was gathered that the remaining 12 have been claiming that they would be attacked by customs agents if they insist that the POFs should be paid before TDOs are issued to them.
But our source said this action of some terminal operators is viewed as clear economic sabotage against the government which the CRFFN represents.
The source said the collection of POFs has become imperative to enable CRFFN management address daring statutory responsibilities which the current subvention from government cannot address.
He said the POFs apart from being used for the development of freight forwarders can also be used in maintaining facilities of the agency, including vehicles scattered all over the country.
An official of the CRFFN decried the attitude of the terminal operators, saying it was wrong for them to have aligned with some disgruntled freight forwarders who are opposed to the collection of the POFs.
“It is a clear economic sabotage to ignore the directive of the government on flimsy excuses as being given by some terminal operators. The terminal operators cannot connive with the agents to sabotage the Council. What we are doing is for the interest of the freight forwarders but it is surprising that the agents hate CRFFN with passion we cannot understand. An agent can spend so much in other areas to clear their goods but not ready to pay N1000 or N2000 POFs which they stand to gain”, he said.
It was gathered that following the action of the terminal operators, the Minister of Transportation is billed to have a stakeholders’ meeting soon on the issue.
The stakeholders’ meeting which is expected to come up soon will involve all terminal operators, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), CRFFN and customs agents associations.
The Ministry is looking at options of enforcing the collection among all terminal operators in which the NPA would be fully involved.
Before now, the CRFFN had made moves to pacify aggrieved members who have mounted strong opposition against the collection of POFs in the ports.
Source said the Council had reached a gentleman agreement with the associations registered with it to settle them with some percentage of the collections, one of the reasons their leadership had soft-pedaled on their earlier opposition to the collection.
The Council had considered a more formal and legal way of settling all the aggrieved agents who had made their voices clear against the collection.
The Congregation of Registered Freight Forwarding Practitioners of Nigeria , (CREFFPON) had expressed displeasure over the POFs payment.
The freight forwarders in a statement signed by the Fwdr Edwin Chukwudire, gave an indication that the increasing prices of goods in the market cannot be unassociated with such fees among other corrupt practices at the ports.
He said that importers who have resisted the payment have had to incur demurrage on their goods as terminal operators decided not to release them for the benefit of collecting more demurrage on the items.
*Customs agents hate CRFFN with passion – official claims
By Francis Ugwoke
The Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRRFN) is currently having serious challenges in the collection of Ports Operating Fees (POFs) in the seaports and border stations across the country.
A source close to the agency disclosed that the problem is from some terminal operators who are accused of shunning the ministerial directive that the POFs should be paid along with other charges in the ports and evidence of payment produced before a Terminal Delivery Order (TDO) is issued to the agents to take his goods.
Our source told Shipping Day that out of the 16 terminal operators in the country, only four of them have fully complied with this directive which has the backing of the Ministry of Transportation.
It was gathered that the remaining 12 have been claiming that they would be attacked by customs agents if they insist that the POFs should be paid before TDOs are issued to them.
But our source said this action of some terminal operators is viewed as clear economic sabotage against the government which the CRFFN represents.
The source said the collection of POFs has become imperative to enable CRFFN management address daring statutory responsibilities which the current subvention from government cannot address.
He said the POFs apart from being used for the development of freight forwarders can also be used in maintaining facilities of the agency, including vehicles scattered all over the country.
An official of the CRFFN decried the attitude of the terminal operators, saying it was wrong for them to have aligned with some disgruntled freight forwarders who are opposed to the collection of the POFs.
“It is a clear economic sabotage to ignore the directive of the government on flimsy excuses as being given by some terminal operators. The terminal operators cannot connive with the agents to sabotage the Council. What we are doing is for the interest of the freight forwarders but it is surprising that the agents hate CRFFN with passion we cannot understand. An agent can spend so much in other areas to clear their goods but not ready to pay N1000 or N2000 POFs which they stand to gain”, he said.
It was gathered that following the action of the terminal operators, the Minister of Transportation is billed to have a stakeholders’ meeting soon on the issue.
The stakeholders’ meeting which is expected to come up soon will involve all terminal operators, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), CRFFN and customs agents associations.
The Ministry is looking at options of enforcing the collection among all terminal operators in which the NPA would be fully involved.
Before now, the CRFFN had made moves to pacify aggrieved members who have mounted strong opposition against the collection of POFs in the ports.
Source said the Council had reached a gentleman agreement with the associations registered with it to settle them with some percentage of the collections, one of the reasons their leadership had soft-pedaled on their earlier opposition to the collection.
The Council had considered a more formal and legal way of settling all the aggrieved agents who had made their voices clear against the collection.
The Congregation of Registered Freight Forwarding Practitioners of Nigeria , (CREFFPON) had expressed displeasure over the POFs payment.
The freight forwarders in a statement signed by the Fwdr Edwin Chukwudire, gave an indication that the increasing prices of goods in the market cannot be unassociated with such fees among other corrupt practices at the ports.
He said that importers who have resisted the payment have had to incur demurrage on their goods as terminal operators decided not to release them for the benefit of collecting more demurrage on the items.
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