Nigerian exporters have decried huge losses in excess of $10million due the introduction of NXP into the Truck Transit Park (TTP) portal which has caused severe disruptions in the export sector in just five days.
Exporters, under the aegis of Association of West African Exporters and Maritime Professionals (AWAEMAP), expressed displeasure with the development and called the attention of the Federal Government to the illegal imposition of NXP into the TTPs.
The group made this claim in a press statement disseminated on Friday signed by its President, Hon. Olubunmi Olumekun, even as it stressed the need for streamlining export processes in a bid to balance the nation’s foreign trade.
According to the export group, the NXP implementation at TTPs has introduced new operational bottlenecks, delaying shipments and increasing compliance burdens.
“In light of this situation, we emphasize the importance of upholding the Central Bank of Nigeria’s single window platform, known as the Trade Monitoring System (TRMS) portal, as directed by the federal government.
“This system plays a vital role in consolidating oversight of various agencies involved in regulating export trade, and we strongly urge the NPA to cease practices that revert exporters to outdated protocols,” the statement read.
Exporters also warned that the turnaround time for the exporting goods will be drastically prolonged, affecting the revenue of the government.
“The quality of perishable agricultural produce will be affected because of the delay in accessing the port terminals.
Meanwhile, the group observed that exports missing vessels at seaports will become a regular occurrence as export boxes have to be gated into the terminal for at least 48 hours before departure.
“Loss of contracts which will significantly impair our global competitiveness and Logistics Performance Index (LPI) rankings beyond measure. The mandatory requirement to obtain a Clean Certificate of Inspection (CCI) for all containers linked to an NXP before they can be gated into export terminals is impractical and it neither enhances the value of exports nor ensures the repatriation of export proceeds.
“In reality, securing a CCI before entry is operationally unrealistic, as it can only be obtained after completing several steps, including: stuffing of all containers linked to the NXP, PIA’s advisory for NESS payment, issuance of the CCI, a process that typically takes several days to complete,” the group asserted.
