AGENCY CHECKS TRADE IN USED ELECTRONICS TO NIGERIA

Disturbed by incessant arrest of ships for bringing used electronics and computer wares into the country, shipping lines operating in Nigeria under the aegis of the Shipping Association of Nigeria, have made public their intent not to carry such items until further notice.

The group claims that since the beginning of this year ships operated by its members have been subjected to indiscriminate arrests at the Lagos ports by officials of the Nigerian Environmental Standards Regulation and Enforcement Agency (NESREA's) over allegations of trading in used items regarded as toxic or hazardous.

The association in a statement signed by its chairman, Mr. Val Osifoh, said the decision to stop the carriage of the cargoes was because of the allegations that the shipping companies were conniving with the importers of such products.

The statement said that the suspension would be effective pending when the Nigerian government would make full and official clarification on the guidelines governing the importation of second hand electronics into the country.

"As reported in the media during recent weeks, a number of container vessels have been detained in Nigerian ports following the instructions of NESREA (National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency) for allegedly bringing toxic waste into Nigeria. Our members have viewed with great concern the detention of these vessels.

To be clear, the vessels were being detained on the suspicion of carrying toxic waste whereas the containers in question contained various used electronic goods, including televisions and computers. The Bills of Lading information supplied by the shippers confirmed that the containers were said to contain such goods which are not included in the Nigeria Customs Service Import Prohibition List, and our members had no reason to believe that they were contravening any Nigerian law or regulations in accepting such cargo".

The statement noted that the shipping lines and SAN did not support the transportation of toxic wastes into the country and would continue to collaborate with the relevant government authorities.

The development according to market analysts translates to an unofficial ban on fairly used electronic appliances such as television sets, radio, DVD players and I-pods (even as personal effects ) to Nigeria, as no shipping line would be willing to carry such goods into the country. It is estimated that an average of 2,000 TEUs (Twenty Equivalent Units of containers) of used electronic items is shipped into the country every month.