The closure of export warehouses of the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company, NAHCO, and the Skyway Aviation Handling Company, SAHCOL, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos has cost exporters of perishable cargo/vegetable a whooping N100 million.
The warehouse was sealed last week by officials of the Federal Operations Unit of the Nigerian Customs Service, NCS, following a tip off that the bonded facilities housed prohibited items meant for exportation.
Chief Executive Officer of ABX World, Captain John Okakpu, who spoke with newsmen in Lagos on Wednesday, August 24, said the agro-allied exporters numbering over one hundred are in panic that such incident will lead to economic loss.
He said international off-takers are developing cold-feet with regard to agricultural produce from Nigeria. Okakpu, said the exporters lost over N100million worth of goods within 48-hours the export warehouses were shut.
He called on the Federal Government through the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to urgently commence full-scale investigations into the immediate and remote causes of the warehouses closure to avoid re-occurrence.
According to him, with government’s focus on agriculture as one of the panaceas to the rising inflation, restrictions in capital flows and depleting forex reserves, agro-allied exporters deserve protection as partners.The warehouse was re-opened last Wednesday.
“Gentlemen, the truth is, we have made fundamental mistakes in the past as a nation by becoming a mono-economy. But, we cannot continue to lick the wounds.”
“We have to reverse the case and agriculture provides us with a better option to grow. That is why as agro-allied exporters, we are seriously worried over the actions of some government officials, who seem not to underestimate the peculiarities of perishable items for export,” he said.
“Shutting down the warehouses was actually an indictment on customs, as they (Customs officials) ought to have carried out surveillance before shutting down all export businesses at the Lagos Airport. If such act is not checkmated in future it will compound issues and create a logjam in the system.”
Or, do we prefer to ship our cargos to countries like Ghana or Cameroun before we can be shipped to Europe and other markets? Presently, the yam sold in Europe as Ghana yams are actually from Nigeria!
“Go and investigate it! Because we seemingly abandoned our God-given potentials ‘to lick oil’, see how the economy has been battered. We wouldn’t want the issues surrounding brown beans and other agricultural produce from Nigeria, to happen to vegetables and other perishables like ginger, garlic, Nsukka-yellow pepper, among others.”
He added that any action contradicting Federal Government’s agricultural road map launched by the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo recently should not be treated with levity.
