Clearing agents operating at the country’s seaports have accused the Tin-Can Island Container Terminal (TICT) and the Port and Cargo Terminal, at the Tin-Can Island Complex, of thwarting the federal government’s decision to decongest container port overtime.

Speaking to journalists, the customs officers, under the aegis of the 100% Compliance team of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), accused the two operators of hindering efforts to decongest Nigerian ports .

The national coordinator of the group, Alhaji Ibrahim Tanko, lamented that the Overtime and Auction Committee, established by the government to resolve the problem of trapped containers, is being hampered by terminal operators who refuse to grant access to containers.

According to Tanko, congestion at ports is largely due to demurrage charges imposed by terminal operators, particularly at TICT (Tin-Can Island Container Terminal) and Ports & Cargo terminals, which have prevented the committee from effectively addressing the situation.

“The government is trying to decongest the ports through this committee, but the terminal operators are not cooperating. Thousands of containers are stuck due to demurrage and, despite our efforts to seek exemptions or solutions, our requests have been rejected. Operators prioritize demurrage collection over national interests,” Tanko said.

He expressed frustration over the operators’ refusal to release the containers even after they were auctioned by the committee, accusing them of hindering legitimate business activities.

“We have written several letters, but they act as if they are above the government. Even when the government auctions containers, terminal operators still refuse to release them, even after all fees have been paid,” he added. Tanko warned that more than 10,000 containers remained stuck at TICT and Ports & Cargo terminals, blaming operators’ refusal to cooperate with the government-backed committee.

In response, the 100 percent compliance team has decided to withdraw services from freight forwarders if terminal operators continue to hinder decongestion efforts. “We are aligned with the government’s efforts. If they do not cooperate, we will stop our services at the ports. At that point, the government will have no choice but to intervene. We cannot allow this to continue,” Tanko said.

Freight forwarders gave terminal operators a two-week ultimatum, warning that if no changes were made by October 25, they would take decisive action.