Port Clearance: Agent Raises Fresh Alarm Over Alleged Unofficial Charges
Fresh concerns have been raised over alleged unofficial payments and extortion in Nigeria’s port clearance process, with a clearing agent, Ishola Lawal, accusing some officials of regulatory agencies of demanding additional payments from importers and clearing agents.
Lawal alleged that clearing agents sometimes pay as much as N15,000 per container for examination reports issued by officials of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, even in cases where no samples are taken from the consignments. He explained that when samples are collected, officials are expected to document the quantity and details on a sample form, allowing importers to track what was removed from their cargo.
According to him, however, situations in which no samples are taken could allegedly result in agents being asked to obtain examination reports through unofficial payments. He cited products such as generating sets and refrigerators as examples of imported goods that could allegedly attract such demands during the clearance process.
The agent further alleged that importers could be asked to pay between N600,000 and N700,000 over alleged labelling deficiencies identified by officials of SON or the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control.
He said imported products are expected to carry information such as the country of origin, manufacturing date, expiry date and the address of the country of manufacture. Lawal alleged that where any of the required details are absent, some officials could use the lapse as grounds for demanding substantial unofficial payments.
He also claimed that some importers prefer to negotiate with officials rather than allow alleged labelling violations to be formally documented, saying that a formal report could lead to the generation of an official invoice.
Lawal alleged that similar negotiations sometimes occur during quarantine procedures, although he acknowledged that the process has official charges. He claimed that some agents may choose to negotiate separate payments with officials in an attempt to facilitate the clearance of their consignments.
The clearing agent also raised concerns over other alleged unreceipted charges within the port environment. He cited the movement of a 40-foot container from a terminal to the port gate, claiming that agents were required to pay N45,000 without an official receipt.
Lawal distinguished the alleged payment from the official inspection fee, which he said is N7,000 for a 40-foot container and attracts a receipt.
The allegations come amid continuing concerns over the cost and complexity of cargo clearance at Nigerian ports, where importers and clearing agents have repeatedly raised issues around multiple charges, regulatory procedures, delays and other operational challenges.
If established, the alleged unofficial payments could further increase the cost of imported goods and undermine efforts by the Federal Government and port authorities to improve transparency, reduce clearance bottlenecks and enhance Nigeria’s ease-of-doing-business environment.
The allegations could not be independently verified as of the time of filing this report. SON and NAFDAC had also not responded to the specific allegations attributed to their officials
