Forwarders Threaten To Picket Ports

If the alleged plan by the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) to publish  the federal government’s official gazette, a N25 million minimum capital base for customs licensed agent is anything to go by, the relative peace experienced in the Nigerian ports since after the concessioning of the ports may be jolted, as the freight forwarding community has threatened to picket the ports to register their protest.

Speaking in Lagos on Monday, in reaction  to the alleged plan by the privatization agency, President of National Association of Government Approved freight forwarders (NAGAFF), Mr Eugene Nweke, said freight reject completely the alleged plan, saying that they are not business people or contractors but professionals that act as intermediaries between the importer (called principal), and the government agencies and the organisations involved in Cargo clearing process in the port. We are also logistic managers.

You don’t ask a professional like the Accountant or Lawyer or Doctor to raise a certain capital before we can practice.

This is one of those attempts by foreign agents to make the freight forwarding practice foreign dominated in this country.

“But we are going to fight those behind that move because it is not done anywhere in the world. If you go to our neighbouring countries, like Ghana, Benin Republic, Togo; foreigners are not allowed to do freight forwarding but in this country, the reverse is the case,” he said .

Nweke also said that the Nigerian frieght forwarding community has been worried on  the implication the involvement of foreigner in the freight forwarding will have on the economy, in terms of capital flight and job creation. He said already, the foreigners are having all the big jobs even government and now there is an attempt to take over what is left of the local professionals.

He, therefore, stressed that if BPE goes ahead to sneak into government policy, such anti-people regulation, they should be ready to face the anger of the freight forwarders.