By Uzor Odigbo
A critical stakeholder in the customs brokerage industry in Nigeria and former Chairman, Associations of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Apapa branch, Olumide Fakanlu has said that the peak period surcharge purported by international shipping lines is a conspiracy
He believed that some Nigerians are behind the surcharge, saying it would have a serious negative impact on the economy of the country.
Fakanlu spoke with journalists in his office on Thursday.
He added that the introduction of the surcharge was aimed at what to reap from the nation even as he called on importers to seek alternative means of cargo carriage away from the international shipping lines.
His words, “It is just that some people are determined to kill Nigeria. It is a conspiracy, I know some Nigerians are involved.
“It is about what they want to reap from Nigeria. I don’t think it is applicable to Ghana, Abidjan. Why only Nigeria? Is it only Nigeria that has troubled water?
“It is part of the conspiracy by the leadership or followership against Nigeria. If the importers can get alternative, better for them.
On the efforts of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) looking for alternatives to container deposit, he said that the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) was a clog in the wheel of progress, saying there is no need for the creation of the Council.
According to him, the presence of the NSC is enough to carry out all the necessary activities required for the regulation and development of freight forwarding in Nigeria.
“CRFFN is a clog in the wheel of progress, we don’t need CRFFN once Shippers’ Council is there.
“There is nothing like CRFFN anywhere in the world,” he submitted