Already there is a regulation that is in place for the collection of the fee and what I expect Shippers’ Council (NSC) to do is to work with Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) as a family because I don’t understand this call for registration. For me, this is not right because it is the duty of CRFFN. Though CRFFN might not be performing their roles now because the executives were inaugurated few months ago but what I expected Shippers’ Council boss to do, is to hold a meeting with the CRFFN board before planning on this step.
It is not within the NSC’s purview to register agents and others; they have not been intervening on the situation on ground at the port. The instruction given by the NPA has not been carried out. At times, the manner all these agencies come up with different laws can be ridiculous. Shipping companies are trapping people’s money and nothing is being done by the Council. They have no business with importers and the likes because an importer decides how he/she wants to import their goods and how to go about it. Shippers’ Council should concentrate more on the happenings in the port.
This so called fee will make the country’s ports less attractive as it amounts to double taxation. Importers are already more attracted to using ports of neighbouring countries for cargoes that are consumed by Nigerians, leading to increasing job loss. It is not good for our economy. There are many issues affecting ports users that require urgent attention than this registration Shippers’ Council wants to take up.
I do not think the council should engage in such an activity because it does not fall under the purview of the Council. It is an additional cost of doing business, which would militate against the presidential directive on the ease of doing business in the ports. It is only the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) that can make such a policy. Registration of agents should be done by CRFFN and the right of CRFFN alone.
The fee is an additional cost of doing business which would work against the presidential directive on the ease of doing business. It is only the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) that by law, is allowed to make such policy. It is not the place NSC; NSC is doing another agency’s work. The only agency saddled with that responsibility is CRFFN because that is what the Act says. Every agency has the Act that established it and what role each should be playing.
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