By Seun Ibiyemi

Ports & Cargo Handling Services Limited (PCHS), a subsidiary of SIFAX Group and operator of Terminal C, Tin Can Island Port, Lagos, has recorded another milestone with the successful cargo handling of equipment for the $200 million Kano-Maradi (Niger Republic) rail project being handled by Mota-Engil Nigeria Limited.

The multi-million dollars heavy-duty equipment handled by the company arrived via MV-TINA vessel at the terminal last week and included wheel loaders, backhoe loaders, crawler excavators, truck-mounted concrete pumps, concrete mixer trucks, telehandlers, motor graders, vibratory soil compactors, and many more.

Speaking during the unveiling of the equipment at the terminal, John Jenkins, Managing Director, PCHS, thanked the construction firm for trusting the company to handle their equipment noting that handling such volume is an indication of the trust which clients have in the terminal operator’s excellent service delivery.    He said, “I would like to thank Mota-Engil for trusting and working with us. Our handling of this volume of cargo is an indication of our capacity to deliver excellent service.

“We have a rich blend and mix of human capital and equipment at our company and this has helped us to meet and surpass the expectations of our clients.

“The terminal has capacity to also store various cargoes conveniently too. We put in our best to make sure that best value is delivered always. We are proud that the equipment that will be used for the rail construction is handled by us,” he said.

Jenkins went further to explain that PCHS has well-established Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in line with global best practices which makes service delivery at the terminal seamless.

In his words, “We don’t have documentation issues here at PCHS, we have established SOPs to make operations here very seamless. As far as PCHS is concerned we give sufficient resources in handling big and large volumes.

“In his reaction, the Logistics Manager, Mota-Engil Nigeria Limited, Nuno Colaco, the exceptional service delivery, open communication and available manpower at the terminal signpost a serious terminal operator, while noting that the handling of the equipment by PCHS was done in a timely and professional manner.”

The Nigeria Customs Service and the Federal Ministry of Transportation on Thursday discussed the need to strategise on implementing policies that will pave the way to boosting trade facilitation amongst many others.

Speaking during the meeting held at Customs Headquarters Abuja, Acting Comptroller-General of Customs, CGC Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR, appreciated the representatives of the Federal Ministry of Transportation for congratulating him on his recent appointment and also assured them of his Management’s continued resolve to respect their mutuality in accomplishing a common goal.

CGC Adewale stressed, “I have always believed that Customs administration should act as a genuine agent for trade facilitation. This is what I have been doing all over my career.”

He also highlighted the benefits of trade facilitation as to reduce the cost and time of doing business at the ports, adding that the measures will double the efficiency and competitiveness of ports in the country, through constructive collaboration between the management of Nigeria Customs Service and stakeholders that are involved in similar operations at the ports.

He said, “It is clear that the Nigerian law has authorised Customs Service to synergise with security institutions and other agencies of government as a form collaboration to yield positive results to carry out the business of facilitating trade in the country.”

The Customs boss who intimated the entourage of his master plans for the Service, revealed his commitment to prioritise the interest of trade and private sectors and propose innovative solutions that will address some key issues across the borders.

“I want to assure you that the Nigeria Customs Service has a new spirit now that will enable it to live up to its ability as enshrined in the constitution,” He said.

According to him, the Service will also face the plan of decongesting ports head-on, adding that “the major issue involved in this case will be the problem of congestion at our ports, and we are going to implement measures that will address this matter diligently.”

He also talked about the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023 which now prohibits traders from stacking cargo and containers at the ports for a long time, stressing that the Service will according to the law facilitate the auction or destroy such items as the case may be to serve as a deterrent to defiers.

The Comptroller-General however urged the stakeholders to collaborate with the Nigeria Customs Service to implement the policies that create sufficient space at the ports.

Speaking earlier, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Transportation, Dr. Magdalene Ajani, felicitated with the Comptroller-General over his recent appointment as Customs CG by President Bola Ahmad Tinubu GCFR.

Dr. Ajani who was the leader of the representatives of the Transport Ministry, also briefed CGC Adeniyi of their ministry’s efforts in the area of decongesting ports, which according to her were over-spilled with overtime cargo.

She told him that they have succeeded in constituting a powerful committee of members from the Nigeria Customs Service, Transport Ministry and its Agencies.

The Permanent Secretary also assured the CGC that overtime cargo disposal committee is working assiduously to implement policies that will decongest the four major ports in the country, adding that, “We are working in different dimensions but the result will be prodigious, after launching sensitisation exercise to stakeholders and members of the ports community about the process.”

The Federal Government is set to make about N12billion a year from the N1,000 Proof of Ownership Certificate verification fee motorists are to pay.

Last week, the Permanent Secretary, Lagos Ministry of Transportation, Abdulhafiz Toriola disclosed this. He stated that this certificate would help vehicle owners and the government assure the integrity of all vehicles registered on the National Vehicle and Identification Scheme database and track car theft and recovery of stolen vehicles.

He said, “To this end, the Federal Government has introduced the issuance of annual Proof of Ownership Certificate for all registered vehicles.”

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, there were 11.76 million vehicles in Nigeria as of Q2 2018, and the vehicle per population ratio was put at 0.06 for the period. Par various reports, Nigeria imports about 400,000 vehicles annually.

A report recently stated that a total of 192,287 vehicles were imported through the Ports & Terminal Multipurpose Limited into the country in the first 10 months of 2021, while only 114,159 vehicles came through said terminal in the same period of 2022.

Toriola stated that the Proof of Ownership Certificate will serve as official documentation for a vehicle’s legal ownership.

He said, “The POC will contain vital information, including the vehicle’s registration details, such as license number plate, model, year of manufacture in addition to the owner’s name and address.

“Having critically reviewed the challenges encountered in ensuring the promotion of Safety and Security of lives and property through the issuance of POC nationally and especially in our dear State, the Joint Tax Board, in its communiqué issued at the end of the emergency meeting held on May 9, 2023, adopted, and made a resolution that proof of ownership be issued to motorists on an annual basis nationwide.”

He added that Lagos would begin collection of POC fees from the beginning of July. Other states are yet to make their positions known yet. Mixed reactions have trailed this move by the government, and the Fiscal Policy Partner and Africa Tax Leader at PwC, Taiwo Oyedele, has stated that the tax is retrogressive, ill-conceived, and poorly designed.

He said, in a LinkedIn post, “Apart from the payment which seems to be solely for revenue generation, and perhaps more for non state actors than for the government, it is illogical to have to prove annually that you own a vehicle for which you already have a certificate of proof of ownership issued by the government.”

He noted that the tax adds complications to the myriad of multiple taxes which make doing business difficult and dampens tax morale.

He added, “While this tax will not necessarily stop the earth from rotating, it is wrong both in terms of signalling from a multiple taxation perspective and in terms of timing given the recent fuel subsidy removal.

“To be sensitive and demonstrate empathy, the government should not impose any new or higher taxes on transportation, energy, or food which are the most impacted by the subsidy removal. The same reasons why the recent attempt to collect VAT on diesel needs to be reconsidered.”

Oyedele further stated that the tax should be set aside in the interest of good order and to prevent setting a bad precedence.