ABUJA, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)-Weeks after the Nigerian Revenue Service and the Nigerian Shippers’ Council announced plans to urge shipping companies and terminal operators to grant waivers to importers and clearing agents affected by delays associated with the implementation of the National Single Window, licensed agents at the nation’s seaports have accused both agencies of failing to fulfil the promise.
However, the Special Adviser to the NRS Chairman, Dare Adekenmbi, dismissed claims that importers were entitled to blanket waivers.
“We have met with the terminal operators, and they have confirmed that importers or agents impacted by the initial glitches from the NSW launch can apply for demurrage waivers,” he stated.
Adekenmbi added, “However, such importers/agents need to ensure they have enough evidence to support their claims. There will be no ‘blanket’ waivers on demurrage, as we know that some importers/agents may take undue advantage of such.”
The agents, who spoke earlier, described the assurances by the NRS and NSC as political promises that were never implemented.
In April, the NSC and the NRS had appealed to shipping companies and terminal operators to provide waivers to importers and clearing agents affected by delays arising from the rollout of the National Single Window at Nigerian seaports.
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The appeal was made during a stakeholders’ meeting in Lagos attended by representatives of the NSC, NRS, National Single Window Secretariat, terminal operators, and shipping firms to assess the progress and challenges of the newly introduced system.
Speaking during the meeting, the Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the NSC, Dr Pius Akutah, acknowledged that while the NSW initiative represented a significant milestone for the maritime sector, “its rollout has been accompanied by initial operational challenges impacting cargo clearance timelines.”
Also speaking at the meeting, the Chairman of the NRS, Dr Zacch Adedeji, urged shipping companies and terminal operators to show understanding by “granting waivers on demurrage and storage charges incurred during the delay period.”
Providing an update on the issue, the Apapa Chapter Chairman of the National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents, Mr Abayomi Duyile, said no waiver had been granted.
“They didn’t do anything; they didn’t do anything as I speak to you now. There is no waiver for any agent that I know of. Even today, I am just coming from a meeting with a shipping company. They had a stakeholders’ engagement to inform us of the areas they are going to increase,” he said.
Also reacting, former acting National President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents, Kayode Farinto, dismissed the claims of waivers.
“It’s all propaganda. Nothing like that, no waiver has been granted, to the best of my knowledge. It’s a political statement,” he said.
Farinto, however, acknowledged that some of the operational challenges surrounding the National Single Window were gradually being addressed.
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“I think they are actually surmounting most of their challenges, and it’s moving gradually.
Because some of the agencies that are giving them problems, like the Standard Organisation of Nigeria and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, have reversed it to how it used to be before,” he said.
Efforts to get a response from the spokesperson for the NSC, Rebecca Adamu, were unsuccessful, as she did not respond to messages sent to her as of the time this report was filed.