Business

SON Tracks Fake Goods To Ports

Published

8 years ago

May 18, 2016

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence, Amb. Danjuma Sheni, Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun and Head, Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit (PICA), Mr Mohammed Dikwa, at the PICA meeting in Abuja, yesterday.

The Standard
Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has indicated interest to return to the country’s seaports to help control the influx of substandard products to the country.
SON’s Acting Director-General, Dr Paul Angya, indicated the interest at a stakeholders’ meeting on the enforcement of the ban on used tyres in Abuja.
“The reason they gave was to be able to fast track trade at the port to cut down the turnaround time.
“But with the consequences of SON leaving the ports, with the influx of substandard products which is almost over running Nigeria those reasons that they gave at that time, may have been germane at that time, but at this time they are no longer cogent.
“Because the consequences that we are suffering far outweighs any benefit from that decision and apart from that, as we speak, the present facility available to do the job are different and improved.
“And so there is no need for anybody to hold down any container at the port because things are largely digitised and computerised.
“So it’s time for the government to take SON back to the ports, so that it can do the job of policing the quality of products that are coming into Nigeria.
“So what we want the government to do is to reverse that decision of the last government and to call SON back to the ports so that SON can check the influx of substandard products into Nigeria.’’
Angya said that the most strategic place for SON to effectively prevent the inflow of substandard products was at the sea ports.
According to him, more than 90 per cent of products come through the ports.
According to him, the last administration through the Minister of Finance directed SON to leave the sea ports even though the law setting it up allows it to operate there.
Angya said there were quite a number of substandard products in almost everything being imported adding that more than 70 per cent of the products into the country did not meet SON’s specifications.
FRSC Corps Marshal Dr Boboye Oyeyemi, explained that the meeting was to fashion ways on the stakeholders decision reached at a meeting on the campaign on the use of tyres.
Oyeyemi said that the meeting agreed on a joint enforcement involving SON, FRSC, Customs Service, Department of State Service and the National Automobile Development Council.
He said that there would be training for all transport officers in Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government in June, on the detection of fake and substandard tyres.
“FRSC will sustain its enforcement on the highway and with the support received from NURTW, no vehicle with expired or substandard tyres would be allowed to load at motor parks.’’
“From next week top FRSC officers will be on the highway to check these things, immediately after that, I will lead a team to impound any vehicle with substandard tyres.’’
Oyeyemi said that impounded vehicles would be allowed to buy original tyres while the number of the vehicle would be engraved on the tyres before they are released.
He corroborated SON’s agitation to return to the ports and appealed to government to consider the appeal.
Director-General, National Automobile Design and Development CouncilMr Aminu Jamal, said that the council was working hard to ensure that there were standards for tyres.
Jamal said that training was ongoing to train vulcanizers nationwide on the use of tyres.

Business

Fuel Scarcity: IPMAN threatens shutdown over bridging claims

Published

2 days ago

May 3, 2024

The Tide

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) Depot Chairmen Forum, has exonerated its members from the current fuel scarcity in the country.

According to IPMAN, this is caused by its inability to source petroleum products.

The IPMAN Depot Chairmen Forum also threatened to withdraw its services over non-payment of N200 billion bridging claims by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to its members, since 2022.

Alhaji Yahaya Alhassan, the Chairman, of the Forum said this while briefing newsmen in Abuja, yesterday.

Alhassan said the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) was the sole importer of the product, but the marketers could not source products from NNPC Ltd. deport, rather from the private depots at high rate.

“We cannot buy fuel from the private depots at N950 and transport the product from Lagos to the North and other parts of the country with N2 million and still sell it at N900 or N1, 000.

“It is expedient for us to state that we are more pained by the non-availability of petroleum products in the country, which has given rise to another round of untold hardship for Nigerians.

“Contrary to claims that IPMAN members are hoarding Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) known as fuel, we would like to categorically state that PMS scarcity is wholly triggered by inability to get fuel from NNPC and not IPMAN,’’ he said.

Meanwhile, the NNPC Ltd. Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye said the disruption was due to logistical issues which had since been resolved.

“We currently have an availability of products exceeding 1.5 billion litres, which can last for at least 30 days. Unfortunately, we experienced a three-day disruption in distribution due to logistical issues, which has since been resolved.

“However, as you know, overcoming such disruptions typically requires double the amount of time to return to normal operations.

“Some folks are taking advantage of this situation to maximise profits. Thankfully, product scarcity has been minimal lately, but these folks might be exploiting the situation for unwarranted gain,’’ Soneye said.

He however, said the lines would clear out soon.

On the non-payment of bridging claims, the IPMAN forum said it was distressed and depressed by the laidback attitude of the NMDPRA towards the survival its member’s businesses, arising from its refusal in paying the claims.

“It is with deep frustration that we have assembled here today as the IPMAN Depot Chairmen Forum. It is also disheartening to note that some of our members have completely shut down businesses and retrenched employees.

“As businessmen and women, our members acquired bank loans to keep their fuel retail outlets running on a daily basis across the nooks and crannies of Nigeria in order to serve the teeming population of Nigerians,’’ Alhassan said.

He recalled that Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri, Minister of State Petroleum Resources (Oil), at a stakeholders meeting in February mandated the NMDPRA management to clear the entire debt in 40 days.

“However, today, we have crossed the 40 days’ time lapse given to the NMDPRA to clear the debt, and it is shameful to state that only the paltry sum of N13 billion has been paid, ignoring minister’s directive.

“We are not happy with the indiscriminate increment in the issuance and renewal of Sales and Storage Licence, by the NMDPRA, and the subsequent delays in acquiring the licence, which our members are recently subjected to.

“We are also calling on President Bola Tinubu to look into this unwholesome figure which is highly detrimental to our business and reverse it forthwith, as it is bound to impact negatively on the masses.

“We are poised to take far reaching decisions that may cripple the supply and sales of petroleum products across Nigeria if our demands are not met within the shortest period of time.

“We are collectively prepared to withdraw our services, shut down every single outlet, and suspend lifting of products forthwith till our demands are fully met, and the consequences will be terrible.

“We call on our members to however remain resolute and law abiding, even as we draw close to the immediate ultimatum for our demands to be met by the NMDPRA,’’ the chairman said.

Reacting to the IPMAN’s claims, the Acting Head, Corporate Communications, NMDPRA, Seiyefa Osanebi said the bridging claims payment was ongoing.

“The bridging claims payment is always an ongoing process,” she said.

Maritime

Shippers’ Council Registers 160 Port Operators

Published

6 days ago

April 29, 2024

The Tide

The Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) says it has registered 160 Port stakeholders into its Regulated Port Service Provider and Users platform since the initiative began in 2023.
Executive Secretary, NSC, Mr Pius Akutah, made the disclosure on the sideline of a sensitisation programme by the commission for port operators in Lagos, with the theme, “Regulated Port Service Provider and Users”.
Represented by the Director, Consumer Affairs, Chief Cajetan Agu, Akutah emphasised the significance of the programme for stakeholders.
He said the sensitisation programme was the second edition after its commencement during the last quarter of 2023.
The Secretary said the 160 registered port operators consist of agencies, terminal operators, shipping companies, individual port users as well as service providers.
“We invited the ports stakeholders for enlightening them on the processes for online registration of Regulated Port Service Provider and Users.
“We have demonstrated to them how to register and how to make payment and we were able to present before them the various categories of the registration.
“The rate of payment is also in the registration. The payment of each group depends on the operation. A shipper pays N30,000, terminal operators and shipping companies pay N300,000, truckers also pay N30,000, while some pay N50,000 and N100,000.
“The Council was able to intimate them on the benefits, because port users benefit more as we help to interface on reducing port charges from time to time”, Akutah said.
He said that there was a need to continue to work with port operators to stop delays and eliminate high costs to make the port efficient.
Also speaking, the Deputy Director, Stakeholders, Service, NSC, Mr Celestine Akujobi, said “the sensitisation exercise was important for the council to enable us bring all the port stakeholders together”.
According to him, this is to avoid challenges during the implementation of the council’s responsibilities.
“By the time we introduce sanctions on defaulters, no operators will complain that he or she is not aware of the registration.
“I’m happy with the turnout of this sensitisation. This shows that the operators are well informed of the statutory friction of the council as the port regulator.
“The final implementation will commence as soon as we discover that all the operators have keyed into the portal.
“We are engaging other ports across the country and we’re hopeful that before the last quater of 2024, the council will implement sanctions on defaulting operators”, Akujobi said.
Earlier, Vice Chairman, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwards (NAGAFF), Dr Ifeanyi Emoh, said port challenges were enormous, adding that they originated from some of the government agencies.

Emoh urged the council to look into regulating other government agencies, so that there could be a window through which they can collect port charges collectively instead of indiscriminately.

By: Chinedu Wosu