By Ayoola Olaitan
As part of efforts to ensure seamless port operations in the country, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has called for collaboration among port terminal operators and offdock terminals.
The National Cordinator of the Compliance Team, NAGAFF, Alhaji Ibrahim Tanko made this call during a routine visit of bonded terminals in Lagos, yesterday.
Tanko, who led the team to the Tin Can Island port and the Mid-Maritime Services Ltd., posited that some inefficiencies in the port sector would be curb if there was a high degree of collaboration among terminals.
He noted that there have been misconception of the existence of the Compliance team at the Mid-Maritime terminal which led to a clash few weeks ago, however, he expressed satisfaction that the dispute had been resolved with the management of the terminal.
His words: “I found out that there are some people here, they called themselves owners of this place maybe they are helping to do the wrong thing here, hence, they are scared of the NAGAFF Compliance team. There is no reason to be worried about the activities of this Compliance team if you are doing the right thing and I’m glad that the conflict has been resolved.”
He disclosed that the Customs Deputy Controller in-charge of the terminal had agreed to work with NAGAFF and even communicated with the Founder of NAGAFF, Dr. Boniface Aniebonam about the Compliance team’s activities.
“I was glad that he accepted to work with this Compliance team. We are here to work with him and help the government in ensuring seamless operations. The terminal operators that were trying to reject us later on accepted us”.
Tanko who is a Deputy President of NAGAFF Western Zone, applauded Mid-Maritime on standards met at the terminal and called for unity with the compliance team members at the terminal.
Rating the facilities at the terminal, he said; “To a certain extent they have equipments. They have about five or six fork lifts that are standard. They have open space too as you can see the premises. But what we are trying to find out which I can’t be able to say now is their charges. I told my members to give me some of their charges so I can go through it but I’m yet to examine their charges at the moment”
Tanko debunked allegations of fracas with the security of the Mid-Maritime terminal and assured that the Compliance team wasn’t planning to usurp the functions of the management of the terminal.
