A licensed customs agent, Chief Ozo Chukwurah, says unsteady
power supply has been the major impediment to 24-hour port operations in the
country.

Chukwurah,
Chairman, Anti-smuggling and Corruption Unit of the Association of Nigerian
Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), made the remark at an election held by the
Igbo Maritime Forum (IMF) on Monday in Lagos.

“The first and major problem is energy. We cannot operate in
darkness and expect things to work properly,” he said.

Chukwurah, however, noted that other problems militating
against the possibility of round-the-clock operations at the ports were
man-made.

The clearing agent cited the absence of manpower and lack of
security at night as other problems militating against 24-hour port operations.

He told our correspondent in a post-election interview that
the customs agents were still experiencing delays in cargo clearance, adding
that 80 per cent of the problems were, however, man-made.

“We are facing delays in cargo clearance because the
shipping companies and the terminal operators are benefiting from such delays

“Every little delay, be it one minute or a day, is to their
benefit, because they still continue to collect storage charges,” he said.

The clearing agent commended government for taking proactive
action in trying to harmonise the arbitrary charges by shipping companies.

“Government is doing what it ought to do by checkmating the
shipping companies and we also need to ensure that these concessionaires and
shipping companies are doing what they are supposed to do.

“The Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) should play the role
of a regulator, but they are just waking up to their responsibility.

“By the Act that created the council, they should do their
work,” Chukwurah said.

Another licensed Customs Agent, Mr John Ofobike, said that
the NSC should be given more powers to protect the shippers and that the body
should not only play an advisory role.

He said that the Igbo Maritime Forum was an organisation
which came into existence to ensure unity among Igbo people working in the
Maritime sector.

“Igbo people constitute a large number of those working in
the maritime sector, as 90 per cent of imports into the country are brought by
the Igbos.

“The Forum is to make sure that when government has a
policy, we sit down and analyse it and then advise our members on it, so that
they can properly key into it,’’ Ofobike said.

Our correspondent reports that Chief Damian Obianigwe,
Chairman of Fano Group of Companies, was elected President-General of the
Forum, while Chukwurah was voted as deputy president.

Other elected officials were: Chief Dom Obi
(Secretary-General); Mr Obicee Okonkwo (Public Relations Officer), Mr Dona
Ndupusi (Treasurer) and Mr Isaac Ndukwe (Financial Secretary).