The Steering Committee of freight forwarders drawn from the five registered associations comprising the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents ANLCA, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders NAGAFF and others would today take a final decision on whether or not to embark on strike to protest alleged imposition of arbitrary demurrage and empty container charges by shipping companies.

This crucial decision would precede an executive session convened in Apapa today by the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarders in Nigeria CRFFN in which representatives of the shipping companies, the steering committee of the registered associations and those of the Association of Maritime Truck Owners AMATO, which is a continuation of a tripartite, which held earlier this week to discuss the alleged imposition of charges and the proposed withdrawal of service by the freight forwarders would be in attendance.

In a joint press conference addressed by the Steering Committee members comprising the National Vice President of ANLCA, Dr. Kayode Farinto, the President of NAGAFF, Tochukwu Ezesi, Deputy National Vice President of NAGAFF, Simeon Nwonu and national coordinator of the NAGAFF Compliance Team, Alhaj Tanko Ibrahim, among several others, the committee observed that it decided to attend the executive session to give the CRFFN a benefit of the doubt as such meetings have held severally over the years without any result.

The NAGAFF President, who set the ball rolling, recalled that for too long, shipping lines and terminal operators operating in the country have made a mincemeat of freight forwarders, importers and even transporters by imposing all manner of arbitrary charges which have gone on unchallenged, a development that has impoverished many of them.

He noted that it is unprecedented that the five associations registered under the CRFFN Act of 2007 would come together to speak with one voice, which is a pointer to the fact they must get it right at this time and liberate the Nigerian operators from the cartel called shipping lines and terminal operators.

Ezesi, who was inaugurated last week as the 6th president of the association, assured that the years of divide and rule strategy adopted by some of the service providers, which kept all the Nigerian stakeholders at loggerheads with one another was over as it has been proven that speaking with one voice is all that is needed to confront these common enemies, who exploit Nigerians.

Meanwhile, the ANLCA Vice President, who also spoke during the conference, disclosed that most of these arbitrary imposition of charges on demurrage and empty containers by the shipping lines was part of the ploy to transfer some new freight costs on Nigerians, describing that as unacceptable.

He noted that there are new freight charges on shipping lines occasioned by new regulations by the International Maritime Organisation IMO, which seek to reduce sulphur content in fuel, which have brought about increased cost of bunkering for the liners.

He also insisted that there was need for the shipping companies to establish holding bays for their empty containers outside the ports where importers and freight forwarders would return their empty containers and collect their container deposits without any stress.

“We merely suspended the notice of withdrawal of service slated to commence on November 10, 2021 to allow the CRFFN exhaust all avenues of dialogue. We cannot afford to disappoint our people at this time again and that informed the reason the five associations came together to speak with one voice because their divide and rule strategy would not work for them for ever.

“Like my colleague, the NAGAFF president told you, we will all attend the executive session being convened today by the CRFFN and if no concrete efforts are made to resolve the issues, we would commence the strike next week.

“We have also told you that there would be no need for carrying of placards, procession or demonstration, we will withdraw our services, which implies that customs agents, freight forwarders and even transporters would simply stay away from the ports as no one would clear any cargo in order to drive home our point”, Farinto said.

He charged the CRFFN and other agencies of the government that regulate shipping to be more up and doing in terms of protecting the interest of the Nigerian operators in terms of resisting these arbitrary charges, which are passed down to the final consumers in terms of higher prices, which worsen the inflationary trends in the country.

Many stakeholders have expressed fears that the strike might worsen congestion already being experienced at the seaports, especially as the Yuletide season, which is characterised by increased importation of goods approaches and therefor urged the government to do everything possible to forestall it.