• Dakuku Affirms N420billion
N2.8 trillion cargo dues debt by the multinational shipping lines operating in Nigeria has pitched the House Committee on Marine Transport against the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).
While members of the committee got a total of $10billion (N2.8trillion) as total sum due to NIMASA, the Director General of the Agency, Dr. Dakuku Peterside told the committee that the figure made available to him was $1.5billion.
The cargo dues are aggregate levy shipping companies pay to NIMASA. They are: 3% freight rate which is the percentage of the total value of ship load of cargo paid to NIMASA by every vessel that calls at the nation’s ports. Others are payment from Sea Protection levy, 2% Cabotage Vessel Finance Fund (CVFF) fee, and stevedoring fee.
Justifying the seeming ignorance of the NIMASA helmsman, the Consultant to the House Committee, Barr. Boniface Igwe asserted that Dr. Peterside is new and may not have the true figure of what is being owed NIMASA.
Igwe, a former Director of Cabotage with NIMASA also said that the debt being owed NIMASA by shipping companies operating Nigeria accrued over a period of fifteen, (15) years.
He explained that because he was once an insider in NIMASA, most times provisional invoices are issued to these shipping firms who in turn wait for some time for the authentic invoice to be issued.
Igwe, who is also the lead consultant of World Class Nigeria Limited also explained that one of the shipping firms that were assessed paid a debt of $30million when it was confronted.
Speaking at a public hearing on the $10billion debt owed NIMASA by shipping firms that evaded payments over a period of time, Peterside said that the agency has concluded plans to automate its payment system with to checkmating a reoccurrence of non-payment of its dues and levies.
It was also gathered that Peterside told the Committee that he will make every documents available to ease the work of t he Committee.
MMS Plus learnt that the debt grew to such a staggering amount because NIMASA issued credit invoices.
Meanwhile, the agency’s management in line with its restructuring programme, is set to automate its payment collection processes to engender greater efficiency and eliminate revenue leakages.
Disclosing this during at a meeting with representatives of major shipping companies operating in Nigeria, under the aegis of Shipping Association of Nigeria, (SAN). Peterside said that the current practice is being reviewed to ensure greater efficiency.
He assured the delegation that the Agency will institute more transparent ways of calculating the three percent levy charged on all inbound and outbound cargo.
“We are automating our payment platform in line with our strategic growth plan to ensure greater efficiency in the payment process. The new process will be integrated with similar platforms of sister Agencies in order to correctly ascertain levies chargeable per freight and eliminate the bottlenecks currently being experienced” the DG said.
The agency’s boss also urged the shipping companies to support the Agency’s capacity building programme by providing sea time experience for cadets sponsored under the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP).
In her reaction, the agency’s spokesperson, Hajia Lami Tumaka told the media that what was being owed NIMASA was no where near $10billion.
