Agents, truckers suspend strike

Clearing agents and truckers yesterday called off their two day strike after a marathon meeting held in Lagos by all the parties involved, even as they have issued another 21 day ultimatum for the issues raised to be addressed.

Failed portion of the Tin-can Island port access road

The two day strike is believed to have cost the nation about N12 billion (at N6 billion per day.

According to a press statement from Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents, ANLCA-National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders, NAGAFF initiative and the Maritime Transporters, noted that the decision to suspend the action was reached at the meeting of Representatives of the bodies mentioned above on Wednesday, at the NAGAFF Headquarters in Apapa Lagos.

National Publicity Secretary of ANLCA, Kayode Farinto, said that part of the reasons for the suspension was that the issue was discussed at the Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting yesterday.

The statement signed by Representatives of the Associations said the suspension was in deference to pleas by the government and other well-meaning Nigerians, to allow government address all the issues which necessitated the withdrawal of service.  

The statement which read in part, “As patriotic Nigerians, the Associations agreed that the economy should not be unduly further distressed.

“The Associations used the occasion to commend the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers Council NSC Barr. Hassan Bello and the Managing Director of the Nigeria Ports Authority Hajia Hadiza Bala Usman and for their efforts at repositioning the total logistics supply chain.”

They however gave the government another 21-day ultimatum to rectify all the issues in contention so as to avert further another round of withdrawal of service. The Associations commended their members for their support during the exercise and urged them to remain calm as they have been, promising to always protect their interests.

All the bodies involved in the action had earlier formed a Central Working Committee, CWC, which in a press statement made available to Vanguard signed Kayode Farinto, gave a list of their demands as follows:

*The withdrawal of service will continue until “there is visible evidence to show that government has provided palliatives to the fix the bad roads, by mobilizing equipment to site which will ameliorate the sufferings of every stakeholder.

*That the Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, must come and address the various issues militating against cargo clearance including multiplicity of Customs formations, like the Comptroller General of Customs, CGC, compliance team, Federal Operations Unit, FOU etc.

*That the Director General of the Standard Organisation of Nigeria, SON, must also address the stakeholders on the various challenges faced in the course of clearing regulated items from our ports.

Public Relations Officer of Tin-can Island Customs Command, Uche Ejieseme, said that the strike is taking its toll on the revenue collection function of the Command.

According to him, “it is our wish that the strike doesn’t continue because it is obvious that if it continues, we continue to lose revenue and don’t forget that part of statutory function is to collect revenue, to generate revenue and also account for same and don’t forget that Tin-can Island port is just like other port.

“We are very keen on the revenue generation drive of this administration. So we wouldn’t wish that anything would be an impediment to this statutory function because we have a responsibility to do this and that is why we are being paid,” he noted.