Customs Boss Debunks Claims Over Apapa Port

Controller General of Nigeria Customs Service, Dikko Abdullahi has debunked claims that APM Terminals is about making Apapa a world standard port.

APMT according to Abdullahi had been peddling falsehood to its parent body; Maersk Line, about its level of efficiency at the nation’s premier port of Apapa.

Addressing stakeholders in Lagos at a sensitization parley on the Pre Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) in Lagos, Abdullahi could not hide his anger over a video clip allegedly shown to him and other customs management team during a visit to the Netherlands Headquarters of Maersk, parent company of APMT, recently.

The video clip, according to him was sent by the company in Nigeria purportedly showing how it had developed the Apapa port Container Terminal to world standard

But narrating his encounter, Dikko said the company made a mistake of inviting him to its headquarters where he saw the clip and disagreed with the management that the message, they wanted to pass across was false, and that the APMT headquarters in Netherlands have decided to visit the Apapa port soon to ascertain the true position of port development that has been done by APMT.

“They made a mistake of inviting me to their headquarters last month and a video clip was shown to us on how they have transformed the APMT, honestly I could not hide my anger, I told them it is a lie, that you people are here in Netherlands and you are being deceived that all is well in Nigeria, ” he told the gathering of stakeholders.

“They promised to come back to Nigeria and ensure that they transform the APMT terminal to the international standard it was in the Netherlands because this is where they are making money,” he said.

Dikko added that having struggled to take over customs function from service providers, its time to correct the wrongs by some concessionaires in the port system whose services are better done by some indigenous operators.

“We should not allow people come into Nigeria with a briefcase and go back with a bus full of our money’, he lashed out.

“Dr. Afolabi is here at Tin Can Island Port and he has done so well, is he not a Nigerian? Why not Nigerians taking over other activities of modern terminal operation, why must we allow people who are not knowledgeable than Nigerians to come and take away our money.”

“None of them have houses in Nigeria, none of their children school in Nigeria, so why do we allow them,” he asked.

Dikko urged all stakeholders to jointly work to ensure that they fight the war collectively against arbitrary charges and other wrong vices allegedly being perpetrated by the terminal operators.