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Nigerian
Shippers’ Council (NSC) has called on the Nigeria Customs Service to address the health and environmental hazards posed by acidic substances from abandoned containers at the Ikorodu Container Terminal.
The Deputy Director, Compliance, Monitoring and Enforcement, Chief C.C Agu who led the Council’s delegation to the Ikorodu Container Terminal, stated this during an inspection of the container facility last week.
After conveying pleasantries from the Executive Secretary of NSC, Barr. Hassan Bello, Chief Agu noted that the visit to the Ikorodu terminal was in compliance with the regulatory functions of the Council.
During the inspection, he lamented that most of the containers at the terminal were getting damaged and admonished the Customs to address the issues of some containers leaking out unknown chemical substances which may endanger the health of people.
Alarmed at the high number of containers at the terminal, Chief Agu sympathized with the shipping lines who have been made to suffer massive financial losses.
“The abandoned containers here are more than those in the ports. Why won’t shipping lines increase their charges when most of their containers are wasting here” Chief Agu queried.
Chief Agu also emphasized the need to renovate the terminal especially the corridors which have been demolished by the encroaching waters in order to convey containers via the waterways to the terminal.
Earlier in his welcome speech, the Customs Area Controller (CAC), Deputy Comptroller (DC) A. Nashiru called on the government to authorize the Customs to dispose the damaged cargo at the terminal, lamenting that some cargoes had been at the terminal since 2006.
He revealed that part of the facility is being used by Dangote although the terminal remains the property of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) as it was yet to be concession.
DC Nashiru noted that the terminal was the biggest in the country, explaining that the Ikorodu terminal was created in 2006 for the transfer of overtime cargoes and empty containers in a bid to decongest the ports following the port concession since there was no place to keep overtime cargo and seized goods at that time.
On security, the CAC revealed that the Customs, Police and a private agency SAPID, patrols the terminal.
Most of the containers seen at the terminal have been abandoned for years and the whereabouts of the owners of the cargo remain unknown.
