Shippers (importers and exporters) under the aegis of Abia Shippers’ Association (ASA) have expressed worry over the deplorable state of infrastructure, especially roads leading to the Onne Seaport from the commercial city of Aba in Abia State.
According to them, the poor state of the roads has negatively affected trade relations with neighbouring states, including the movement of consignments from Onne Seaport to Aba.
“Trade between neighbouring states has been cut off due to bad road condition. Aba traders often lose goods imported and cleared from the wharf on transit due bad road. It is estimated that an average of seven containers fall off the truck on weekly basis due to bad road condition, from Onne to Aba,” Alex Adaelu, president of ASA, said during a courtesy visit of Hassan Bello, executive secretary, Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), to South-East zonal coordinating office of the Council, in Aba last week.
Adaelu, who commended the recent efforts of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu towards redeeming the situation amid the current financial standing of the state, also lamented of the incessant harassment of shippers by the officers of the Federal Operations Unit (FOU) of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).
“Customs officers on the road have increased the pain of Aba traders and we found no justification for Customs to have seven different check points between Aba and Onitsha. We have made several reports and complains on this to the authorities concern, without any meaningful result,” the ASA president said.
The association urged the NSC boss to use his good office as the port economic regulator to intervene on the issue so as to ease the ugly situation, which adds to delay that also incur cost for shippers and compel them to pay demurrage to shipping companies for not returning the empty containers as when due.
He, however, invited the management of the Council to be part of the upcoming annual general meeting of the association themed, ‘Export Potentials of Made-in-Aba Products: A Strategy of Survival in a Recessed Economy,’ targeted at sensitising and encouraging Abia shippers to restructure for export as alternative to import.
Responding to this, Bello, who noted that the Council was created to represent the interest of Nigerian shippers, especially in creating enabling environment that would facilitate international trade, also observed that NSC under his administration had made serious intervention in area of tariff charged on import and export by service providers at the port.
He promised to take the issues concerning loss of goods on transit caused by the deplorable state of the roads, which also delay the timely delivery of cargo to importers’ warehouses, to the governor of Abia for intervention.
Bello, who expressed worry over the alleged harassment officers of Customs, said that the multiple check points was due to increasing rate of arms importation into the country, but he however promised to work with the Zonal coordinator to ensure that the matter is duly tabled before the Comptroller General of Customs.
While dismissing the request of the Association to be allowed into the port, Bello said that the Council is seriously working with the various stakeholders to automate port operations in order to reduce the rate of human contact, fast track cargo clearance and reduce corruption at ports. “We are committed to introducing the planned national single window at the port because we believed that it would help cut down delay and eradicate substandard practices at the ports.”
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