Vincent Toritseju
Lokoja — THE Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and Maritime agencies in Nigeria are currently in talks to perfect monetary policies aimed at stopping the payment and collection of container deposit fees.
Meanwhile, more than N17billion was collected as container deposits by shipping companies from Nigerian importers, a developments experts say has impacted negatively on the economy.
The minutes of a meeting by Heads of Maritime agencies held in Lokoja, presided over by the Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority, NIWA, Chief George Moghalu, said that the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, NSC, is also perfecting plan to introduce an insurance scheme to replace the container deposit fees regime.
At the meeting, it was agreed that a technical committee of NSC and the National Insurance Commission, NAICOM, be constituted to address the issue.
It was however, gathered that the technical committee was actually constituted and has also commenced work.
Heads of maritime agencies frowned at the fact that most times, consignees, out of no fault of theirs, are unable to get a refund of the fees deposited.
Part of the minutes of the meeting reads: “The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council is planning to introduce insurance to mitigate risks associated with container regime. Most times, the consignee, through no fault of his, is unable to get his refund.
“In 2019, for example, about N17billion was collected as container deposit.
“A technical Committee of NSC and NAICOM has been constituted to address the issue. They have met with shipping companies, terminal operators and will be meeting with other stakeholders soonest to address the issue.
“In anticipation of resistance by the shipping companies, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council suggested that a monetary policy or regulation be made by the CBN to that effect to address the matter.
“He suggested the meeting between the Heads of Maritime Agencies and the CBN Governor should be arranged to discuss the issue in effect.
‘‘It was therefore resolved that every agency should send their positions to the Secretariat for harmonization as a working paper when the Heads of the Maritime Agencies meet with the CBN Governor.’’
Reacting to the development, the immediate past Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Mr. Hassan Bello said the monies collected as container deposit in subsequent years will definitely be higher than what was collected in 2019.
He explained that the intention of stakeholders is to abolish the payment and collection of container deposit fee and make it an insurance matter.
Explaining further, Bello said the shipping companies also prefer the introduction of container insurance.
He said:”We tried to get the amount collected in 2020 and 2021 but we could not get but I do know that the payment of container deposit fee by importers in 2020 and 2021 will be higher than 2019.
“We have been meeting with NAICOM, we even consulted a Shipping company and there have been tripartite meetings and the general consensus is that we should abolish container deposit and make it an insurance scheme.
“Shipping companies themselves, because of administrative burden, will prefer insurance, and it is cheaper.
“So it will release all these billions into the economy instead of container deposit.
“It is not a good thing for us to have container deposit because if you cannot return the container then, though no fault of yours, you lose your deposit.’’
Besides the moves to stop the payment and collection of Container Deposit fee, the issue of unclaimed Container deposit was yet to be resolved as at the time of filling this report.
Sources close to the Nigerian Shippers’ Council told Vanguard Maritime Report that there is a huge amount of unclaimed container deposits running into billions of Naira.
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