The 100% Compliance Team of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders, (NAGAFF), has petitioned the National Security Adviser(NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, against the activities of the operators of scanning machines in the Western Seaports.
The Compliance Team accused the operators of deliberately, purposefully, and maliciously subverting the original plan and purpose of introducing scanning machines in cargo clearing processes, especially, in the nation’s Western Seaports, thereby perpetuating the option of physical examination.
National Coordinator, NAGAFF’S 100% Compliance Team, Alhaji (Dr..) Ibrahim Tanko, who leveled the accusation in a letter he addressed to the Office of the National Security Adviser and made available to the media, lamented the level of sabotage in Nigeria Ports, saying that the efforts of the Federal Government to secure the Nation are grossly undermined by some agencies, concessionaires and public officers in positions of authority.
The letter reads in part: “We write your good office regarding deliberate, malicious, and orchestrated methods of which the operators of the nation’s seaports subvert the plan and purpose of introducing scanning machines in cargo clearing processes, especially, in the nation’s Western Seaports.
“You may recall that the rationale, purpose, and original intention of introducing scanning machines principally, was among other reasons, to facilitate trade and ensure timely cargo clearing processes.
”The conventional method, and or idea was for freight forwarders or agents to bring in their container-laden trucks to the scanning site, and after undergoing the statutory procedures and extant processes, would thereafter exit the port. If however, the container fails the scanning text, the agent takes his truck to the physical examination platform where the suspected infractions, namely, wrong declaration, concealment, and other noticeable infractions are referred to relevant government agencies, or units, for further actions.
“However, and unfortunately so, what we have and experience now is deliberate circumvention of the near-perfect arrangements of Cotecna in scanning of goods, this is obviously for parochial or pecuniary interest.
”The concessionaires have hitherto adopted a cumbersome style and methods of ensuring and insisting on clearing agents using only their trucks instead of the usual conventional and fast method of the agents using their trucks.
“The concessionaire’s method implies that every scanned container is returned to the stack irrespective of the examination status, making agents pay so much in demurrage, hiring and paying for trucks twice. Woe betide one if the result of scanning, his container is returned as suspect, the person is subsequently subjected to another booking for physical examination at another fee to the Terminal Operator making it a double payment for a supposed single process. The implication is that this cumbersome procedure breeds corruption and consequently poses a security risk.
“More so, we think that if the examination platform meant for the examination of containers is utilized, the alarming seizures, such as the ones recorded in Port-Harcourt would have been prevented, this is because it would be detected by the scanning machine”.
The Team commended the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, saying that the procurement of the scanning machines was part of the Federal Government’s efforts towards securing the country hence the reason the association considered it appropriate to bring his attention to the unwholesome and untoward activities of Western seaports operators, which in no small measure, have occasioned loss of government revenues, security implications, and impairment or clogging of trade facilitation.
The NAGAFF 100% Compliance Team urged the National Security Adviser(NSA) to swiftly call the terminal operators and their collaborators to order.
