A seasoned maritime practitioner and the MD of Chidosky Marine Concept Limited, Nze Chidiogo Okpara has revealed how his company lost Over N20m during the B'odogwu transition.
Nze Okpara while addressing journalists at the September edition of the monthly Media Roundtable of the Congress of Nigeria Maritime Media Practitioners (CONMMEP), held at Bene Suites, Surulere, Lagos, on Monday, lamented that the Nigeria Customs Services having migrated from the Nigeria Integrated Customs Information System(NICIS ll), to the new B'Odogwu system has caused major financial losses, which he said affects Stakeholders badly.
Okpara explained that the B’Odogwu platform initially functioned at only 30–40% capacity, leaving agents stranded for hours.
“The system sometimes only works at night, Imagine a transaction that used to take one minute now dragging for two hours,” he said.
He commended Customs for it's impressive record breaking revenue declarations, called for renewed focus on easing processes and improving the capacity of importers and agents.
Comparing Nigeria Port and Cotonou port, Nze Chidiogo said, “In recent years, Cotonou Port in Benin has become a preferred gateway for many importers. Nigeria is losing revenue to neighbouring ports because importers now prefer to bring goods through them due to cheaper tariffs and less stressful systems. To ship in a standard container into Nigeria today costs about ₦16 million on average, whereas it doesn’t take more than N9m- N10m to do the same through Cotonou Port.”
He added that stakeholders were caught off guard when Customs introduced a 4% charge overnight without consultation,
he further called for inclusive policymaking, where government must consult operators and Stakeholders before implementing new systems or charges
While acknowledging Customs’ strong daily revenue collections, Okpara said corruption remains a major obstacle at Nigeria’s ports.
Okpara however highlighted his commitment to mentoring younger agents, helping them establish their own businesses as part of his contribution to the maritime industry.
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