Daily Independent Online.
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Thursday, July 08, 2004.
Shippers accuse police of hindering CFTZ operations
By Bassey Inyang,
Correspondent, Calabar
Men and officers of
the Nigeria Police Force have been accused of constituting an impediment to the
use of Calabar port by shippers in the catchments area of the Calabar Free
Trade Zone (CFTZ).
According to
members of the Nigeria Shippers Association (NSA), Calabar zone, they are being
constantly harassed by the police at the numerous checkpoints and roadblocks
mounted on roads leading to and from the port, not minding whether the shippers
duly clear their consignments.
The President of
the Cross River State Shippers’ Association (CRSSA), Chief Esien E.
Ekpenyong, made the accusation while speaking at the inauguration of the
association.
“The numerous
road blocks/checkpoints between the Calabar free port and its catchments states
is discouraging shippers using the Calabar port. We appeal to Assistant
Inspector-General of Police, Zone 6 to direct his men to stop harassment of
consignments duly cleared from the ports,” Ekpenyong stated.
The shippers also
said the delay in dredging of the Calabar Port channel was long over due,
stressing that the shallowness of the channel was militating against the speedy
entry and turn around of vessels at the ports.
They also
complained that the sudden withdrawal of concessions of the Nigeria Ports
Authority (NPA) charges granted to users of the Calabar Free Port has dampened
the morale of the users of the port, urging the Federal Government to restore
the concessions so as to re-invigorate the port.
Ekpenyong also
stated that a “shippers resource/information centre” would be
established in the state to provide adequate knowledge on the intricacies of
international trade.
He pointed out that
the knowledge that would be obtained would enable users of the port, mostly
members of the association in the state to participate effectively in
international trade by making good use of port facilities.
