Wharf Landing Fees Good Idea, Wrong Approach — Prince Oyinlola

Stories by FUNSO OLOJO

The proposed bill initiated by the Lagos State government which sought to impose new regime of charges on containers and vehicles which land at the Lagos ports has continued to generate reactions.
The reactions have mainly come from importers and freight forwarders who are expected to be directly affected by this proposed legislation.
They were unanimous in condemning the proposed move of the Lagos State government to subject port-users to another round of hardship and double taxation which they considered as   illegal and arbitrary.
But among the cacophony of voices which cast aspersion on the “resource control” move of Lagos government stands a lone voice which does not share the views of other angry port operators.
Prince Kayode Oyinlola, the chapter chairman of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANCLA), Tin Can Island Port, has a diametrically opposed view on the wharf landing fees.
In an exclusive interview with the National Mirror, Prince Oyinlola expressed support for the idea being mooted by the Lagos State government which he described as taking charge of the resource base of the state.
He believed that if the Niger-Delta people could be agitating to have control on the resources in the area, there was nothing wrong if the Lagos State government attempts to exercise such control on its resources.
According to him, Lagos ports account for over 70 per cent of all imports into the country and it would not be a misplaced priority if the state government have access to the larger chunk of the revenue accruing from such important resources.
However, the ANLCA chieftain faulted the approach being proposed by Lagos government to collect this regime of charges.
Prince Oyinlola stated that instead of subjecting importers and freight forwarders to another round of taxation, the Lagos State government should tax the shipping companies directly.
According to him, collecting these levies through the shipping companies will make the enforcement of the proposed law more organized, less rancorous and more effective.
He believed that through the shipping companies, the Lagos government will be able to know the exact volume of imports coming into the Lagos ports and get maximum returns.
“Through the manifests of the vessels with the shipping companies, the Lagos State government will know exact volume of containers and vehicles that come into the country through the Lagos ports” Oyinlola observed.
He said this approach will eventually take away the chaos, stress and extortions which the direct contact with the owners of the goods will cause.
Oyinlola believed that even though the shipping companies will eventually pass the charges to importers and in the process, the final consumers, but it would have eliminated the likely tension and confusion the proposed method of collection may cause.
The ANLCA chieftain declared that the proposed method of collecting these levies will lead to more congestion on the roads as local government officials authorized to collect these charges will mount road blocks, harassing the drivers of the trucks conveying the containers or vehicles, thereby creating unnecessary tensions on Lagos roads.
Oyinlola also believed that the proposed method will provide veritable tool for extortions for local government officials whom he said will   use the law to line their pockets.
“The proposed method for collection of these charges will only make some people in the local governments rich while the state will not be able to maximize the benefits of the exercise” the renowned freight forwarder declared.
He however disclosed that the association at the national level was exploring all means of making their inputs into the debates of the bill at the Lagos state house of Assembly.
Oyinlola regretted that the two representatives of ANCLA sent to the first public hearing of the bill were barred from speaking, but disclosed that the association will not be deterred in its efforts to make its contributions.
On the malignant problems of high charges by shipping companies and terminal operators, Prince Oyinlola expressed sadness over the recalcitrant posture of these operators on the issue.
He disclosed that the ANLCA has written several letters of protests to the Nigerian Shippers' Council about the extortions of the shipping companies, regretting however that the government agency has displayed annoying insensitivity to the complaints.
Oyinlola also declared that plans are afoot to protest the high charges of terminal operators to the Nigerian ports Authority (NPA) which appears to be in charge of these port concessionaries.
He however warned that if all avenues for peace currently being pursued by the association failed to yield any desired result, freight forwarders may not have any other option than to take their destiny in their own hands.
“We shall patiently explore all peaceful avenues to address this issue of high charges. But if the shipping companies and terminal operators refuse to stop the extortions, agents will have no choice other than to disrupt operations at the port in a bid to drive home our grievances” Oyinlola disclosed.
He wondered whether the shipping companies and terminal operators have any control as their actions and attitudes betray arrogance and contempt for the law.
The ANCLA chief appealed to government to call these operators to order in a bid to starve off the consequences of their extortionist activities at the ports.