The National Compliance Joint Taskforce of Licensed Clearing Agents (NCJTFLCA) has raised fresh allegations of systemic exploitation against some international shipping lines operating in Nigeria.
Addressing journalists in Lagos, the National President of NCJTFLCA, High Chief Dr. Basil Chudi Nwolisa, accused major shipping companies—including Maersk Line, PIL, Elder Dempster, and MSC—of engaging in fraudulent practices by intentionally delaying refunds, payment confirmations, and the release of containers.
“They are running business with our money,” Nwolisa claimed. “When you apply for a refund, it can take one or two months. Meanwhile, they’re using that deposit to run their own business.”
Dr. Nwolisa decried the alleged manipulation by some shipping firms, claiming that they operate with fewer than ten physical staff members, resulting in poor customer service. According to him, clients are left to rely solely on email correspondence, which is often ignored or delayed, particularly during peak periods.
“You’ll have 600 people calling just two or three lines,” he said. “And if you send an email that doesn’t go through, you are ignored. Even if it goes through, you’re not attended to in real time.”
He also raised concerns over delayed payment confirmations, which he said can take up to three days—causing importers to accrue demurrage charges.
According to the NCJTFLCA President, clearing agents who pay deposits on behalf of importers often face frustrating obstacles when seeking refunds. He alleged that bribes sometimes facilitate faster processing.
“You pay from your own account, and when it’s time for a refund, they’ll say you didn’t pay it—that only the importer can collect. But if you give them ₦20,000 or ₦30,000, the refund is magically processed. So who is really collecting?” he queried.
Describing the situation as “economic sabotage,” Nwolisa warned that these operational inefficiencies and manipulations have broader implications for the Nigerian economy.
He also pointed to a so-called “digital blackout,” claiming that shipping firms frequently cite network failures as a cover for delaying container processing—leading to unnecessary demurrage.
“That network failure could last five days—five days of demurrage multiplied by thousands of containers. That is billions of naira lost,” he stated.
Furthermore, he criticized the document rejection system employed by some shipping lines, where applications are dismissed for minor typographical errors, resulting in costly delays.
“If you make one mistake—a comma or a period—they’ll reject the letter. You’ll have to resend and wait again. It’s intentional,” he alleged.
On high deposit demands, Nwolisa cited a case where an importer was asked to pay ₦8 million for a single container. He suggested that such financial pressure was designed to frustrate the importer into abandoning the goods, which are then auctioned.
“It is a racket. Once you can’t meet the outrageous deposit, they move to auction your container. We have seen it happen more than once,” he said.
As part of its response, NCJTFLCA disclosed that legal action is underway, with petitions to be submitted to the National Assembly and relevant regulatory bodies.
“We will no longer tolerate these anomalies,” Nwolisa said. “If the shipping lines refuse to change, we have no option than to take legal action. This is not aggression—it is about getting justice.”
He also questioned the alleged involvement of prominent Nigerians in foreign shipping companies, asking whether the people were being “suppressed by their own leaders.”
Nwolisa called on the Federal Government, Nigerian Shippers’ Council, and the ports economic regulator to take urgent steps to address these concerns and restore public confidence in the nation’s maritime import-export system.
“Nigeria is not a banana republic,” he emphasized. “We want fair business. Not harassment, not extortion. Let shipping companies be audited and made to adhere to standard practices.”