Economic activities at various seaports in the country have been affected by the naira re-design policy of the federal government introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
President Muhammadu Buhari had given the CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele, the nod to redesign the N200, N500 and N1,000 notes.
The had CBN announced that the old naira notes would cease to be a legal tender since February 10, thereby, making access to cash very difficult for Nigerians including port users and operators.
Since the implementation of the policy, the nation’s seaports, which is the gateway to the nation’s economy, have been operating below capacity.
Though, major transactions such as Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR), are done in the banks using online platforms but other axillary services such clearing, haulage, movement around the ports among others are affected.
It was gathered that clearing agents find it difficult to access the port as cash are practically unavailable to move around the port for clearance of cargoes.
Speaking to LEADERSHIP, the national president, National Council of Managing Director of Licenced Customs Agents (NCMDLCA), Lucky Amiwero, said aside from hampering port operations, the policy is also crippling activities of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), in the country.
Amiwero, in an exclusive chat with our Correspondent, disclosed that clearing agents couldn’t leave their various homes to come to the port to transact business because of cash crunch.
According to him, the policy has also increased the poverty rate among the citizens.
He said, “It is affecting port activities. Though, we do online transactions with banks while processing PAAR and others, but we still have to pay transporters while moving to the seaport from our various homes or offices as well as other auxiliary services that would be paid for to allow seamless evacuation of cargoes.
“So, the ports for now are being challenged and by now government should have reversed those policies and printed enough notes because it’s affecting everyone. People are dying and people who are sick cannot get drugs, people cannot leave their homes because they don’t have transport.
“The policy is also affecting everybody and it’s crippling the SME. The SMEs cannot sustain themselves anymore especially those selling small daily foods, they find it difficult to replace their wares. It’s becoming painful and people are suffering over it. The policy has affected evacuation largely because even if we do some percentage of banking transaction online, there are larger percentage that still needed to be done with cash which is not available.”
“Processing PAAR alone cannot bring cargoes out of the port to owners’ warehouse, we have other agencies to relate with and how do you move out of the seaports if you are not mobile. Presently, we have fuel and cash crisis at hand. Many clearing agents cannot leave their homes because of cash. The policy is killing the economy and reducing the purchasing power of Nigerians as well as increasing poverty rate daily. People now live from hands to mouths and it’s getting tensed. It’s a policy that was initially promulgated for vote buying but what we are having now is unbearable and it’s affecting the whole economy.”
“Policy makers may be enjoying because they can easily get access to fuel, money but when they leave office, they will know what they have caused. It’s a very serious issue.
Economy is not run this way. Government is expanding the poverty level instead of reducing it. People are in their homes they can’t move to the ports or do other productive things. So, it’s a very serious thing and it’s affecting a lot of people, government should do something about it before port activities grind to a halt.”
Also speaking, the President Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO), Chief Remi Ogungbemi, disclosed that truck owners have been finding it difficult to evacuate cargoes from the seaports to the owners’ warehouses.
He said it has been difficult for truck drivers to adapt to the new system of online transactions making it very herculean to move cargoes out of the seaport.
“It’s affecting every Nigerians. The policy is alien to us but, however, we are seeing how to adjust ourselves to the new system. This policy is affecting everyone seriously because not everyone has got used to the system because we need to buy fuel and due to the size of our fuel we can’t go to filling stations but have to buy inside Jerry can and sometime the seller uses to reject payment by transfer, hence, we need to look for cash because we need to fuel our vehicles.”
“Also, there are activities of street urchins, and do we tell area boys we don’t have cash? They will beat hell out of the driver. We have sent so many appeals to the government not to see how they can remove agberos from the road because they are causing havoc on our members.”
Though, he commended the policy, saying it will reduce crime, but government have to tweak it in other not to affect the economy.
“The cashless business is affecting trucking business, but I commend the policy because I believe it will help to reduce rate of crime. If you don’t go with cash how will pick pocket snatch or pick your pockets that they are looking for money.
“Also, when they know no offices of business collect cash, how will they burgle it. However, the cashless policy is affecting our business because the system is still alien to us but gradually, we will get used to it but as at now, it’s affecting seriously.
Also, a truck owner, Yusuf Liadi, said the cash crunch has affected movement of cargoes from Lagos ports to warehouses outside Lagos.
According to him, most truck drivers are not educated enough for online transactions and since sash are absent, it makes it difficult for them to accept trips outside Lagos.
“Truck drivers are unable to accept cargo delivery outside Lagos because of the cash crunch. How do we mobilise our drivers to buy fuel? How do we mobilise to pay for government tickets on the main roads and most of these drivers are not sophisticated enough to operate mobile banking, so they deal mostly with cash.”
“Within Lagos, we can still make transfer to fuel suppliers because we have known each other for long, but what do we do to those who are in other states that we don’t know?” He asked rhetorically,” Liadi said.
Liadi, however, call in the government to relax the policy because cargoes are trapped at the ports and can’t be moved because of the policy.
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