By Ayoola Olaitan
The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has inaugurated its 100% Compliance Team to sanitize freight forwarding operations, monitor activities of government agencies terminal operators, Importers and their Agents in the Ports.
The Founder of NAGAFF, Dr. Boniface Aniebonam, presided over the commissioning of the newly acquired office of NAGAFF 100% Presidential Compliance Committee, at the Eleganza Plaza in Apapa at the weekend.
Aniebonam during his opening remarks applauded the 100% Compliance Team headed by Tanko Ibrahim, a Vice President of NAGAFF, and charged them to go into the port and sanitize freight forwarding operations and rescue freight forwarders and their Agents from the collapsing port system.
Meanwhile, the NAGAFF founder condemned terminal operators for failing to prepare the Uncleared Cargo List for exit out of the ports, saying that this is why overtime cargoes have continued to litter the port.
According to him, “One of our biggest challenge today is the stemming of cargoes meant for Apapa and Tin Can Island ports to outer ports without the consent of the importers or freight forwarders”
“I can refer you to section 19 of the Custom Law, the power of the Customs to stem cargo, I can refer you to Section 30 of the Customs Law again which talks about the dwell time of cargo at the port which states that, after 30 days, an Uncleared Cargo List must be prepared and the cargo moves out of the port.”
“Today, the cargoes would be 90 days and above and the terminal would be collecting money when the law says you should take it out of the port”.
He further charged the 100% Compliance Team to partner with the government to build a better Nigeria, and there is nothing that says we must live our lives to giving bribes, it is not a law. Every government organization in the port have their standard of operations, freight forwarders must comply to all these procedures and stop giving bribes.
