Economy
Nigerian Importers Cry Over High Cargoes Fees by International Shippers
By Adedapo Adesanya
Stakeholders in the import scene in Nigeria are lamenting the huge surcharge imposed on them by the international shipping firms on cargoes imported from across the world into the country.
The surcharge is adding to the high cost of doing business in the Nigerian ports, coupled with the challenges of infrastructure deficiency and cumbersome shipping process at the nation’s gateway.
Since late last year, a German shipping firm, Hapag-Lloyd, has imposed a revised Peak Season Surcharge (PSS) on all container types from across the world to Tin Can Island and Apapa ports.
According to reports, documents obtained by the media showed that about $1025 surcharge is slammed on 20 feet and 40 feet containers through cargoes coming from the United States and other US territories. Likewise, from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau.
It was also disclosed by shippers that charges from cargoes from the rest of the world are also pegged at $1025 or an equivalent of €930 accordingly.
Notably, they complained that the charges are different from the ocean tariff rates as well as bunker-related surcharges, security-related surcharges, terminal handling charges, among others that shore up the cost of shipping in Nigeria.
Coupled with the strain of the coronavirus pandemic, industries are complaining as these high prices will take a toll on its profit.
According to the Chairman, Shippers Association Lagos State, Mr Jonathan Nichol lamented the huge shipping costs and expressed the group’s readiness to take it up with appropriate agencies.
Mr Nichol said the surcharge could be linked to congestion at Lagos ports, but it is uncalled for, considering the negative effect of COVID-19, “we will certainly induce discussions on this with the Shippers Council”.
He stressed the need to review the costs of shipping in Nigeria, noting that “importers hardly make profits” due to excessive charges.
On the part of the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), the Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer, Mr Hassan Bello, described the charges as “economic sabotage”, saying the Council is against the action of the shipping firm.
He said, “We are protesting against it vehemently. There was no notice to us and the shippers that the charge was imminent. From our intelligence, these charges are over $1,000. It is discriminatory. It is insensitive. Just when the Nigerian economy is recovering a little bit from the effect of COVID-19, it is insensitive for anybody to slam such charges of over $1,000 on Nigeria’s trade.
“It is discriminatory because it is not happening in Togo, Benin or Ghana, why should it be in Nigeria.
“We have written a strong letter to the shipping association of Nigeria and we also wrote to their principals overseas, because this is not a local charge.
“Why should Nigeria be the recovery ground for shipping companies? We have three lines of action on the internal level; we are going to call on the Union of Africa’s Shippers’ Council; Global Shippers’ Association and Global Shippers Forum.
“On the national level, we are rallying around the organized private sector, I am already in talks with Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), I will talk to Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), as well as big time shippers like Dangote and Nigerian Breweries among others.
“We should all come together and fight against these unnecessary charges. The charges are unilateral and arbitral and we are going to protest against it because it is economic sabotage.
“It goes deep into Nigeria’s economic recovery. It is against our resolve to recover from the effect of COVID-19,” he said.
Also bemoaning the development, the President, Importers Association of Nigeria, Mr Kingsley Chikezie said the importers are not happy about the additional charges from the shipping firm, even at a time they were complaining about the high cost of shipping at the ports.
He explained that a lot of things are happening at the ports including the issue of transfer charges among others, appealing to the authorities to ensure urgent review of the charges.
However, some industrialists who were severely affected by the surcharge burden have urged the Federal Government to institute litigation against the erring shipping firm for operating against the rule of trade facilitation agenda of International Maritime Organisation (IMO) during the pandemic period.
Notwithstanding the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, German container shipping company Hapag-Lloyd closed the first six months of this year with a profit. The group profit stood at $314 million in H1 2020, compared to $165 million seen in the corresponding period a year earlier.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The National Pension Commission (PenCom) has defended its decision to allow Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) to invest in the parent companies of their custodians, insisting that adequate safeguards are in place to protect contributors’ funds.
The director-general of the pension regulator, Ms Omolola Oloworaran, speaking on Tuesday during the Meet the Press Briefing at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said the commission’s decision to relax the investment restriction followed a comprehensive risk assessment that found minimal conflict of interest.
She explained that under PenCom’s investment regulations, PFAs are only permitted to invest pension assets in carefully selected instruments that meet stringent criteria, including profitability, strong credit ratings and proven track records.
According to her, the commission regularly reviews its investment regulations, conducts routine examinations and spot checks on PFAs to ensure strict compliance with established risk management guidelines.
“PFAs cannot just go into the stock market and buy any kind of stock. There are strict guidelines. Companies must demonstrate profitability, have a proven track record and satisfy other criteria before pension funds can invest,” she said.
Ms Oloworaran noted that each PFA also operates under the oversight of a board, an investment committee and a risk management committee, providing additional layers of governance to safeguard contributors’ funds.
She said PenCom recently issued a circular allowing PFAs to invest in the parent companies of their custodians after determining that the potential conflict of interest was negligible.
The PenCom boss explained that the parent companies involved are largely Tier-1 banks, including First Bank, United Bank for Africa (UBA) and Zenith Bank, which she described as A-rated institutions with strong financial foundations.
She said the policy was intended to widen investment opportunities for pension funds without compromising safety.
Using Stanbic IBTC as an example, Ms Oloworaran explained that if its custodian is Zenith Bank, the previous restriction prevented the pension administrator from investing in Zenith Bank shares despite the bank’s strong performance.
“We reviewed the risks and any potential conflict of interest and found the risks to be very low. That is why we opened that investment window,” she said.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Analysts at Meristem Research have predicted that the inflation rate for June 2026 in Nigeria should marginally rise to 15.95 per cent on a year-on-year basis from the 15.93 per cent reported in May 2026.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) is expected to release inflation numbers for last month later today, Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
In its report sighted by Business Post, Meristem Research said it expects inflationary pressures to re-emerge across key economies in the near term, as the re-escalation of the US-Iran conflict has reignited upward pressure on global oil prices.
It disclosed that this marks a sharp reversal from most of June, when the ceasefire between the two countries helped drive oil prices lower, raising expectations of some relief on the inflation front.
With conflicts now flaring up again, oil prices are likely to increase again, and the anticipated easing in energy-driven inflation may not materialise as broadly as earlier envisaged.
“Nonetheless, some relief is likely from the food segment, where robust supply conditions across major producing regions and softening demand should continue to ease food price pressures,” it stated.
The team also explained that it projected a 15.95 per cent inflation rate because of the lingering effects of persistent food price pressures.
“However, we expect core inflation to moderate as the sharp reversal in energy prices begins to filter through to transportation, distribution, and other energy-related costs, easing underlying price pressures.
“On a month-on-month basis, the combined effect of lower petrol prices, a relatively stable Naira, and the gradual pass-through of reduced energy costs across the supply chain should exert further downward pressure on inflation.
“Based on our assessment, food inflation is expected to remain the key swing factor, as seasonal pre-harvest supply constraints are likely to offset some of the gains from lower logistics costs,” it said.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The duo of Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc and Afriland Properties Plc weakened the NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange by 1.61 per cent on Tuesday, July 14.
CSCS Plc saw its stock value drop N9.08 to close at N82.40 per share compared with the preceding session’s N91.48 per share, and Afriland Properties Plc slid by 17 Kobo to sell at N15.00 per unit versus N15.70 per unit.
The losses recorded by the two securities pulled back the market capitalisation by N41.64 billion to N2.546 trillion from N2.587 trillion, and cracked the NASD Security Index (NSI) by 69.36 points to 4,242.31 points from 4,311.67 points.
It was observed that the exchange witnessed two price advancers during the session, led by FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc, which gained N1.37 to end at N151.37 per share compared with the previous day’s N150.00 per share, and Food Concepts Plc chalked up 5 Kobo to settle at N2.50 per unit versus N2.45 per unit.
The volume of securities traded by market participants surged by 50.7 per cent to 13.7 million units from the previous 9.1 million units, while the value of securities went down by 79.7 per cent to N65.2 million from N320.4 million, and the number of deals crashed by 3.6 per cent to 27 deals from the previous session’s 28 deals.
At the close of transactions, Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) Plc remained the most traded stock by value on a year-to-date basis, with the sale of 3.4 billion units for N8.4 billion, trailed by Infrastructure Credit Guarantee (Infracredit) Plc, which exchanged 2.3 billion units valued at N6.5 billion, and CSCS Plc with 73.9 million units transacted for N5.2 billion.
GNI Plc also closed the trading day as the most traded stock by volume on a year-to-date basis, with 3.4 billion units worth N8.4 billion, followed by Infracredit Plc with 2.3 billion units traded for N6.5 billion, and Resourcery Plc with 1.1 billion units valued at N415.7 million.
