The Managing Director of Widescope Nigeria Limited, Dr Segun Musa says the reintroduction of International Cargo Tracking Note (ICTN) will add up to the cost of cargo clearance in the port.
Musa stated this while interacting with the leadership of the Maritime Reporters Association of Nigeria (MARAN) on Thursday, in Lagos.
According to Musa, the ICTN is the surest way to further kill the economy
Musa, also the National Vice President of the Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), said the ICTN was not different from the Customs Risk Assessment Report that profile all cargo coming into Nigeria.
”Through the intervention of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) acting on a petition I instituted, the ICTN was suspended at the airport. I wondered why the ICTN, already jettisoned by the government, is being reintroduced by the government,” he asked?
The foremost freight forwarder urged the Nigeria Customs Service to implement automation of cargo clearance and delivery, adding that customs had promised that the B’Odogwu would address cargo clearance and facilitate trade.
“I want to believe it is achievable. What we need is full automation; we are against the use of companies but rather individuals with their identity number in cargo clearance.Everything from inspection to delivery should be automated. This is where the integrity of customs will come to play," he said.
On the issue of foreigners taking over freight forwarding in Nigeria, Musa said it was not true and maintained that freight forwarding was an international job and everyone was free to practice it. "One must have strength and capacity if they want to participate in freight forwarding. Government should create a level playing field for all actors,''he said.
On the National Single Window (NSW), Musa hinted that his fears about the NSW had been allayed since it would not be handled alone by an agency.
He called on the government to set up a committee of trustworthy actors to supervise the Single Window.
Assessing the performance of the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy under Adegboyega Oyetola as the Minister, Musa said there was nothing new in the marine and blue economy, adding that unfortunately, it had not been harnessed.
”We cannot harness natural resources in our ocean if we don’t put the right person in the right places. How do we harness the blue economy when you don’t have ships, equipment,” Musa said.
He pointed out that year 2024 had a lot of challenges – inconsistent in government policies, fluctuations in Forex that plummeted volumes of cargo traffic and the customs putting pressure on importers with various ideas to meet its revenue target.
”We had a lot of opportunities to change the narratives but we never had associations strong enough to protect our interests. Hike in the cost of transportation dues to incessant increase in diesel did not help the situation.
”The Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) was handicapped by its teething problem as every freight forwarder bore his cross,” he said.
He added that he was hopeful of a better 2025.
