NAGAFF Compliance Team petitions NSA, accuses scanner operators of sabotage at Western Seaports

Maureen Aguta

The compliance team of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has petitioned  the  National Security Adviser(NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu against the activities of the operators of scanning machines in the Western Seaports.

The NAGAFF 100% Compliance Team accused the operators of deliberately, purposefully and maliciously subverting the original plan and purpose of introducing scanning machines in cargo clearing processes, especially, in the nation’s Western Seaports, thereby   perpetuating the option of physical examination.

The National Coordinator, NAGAFF 100% Compliance Team, Alhaji Ibrahim Tanko, who made allegation in a letter he addressed to the Office of the National Security Adviser, a copy of which was sighted by Advocacy Times, lamented the level of sabotage in the Nigeriaa Ports, saying that the efforts of the Federal Government to secure the country is being undermined by some agencies, concessionaires and public officers in positions of authority.

The letter reads in part;  “We write your good office regarding deliberate, malicious and orchestrated methods of which the operators of the nation’s sea ports subvert the plan and purpose of introducing scanning machines in cargo clearing processes, especially, in the nation’s Western Seaports. You may recall that the rationale, purpose, and original intention of introducing scanning machines principally, was among other reasons, to facilitate trade and ensure timely cargo clearing processes.

“The conventional method, and or idea were for freight forwarders or agents to bring in their container laden trucks to the scanning site, and after undergoing the statutory procedures and extant processes, would thereafter exit the port. If however, the container fails the scanning text, the agent takes his truck to the physical examination platform where the suspected infractions, namely, wrong declaration, concealment and other noticeable infractions are referred to relevant government agencies or units for further actions.

“However, and unfortunately so, what we are experiencing now is deliberate circumvention of the near- perfect arrangements of Cotecna in scanning of goods, this is obviously for parochial or pecuniary interests.

” However, the concessionaires have hitherto adopted a cumbersome style and methods of ensuring and insisting on clearing agents using only their own trucks instead of the usual conventional and fast method of the agents using their own trucks.

“The implication of the concessionaire’s method is that every scanned container is returned to the stack irrespective of the examination status, making agents to pay so much in demurrage, hiring and paying for trucks twice. Woe betides one if after scanning, his container is returned as suspect, the person is subsequently subjected to another booking for physical examination at another fee to the Terminal Operator making it a double payment for a supposed single process. The implication is that this cumbersome procedure breeds corruption and consequently pose security risk.”

“More so, we are of the opinion that if the examination platform meant for examination of containers is utilized, the alarming seizures, such as the ones recorded in Port Harcourt would have been prevented, this is because it would be detected by the scanning machine,” the letter concluded.

Meanwhile, the Compliance Team has commended the National Security Adviser(NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, saying that the procurement of the scanning machines was part of the Federal Government’s efforts towards securing the country hence the reason the association considered it appropriate to bring his attention to the unwholesome and untoward activities by the operators at the Western Seaports, which in no small measure, have occasioned loss of government revenues, cause security risk, and impaired trade facilitation. The Team further urged the National Security Adviser to swiftly call the terminal operators and their collaborators to order.