...Customs, NPA Lose N6.6 Billion
By Francis Ugwoke
The nationwide sit-at- home industrial action embarked upon by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) may have cost the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) an estimated revenue loss of about N6. 6 billion.
Sources close to the two government parastatals told THISDAY at the weekend that the amount is the estimate of what would have been collected as revenue from payment of import duties and port charges from shippers and ships calling at the nation's ports during the period of the strike.
A source close to the Customs in a breakdown said that the Service collects over N5 billion each week from the ports, border stations and other areas.
For instance, he disclosed that the Apapa and Tin Can Island commands generate between N1.2 billion and N1.5 billion each week, while Lilypond, Kirikiri Lighter Terminal collect N500million each.
Other areas where the Service collects revenue include the Eastern Ports, Delta ports, bonded warehouses which may not be less than N1 billion for the four days of the strike.
On the part of the NPA, a source said that the company collects at least about N400 million each day and may have lost N1.6 billion for the four days.
Commenting on the impact of the strike, a freight forwarder, and former President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Alhaji Inua Mohammed said that action of the NLC has worsened the congestion situation at the Lagos ports.
Mohammed explained that already the ports were in crises because of the problem of goods which came into the country under Destination Inspection (DI) and were detained for having no Clean Report of Inspection (CRI).
According to him, the goods which were not cleared in the past four days, including new consignments during the same period have all contributed in causing congestion at the ports.
He called on the NPA to consider granting importers of such goods waiver on demurrage, adding that this was the only way to check high cost of such goods in the market.
"Except NPA waives demurrage for the period of the strike, importers will be paying so much, and what will happen is that they will hike the prices of their goods which at the end will affect the final consumers", he said.
NPA had in the past waived payment of demurrage during strike called by labour.
Between Friday and Saturday, importers were seen at the ports making frantic efforts to clear their goods.
Up till late Saturday, a good number of freight forwarders were still at the ports to ensure that their goods were out of the ports.
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