Extortion by shipping lines killing Port businesses in Nigeria, says Alabi

“To make matter worse, he said port policy guides also known as Port task team are asking for evidence of extortion before taking action”

By Uzor Odigbo

Advocacy for Maritime Development Association of Nigeria, President Comrade Oluwasegun Alabi has frowned at the shabby treatment some Shipping companies foist on Nigerians.

The treatment which bothers on extortion and delay in offering services without financial inducement has frustrated genuine freighters in the country.

At a round table chart organised by AMJON on Thursday, Alabi expressed disdain at the sordid level that shipping lines are frustrating their Nigerian clients.

To make matter worse, he said port policy guides, also known as the Port task team, is asking for evidence of extortion before taking action.

According to him, “A few months ago, I met the head of the port task team, Mr Moses Fadipe with my team. as there was an issue that has to do with a particular line.

“We all operate and go to the same shipping companies for services. We sent a mail requesting an invoice from this particular line. On the third day, we sent a reminder to them and they didn’t reply us. We went to the line to find out if they received the mail even though from our own end, it is showing they received the mail. We found out they actually received the mail, it also surprised us what they are doing there, if you don’t give them money, they will not act. We wrote a letter to the port task team. They asked us to bring evidence of extortion and the series of mail sent and we did that.

READ ALSO

Drug war: Senior Advocate rallies support for NDLEA, lauds Marwa

“We don’t know what the port task team did, but as I talk to you, we have seen a little change. When you send a mail to this same shipping line requesting for invoice, they reply you within 24 hours”

On Eto Comrade Alabi said the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) should take all the glory as other agencies and individuals worked tirelessly in making the Eto system work.

“Eto is a project of collective efforts and not NPA. As a truck owner, as at today, the Eto system is working.

“In 2018-2019, accessing the port, in terms of what we experience, it is impossible, but with Eto it is possible. No system is perfect but it is a work in progress.

“Today, because of Eto, the price of trucking few years ago, transporting container from Apapa to Ikeja, you pay as much as N600, 000 to N700, 000, but as at today, taking a 40ft container is N250, 000.

“The price of trucking has come down. Eto has succeeded, all we need to do is to give it perfection,” he said.

He said, Eto should be given some.time to mature as the system is very sofiscated.

“When you have a project you are prosecuting, the success of it might not come to fruition at once, there might be complains. Just like when ETO started, there were complains that those incharge of it – there were manipulations and other issues, then perfection came in.

ETO is sophisticated. If any truck accesses the port, ETO sends the owners an SMS. We must admit that it is working and it can get better