By Ayoola Olaitan
As part of efforts to ensure seamless port operations, Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) is exploring solutions to boost compliance to the directive by the Federal Government that all export goods should carry Nigerian Export Proceeds (NXP) numbers as terminal operators lament inability to validate NXP numbers.
This was a major issue discussed during the Council’s tour to APM Terminal, Tincan Island Container Terminal and Maersk Line Terminals in Lagos today.
The Executive Secretary of Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) Mr. Hassan Bello, who described the tour as necessity to access the situation of service after the disturbance of protests on port operations across the country last week.
However, terminal operators lamented the rigidity of using the NXP as the nation economy is been threatened with its lack of validation process by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The Customer Experience Manger of Maersk line Ltd., Mr. Yemi Adenanike lamented challenge in validating NXP as a major challenge encountered since the NXP introduction by CBN.
According to him, “NXP is a big concern, we are having issue with the portal because we can not validate NXP given to us and we have written to CBN about it”
“We have customers who have submitted their NXP numbers but, as an organization we can’t validate it which means we can’t load because the CBN directive is clear about the NXP validation “.
Adenanike posits further that CBN could provide provide a temporal solution till the portal is fixed properly.
“CBN should allow for manual validation until the portal is fixed. They can give us the list of NXP numbers that have been validated so we can work with. Since we cannot validate NXP, the implication is that we cannot load and this affects businesses,” he noted.
Recall that the NSC boss earlier stated that the Council in partnership with the CBN has carried out 3 sensitization meetings in Lagos and Port Harcourt to educate shipping companies and exporters on the need to implement the directive on the NXP.
Bello assured that NSC would work with other agencies of government to ensure full compliance so that export without the NXP is discontinued.
However, the NSC boss lament the challenge been faced by terminal operators on the usage of NXP validation and seek solutions to end the ongoing challenge to ease operation.
His words: “We are looking for solutions because export is very important to our economy, the main reason why the NXP was introduced is to smoothing the process relating to automation and how it is been done”
Bello also argued that CBN gave 90 days as transition period for all operators to make complains and query why such opportunity was not taken by terminal operators to fix the challenge.
“I don’t know why the opportunity of the 90 days was not utilized. We will be meeting with CBN, shipping companies and other relevant agencies to see how we can make things easier at the port.”
The NSC boss applauded the visited terminals for waiver given at this period noting that the Nigeria economy should be protected from certain practices.
“Let me use this medium to appreciate the terminal operators for the demurrage given to Shipper’s during this period, it is good to be aligned with the struggle of Nigeria as it restart its economy as this will go a long way on the economy”, he added.
