Chief Adegboyega Oyetola, Minister of Marine and Blue Economy
Former Acting President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Dr Kayode Farinto, has called for an immediate indigenization policy for the nation’s freight forwarding industry to save the jobs of Nigerians and raise security status of the Nigerian ports.
In a recent media chat, he averred that “I am one of those who have been shouting that the way foreigners are taking over our maritime industry will be a big problem. I have been saying it for the past five years. Even at the Council, I have sponsored this bill. Let us indigenize freight forwarding. That’s number one. The Chinese company came up with the idea of building railways for us. Now they have a freight forwarding firm.
He decried that “They are the ones that will import the rail system equipment. They will see clearly what the role of indigenous freight forwarders or Nigerians is. Nobody seems to be talking about that. Nigeria is sliding to an area where phonophobia is very, very imminent. If anything is not done. We are losing project cargo on a daily to foreigners.
Dr. Farinto revealed further to Business Hilights that not only the Chinese, Indians, and Lebanese are involved too, saying the dominance now is the Chinese and the federal government is looking away. “Let me shock you. I went to do an export. I wanted to do an export a few months ago. I got my product, ‘Sobo’ from Kano. This container will cost me N20 million or twenty-something million. When I went to the shipping company for freight, the shipping company gave me $1,200 to ship my container from here to abroad. I requested a rebate. A rebate was not given to me. Meanwhile, the shipping company staff told me that the Chinese are giving $800 on their container.
“And Chinese ship nothing less than $300 to $400 a container every month. Meaning that if I’m even doing that business, already I’m at a loss. I have a shortage of about $300 to $400 per container. So how can I compete with such people in my own country? That is the level at which we are now.
“Finally, and finally, if you go to the eastern northern part of Nigeria, where we have our mineral resources, the Chinese have bought all the lands, gave the government, the governors, N1 billion, N2 billion, to the extent that it is Nigerian police and military men that are protecting them, beating up Nigeria in those farms. And they’re exploring these are our mineral resources, taking them away, it is unaccounted for.
