Federal Government’s plan to decongest the Lagos Port Complex at Apapa by moving 90 units of 40-foot container cargoes daily through the rail services is facing difficulty.
Transportation Minister Saidu Alkali, had about a month ago, began cargo movement on the Apapa Port standard gauge branch line from the APM Terminal to Moniya in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
According to the Nation, investigations have shown that the need for importers to pay double-handling charges is impeding the decision of the Federal Government to decongest the Apapa port through cargo rail service for importers outside Lagos.
Cargo owners have stated that terminal operators made them to pay for their containers’ transfer from the quay to the rail, as the rail does not extent to the quay.
It was gathered that the Nigerian Railway Corporation, which operates the cargo train, does not have the actual amount importers are assumed to pay on its website other places to access such information.
It was said that an invoice obtained from one importer indicated that the cumulative amount an importer has to pay to get a 20-foot container in Ibadan is N354,079.2, while the importer is also expected to pay N625,381.26 before his 40-foot container would be delivered to him in the Oyo State capital.
While speaking on the development, a notable freight forwarder and former President of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders, Dr. Eugene Nweke, described the amount as outrageous when compares with the amount importers pay truck drivers from the Apapa port to anywhere in Oyo State.
He faulted the Nigerian Shippers Council for its inability to have an acceptable price with other stakeholders before the minister was invited for the commencement of the cargo movement from Lagos to Ibadan.
“No wonder the rail service is operating below capacity due to low participation of containers to meet the three trips per day schedule initially earmarked for the service by the minister,” he said.
A truck driver, Mr. Yahya Ibrahim, stressed that they collected N300,000 and N350,000 to move a 20-foot container to Ibadan, while they also collected between N550,000 and N600,000 to move a 40-foot container to the same city.
This amount, according to Ibrahim, includes about N100,000 to “bribe” security agents and “Area Boys” on the road while conveying the containers to their destination.
“If you, as a businessman, calculate the amount you have to pay for rail and the amount the truck driver will collect, you will prefer to use the truck than the rail,” said an importer, Gbolahan Badejoko.
An importer, Mr. Kolade Adeyemo, explained that the operators of APM Terminals at Apapa had what they called Rail Handling Charges, which the shippers must pay to the terminal before they could enjoy the rail services.
Meanwhile, the Lagos District Manager of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, Augustine Arisa, said that “the issue of double-handling charges is always like that anywhere in the world where the track does not get to the port quay”.
Efforts were unsuccessful last night to get the number of containers the NRC had moved and the amounts charged from Dr. Arisa.
He did not pick his call or reply to the messages sent to him.
But a senior NPA official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confidence, said “majority of importers are complaining of double-handling charges.
They claimed that after paying some charges at the Lagos Port, they were being levied on the same containers on arrival at Moniya in Ibadan, Oyo State.
