Inadequate regulation and corruption on the part of government agencies have been given as reasons why foreign multinationals control more than 90 percent of Nigeria‘s freight components within the freight circle in the maritime industry, thereby resulting in unemployment and arbitrary increase in charges at the ports."97 percent of freight components have been taken over by multinationals, which actually have increased level of unemployment within the freight circle in the maritime industry. For instance, if you look at the people who are handling the shipping companies, they are multinationals and these shipping companies are linked to concessionaires." "We have APM Terminals, Maerskline and Lilypond Container Terminal as bonded warehouse. We have Tin Can Island Container Terminal and Lansal, then you have Port and Terminal Multiservices Limited (PTML) and Grimaldi. There is also Five Star Logistics and Comets. The only indigenous operators that you have there are some bonded terminal operators and just Port and Cargo Handling Company." "You find out that they are shipping company concerns, they are terminal operators, they are bonded terminal operators, they are transport companies, so they have taken over the freight component of Nigeria, what they cannot do in their country."
According to him, other countries have policy infrastructures that actually protect their indigenous operations, where foreigners are not permitted to carry out certain categories of cargo freighting within the country.
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In Nigeria, our windows are left open for people to come in and exploit. That is why foreigners try to introduce charges that are not related to any of the services. You see that people come into this country without control because there is no regulation, there is no control, okay, what is the work of the Nigerian Ports Authority and the Nigerian Shippers Council? All these things must be clearly defined in the law, it must be clearly spelt out so that people will recognize where to allocate responsibilities," he lamented
The multinationals are involved in shipping, terminal operations, bonded terminal operations and transport operations, which are at the core within the freight circle in the maritime industry.
Lamenting their domination, president of the National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents, Lucky Amiwero noted that the industry has suffered so much in the hands of these multinationals and concessionaires.
In his words,
Giving examples of the linkage between the multinationals to ensure the control of freight business and determination of charges at the ports, he pointed out that each of the terminals has its sister company that does the shipping and logistics services and even bonded terminal operations.
According to him,
He added that
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