By Disun Amosun
The Shipping lines Association of Nigeria has kicked against the proposed Cargo Tracking Bill describing it as another toll gate for government that will further impede ease of doing business in the maritime sector.
Association chairman Boma Alabi SAN insists the policy will not enhance the ease of doing business and trading in Nigeria at this austere time when Nigeria needs her shipping business to be running full stream.
She made this known in a presentation after an investigative hearing on the circumstances surrounding the Non implementation of the international cargo tracking notes, identify any obstacles of challenges faced by the Nigeria shippers council in carrying outfits roles effectively held by the House of Representative committees on shipping services and related matters, customs, port and harbor and maritime safety, education and administrations.
She said the shipping industry in Nigeria is already over burdened with red tape and certainly does not require another layer of bureaucracy which is what the proposed Cargo Tracking Bill will result in.
“All exporters and importers are able to track their goods on the website of the shipping lines generally speaking. In addition, the shipping lines have to upload their manifest to the Customs NICIS portal which is connected to the CBN single window. They also have to upload this information to NPA, NIMASA, NDLEA, and DSS.
“Adding, the ICTN without streamlining the existing process will only result in further delays and congestion,” she said.
The Executive Secretary of the Shippers Council of Nigeria, Mr Pius Akutah, says the country lost $2.5 billion dollars in five years over the non implementation of the international cargo tracking notes (ICTN).
He also said $500 million yearly over the non implementation of the ICTN.
Akutah said “Nigeria has lost almost 2.5 billion dollars. Within the last five years that Nigeria has not implemented this. Because of some investigations that arose out of which EFCC conducted some of its investigations, a period of five years passed.”
“Within the last five years. They implemented for two years and somehow stopped. In the last five years they have not done it. We are losing that amount in dollars.
“So in Nigeria today, there have been some attempts that were made at implementing this. Altogether a period of two years was the period in which this was implemented. And some revenue was generated at that time. But because of some issues surrounding the implementation, and the issues that were raised that led to investigation by even the law enforcement agencies, this only took place within a period of two years”, he said.
Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola who was represented by the Director, Maritime services, Mr Babatunde Sule said that though the federal executive council of the past administration approved the contract at the tail end of the administration but the process of award of the contract was wrong.