Council President Laments Ports Charges Hike

The arbitrary increase of Port charges  at the Nigerian Ports has come under serious criticism.

The president of the National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA), Mr Lucky Amiwero, made the criticism when he lament with the senate  Ad-hoc  committee on the investigation of the privatisation and commercialisation   of Federal Government owned public Enterprise in Nigeria said the increases in Port charges by the Port concessionaires was as a result of misinformation  to the government functionaries  inorder to achieve profiteering  goals at the expenses of Nigerians.

He however, condemned the arbitrary  increases at the Ports  which  had resulted to high cost of clearing consignments at the nation’s  ports.

Mr Amiwero stressed the need for a review of the various Port concession agreement in the country inorder to control inflation and  harnessed the maritime potentials  for the interest of the entire people of this country, the government and genuine investors.

The NCMDLCA boss said during the earlier pre-port concession era, of 2003 the Bureau of Pubic Enterprises advertised the concession of the Port, and 37 issues were raised by the Bureau to justify the concession.

According to the BPE, the Port reform would improve efficiency of operations at the Ports, reduce high  cost of cargo clearance, facilitate development of the nations transport infrastructure as well as eliminate congestion, adding that it would also portray Nigeria as a hub in the West African sub-region.

“Five years after the ports were concession, these objectives could not be achieved as cost of doing business at the ports has risen far higher than what it used to be”, he noted.