Freight Monitor

Freight forwarder cries out over heightened insecurity at Lagos ports

Ibrahim Tanko

—says miscreants, robbers now invade APMT

— laments high non-compliance among freight forwarders

The Eyewitness Reporter

One of the foremost freight forwarders in the maritime industry and the Chairman of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders( NAGAFF) 100 percent Compliance team, Alhaji Ibrahim Tanko, has raised the alarm about what he described as burgeoning cases of insecurity at the Lagos ports.

According to him, undesirables elements such as robbers, beggars and other social miscreants, have now invaded the ports, sleeping and smoking Indian helms at the terminals.

Tanko, who is also the Vice-President, Western Zone of NAGAFF, made this startling revelation Thursday at the Maritime Reporters’ Association of Nigeria(MARAN) round table, a talk- show programme for industry players.

At the programme, Tanko lamented unrestricted access of these criminals into the ports despite the so-called multi-layer security mechanism of the Nigerian Ports Authority(NPA), Nigeria Port Police, the Customs and the terminal operators.

He specifically fingered the AP Mollers Terminal as the worst hit as the terminal has been literally turned into a marketplace.

”I have once written letters to the Customs Area Controllers at Apapa, Tin Can and PTML commands over this issue but there seems no solution to the problem.

”If you go to the AMPT, Apapa, the place is like a market. There is too much crowd. Yo don’t even know who is who in that place.

”People sleeping and smoking Indian hemp at the APMT. The Terminal has become a haven for criminals and street urchins who molest genuine port operators in the terminal

Tanko further disclosed that these undesirable elements often trail their victims from inside the terminal till they reach outside the port before they strike, dispossessing them of their valuables and in few cases, killing them.

”There was a sad case of an agent who was trailed by these robbers right from inside the APMT terminal till they got outside the port where they robbed and killed him.

”In the process of robbing and killing their victim, the ID card of one of the robbers fell down which the police recovered.

”This led them to the criminal who confessed that they trailed their victim from inside the APMT.

”This shows the level of insecurity at the APMT terminal”, lamented the freight forwarder.

He therefore appealed to the Nigerian Ports police, the NPA and the Customs to tighten security at the ports because, ”as its is now , we are no longer safe doing our business at the ports”

He queried how those who have no business at the port could easily gain access into a place where is supposed to be a restricted area.

On the issue of extortion and harassment of freight foewarders by the Cutoms officers, Tanko blamed the audacity of the Customs to perpetrate this henious act on the high level of non-compliance among his fellow freight forwarders.

Tanko lamented that despite the efforts of the NAGAFF compliance team to stem the tide, non- compliance of freight forwarders to exant laws guiding cargo clearing process is still very high.

”This issue of non- compliance is affecting genuine freight forwarders. On daily basis, our containers are being seized on the road by various units of Customs.

”Federal Operation Unit(FOU) of Customs , CG strike Force and Customs Police, at different points on the road, harrass and seize our containers.

He said all these atrocious acts are being visited on freight forwarders because they are not doing the right thing.

Tanko said that in as much as he was not holding brief for the Customs or justifying their acts of impunity, he blamed the non-compliant freight forwarders for their woes.

He said no Customs officer will first ask for money but the fright forwarder who refuses to do the right thing will instead induce the officers with money in order to cover his atrocities.

The NAGAFF chieftain declared that despite the appeal and campaign of his compliance team, which they started two years ago, the level of compliance among the freight agents is still less than 30 percent.

He said the benefits for doing the right thing far outweigh cutting the corners ”as nobody will be able to extort or harrass you, neither will they be able to seize your containers”.

”If you make correct declaration and pay correct duties, nobody will be able to extort you, harrass you, threaten you with Demand Notice or even seize your containers. You will go home and sleep soundly.

”You could even sue them if they dare seize your container in error”, Tanko admonished.

Tanko lamented that those of them in the compliance team are being witch-hunted, threatened and branded as enemies and saboteurs.

He however enjoined freight forwarders to always do the right things in order to safe themselves from the incessant harassment of the Customs officers.

Related Topics:featured Insecurity at Lagos ports

Up Next

FG expresses worries over poor capacity utilisation of Onne port

Don't Miss

Customs in the eye of the storm

Click to comment

Freight Monitor

ANLCA postpones NECOM election to July 5th as ASECO releases fresh guidelines

Nze Aloysius Emeka Igwe, ASECO Chairman, ANLCA

Following the death of the erstwhile chairman of the Association Electoral Commission(ASECO) of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents( ANLCA), Mr. Alloy Anukwuru, who died in April 2023, the new Chairman of the electoral body has released a fresh guideline for the much-anticipated election.

In the new electoral timetable released by the new chairman of the eight-man electoral committee, Nze Aloysius Emeka Igwe, whose appointment by the board of the association sequel to the death of Anokwuru, was announced about a week ago, the ANLCA NECOM election will now hold on July 5th, 2023.

This is about less than a two-month extension from the original date of May 25th, 2023 as earlier announced by the electoral body when it was headed by late Anukwuru.

According to the new electoral guideline signed by the new Chairman of ASECO, Emeka Igwe and Alhaji Mustapha Yakubu, the ASECO Secretary, there will be registration of voters at the Western Zone(National Headquarters), Eastern Zone(Onne) and Northern Zone(Abuja) from May 17th -June 2nd, 2023.

Also, the sales of nomination form/letter of intent closes on May 26th, 2023 while the final submission of the original nomination form is slated for between May 26th- 30th, 2023.

Electoral petitions by aggrieved members or participants will be entertained from June 2nd-9th, 2023 while the publication of the aspirants/first provision voters list will be between June 5th -9th, 2023.

The verification and the screening of original documents of voters in the Western Zone hold between June 12th-15th, 2023 while the verification and screening of licenses of voters in the Eastern Zone takes place June 19th -21st, 2023 and that of the Northern Zone takes place between June 22rd-23rd, 2023.

The screening of the aspirants is slated for July 3rd, 2023 while the publication of the final voters and candidate list will also be done on July 3rd, 2023.

The proper election and declaration of results by the returning officer holds on July 5th, 2023, thus ushering in the new executives that will pilot the affairs of the battle-weary ANLCA for a single term of five years.

Freight Monitor

Aftermath of Anokwuru’s death: ANLCA appoints Alloy Igwe as new ASECO chairman

The eyewitness reporter

A few weeks after the death of Alloy Anokwuru, the erstwhile Chairman of the Associations Electoral Committee (ASECO) of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA)who died in April, the association has appointed Alloy Chukwuemeka Igwe as a new chairman of ASECO.

Unveiling the new chairman at the National Secretariat of the association, Kayode Farinto, the Acting National President of ANLCA, charged the new chairman to leave above board.

“Don’t collect bribes in your new assignment. You may be blackmailed but you should remain steadfast” he charged the new ASECO chairman.

Farinto disclosed that the appointment of the new electoral body was made and ratified at a combined meeting of the association’s NECOM and BOT, last week Saturday.

“There shouldn’t be a vacuum and that was the reason this appointment had to be made.

While eulogizing the former ASECO chairman, Farinto said the association was equally confident in the ability of the new chairman who has an impeccable pedigree in the association.

He said there was a new dawn in ANLCA as never again will unlicensed members be allowed to lord it over the licensed members.

“If the election is successful, it will herald a rebirth of the association and its lost glory will return” Farinto declared.

He, therefore, charged the new chairman and the electoral committee to sanitize the electoral process in the association for the betterment of the group.

He also admonished ANLCA members to remain united and resolute in the current efforts to rebuild the association.

The board also appointed Mr Sanusi Adebayo Suleiman from the MMA chapter as the eighth member of ASECO.

Mr Aloy Igwe and Suleiman were later sworn in by the Acting National President of ANLCA.

The new chairman promised to deliver on his mandate and expressed gratitude to the association for his appointment.

He however said the old timetable of the NECOM election will have to be amended to reflect the new realities on the ground.

The timetable for the NECOM election drawn by the ASECO before Aloy Anokwuru died shows that the election is supposed to hold May, 25th 2023.

It still remains to be seen if the little disruption caused by the death of the former Chairman will affect the date or not.

Freight Monitor

ANLCA holds NECOM elections May 25th as ASECO releases guidelines

The eyewitness reporter

The much-anticipated elections into the National Executive Council of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents(ANLCA) holds on May 25th, 2023.

According to the election timetable released by the Association Electoral Commission(ASECO), a copy of which was sighted by our reporter, the notice of election has been published on April 11, 2023, while the registrations of voters will be conducted by ASECO at the ANLCA national secretariat from April 12th to 28th, 2023.

The guideline, dated April 11th, 2023, also revealed that the electoral committee will entertain letters of intent from interested contestants from April 12th- April 28th, 2023.

Also, nomination forms with elections guidelines will be on sale from April 12th- April 19th, 2023 while the final submission of the original nomination forms and other requirements by aspirants will be on the 27th of April 2023.

Furthermore, the screening of aspirants will take place from May 2nd-May 9th, 2023 while election petitions will be entertained May 10th -18th, 2023.

Also, a provisional list of voters and candidates will be published on May 19th, 2023 while there will be a joint ASECO/BOT/NECOM meeting on May 22nd, 2023 to consider and resolve election petitions.

The final voters and candidates list will be published on May 23rd, 2023.

May 25th, 2023, will be the D-day when the elections will hold and the results declared by the returning officer.

Following the consummation of the peace pact between the two warring parties in ANLCA which ushered in an era of peace in the association that was on the boil for five years, a seven-member electoral body called ASECO, headed by Mr. Alloy Anukwuru, was inaugurated to conduct elections into the association’s NECOM.