Help!!!, Congestion  Looms At  Ports

One Yoruba adage says that if you ignore Tella in a dance competition, the dance will flop and if Tella's stance is not considered, the dance will not be interested. Tella in this case is the CG of Customs.  
 It is obvious that in a short while, say two to three weeks from now, we shall be experiencing congestion in all Lagos ports, courtesy of human factor and bureaucracy from virtually all the stakeholders such as   Customs, Terminal Operators, Inspection Agents, importers, clearing agents and Shipping Companies.
I keep saying it that there is no right thinking   freight forwarder who will leave his clients' consignment in the ports, knowing fully well that this will attract rents and demurrages.  Since his Client or Importer has given him the bill of laden before the arrival of these goods, he will be foolish and naive to allow them accumulate rents.
In the next few weeks, there would be explosion in volume of stranded cargo at the ports as a result of the unholy activities of the customs' new committee whose 82 members were sent to the ports under the guise of facilitating the 48-hour clearance procedure. But these men were at the ports with a different intention which is far from facilitating trade.
 As I have previously observed in this column, SGD forms are unnecessarily delayed at the Customs Processing Centre(CPC) of all the commands in Lagos ports basically on flimsy excuses which ranges from one thing to the other. The members of the Committee want things done in their own ways, not minding that despite the invention of ASYCUDA, some officers that are overzealous are unnecessarily meticulous with documents which ordinarily ought to have been treated and allowed to go.
 But because they want to prove that they are sent by Abuja, such SGDs are made to suffer before they let go. I am of the opinion that the timing of this committee is wrong in view of the fact that we have lots of problems at hand to contend with and which needs our urgent attention to achieve the forty - eight hour delivery period that the Federal government is planning to achieve to decongest our ports.
The other issue is the problems of shipping companies which have actually manifested last week and has led to a pathetic situation where truck owners have refused to load FCL CONTAINERS that are supposed to be delivered to the consignee. Their complaint was that most of the shipping companies do not unload empty containers from their trucks at their stalls, adding that this was affecting their business as they ought to have about three to four trips per week.
This has really become a big problem at virtually all the ports which has reduced the number of deliveries of cargoes in the last one week. I have painstakingly investigated reasons for this recent development and come to realise  that the terminal operators have refused to allow shipping companies stalk empty containers to be abandoned in their terminals as their usual practice. The unwholesome practice has affected the income of the terminal operators who have to do with the little space available for their operations.
The fault is actually that of the shipping companies because as they are loading goods for export, they ought to also load their empties to be transferred back to their countries. But they are doing this to maximize profit and one can not really blame the terminal operators who refuse to allow empties stalked in the little space they have in  their terminals.   
Terminal Operators also have their own fault which could lead to congestion in the ports. As I write this column, there are more than ten vessels outside our waterways which could not dock as a result of lack of space to hold any more  containers  .Aside the lack of space, there are no enough handling equipment to handle the preponderance numbers of cargoes that are presently at the ports
 What is more worrisome is the fact that  if  we are still   facing these numerous problems in August which is likely to lead to congestion in the ports, then what happens by October - December, the period that is expected to witness  increased numbers  of cargoes. Someone should assist   in addressing the problems at hand because I do not want to be seen as an alarmist.   
The seriousness of the Federal Government to achieve the forty-eight hour delivery of cargoes is in doubt in view of the enormous problems that now bedevil the  maritime industry. Nigerians will find it difficult to believe that at this jet age, many vessels that have birthed and discharged can not be treated by Customs because shipping companies are either yet to submit manifests or have submitted manual manifest.
The customs lacks will power to sanction these erring companies in the face of their flagrant abuse of clearing procedure. The question then arises, can we achieve the forty - eight hour delivery period with this level of our unseriousness?  It is definitely obvious that achieving this noble project will be a mirage. I hate to sound like a pessimist.
The Federal government should, as matter of urgency, constitute a committee to address these problems once and for all. I hate our usual fire brigade approach where we will wait to allow this identified problems to manifest before we start talking of solving them. Nigerians should outgrow this lackadaisical attitude to important issues. I am of the opinion that we should not wait to allow   foreign vessels to start surcharging any Nigerian -bound cargoes before the problems are resolved.  
Finally, I expect our National Legislators to take a second look at the concession   programme to know if it is working or not. Where it is glaring that it is not working, it could be reviewed.
Without been sentimental however, I want the Federal government to give utmost priority to the indigenous concessionaires in a bid to encourage local capacity building.