The National Association of Government Approved. Freight Forwarders.(NAGAFF) on Tuesday said it was contemplating shutting down due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The President of NAGAFF, Mr Increase Uche, made the disclosure in Lagos.
“We, freight forwarders, are also putting precautionary measures in place; that is why we are thinking about shutting down at the ports as we need to remain safe.
“Government is advising that people should stay at home. What is that so important in the ports that freight forwarders would not adhere to that directive.
“By tomorrow, our association will be holding a meeting to seek members’ opinion because this thing is very serious.
“We will take a decision between now and Friday on what we are going to do because we do not want to threaten the economy but, at the same time, we need to save lives,” he said.
Uche said that coronavirus had been making negative impacts globally, threatening lives and businesses and disrupting the supply chain.
He noted that the effects had been devastating, adding that agencies of government was planning to shut down or restrict movement.
Uche noted that the ports had been battling poor access roads which slowed businesses and delayed cargo delivery, saying that any shutdown would compound the situation.
“If freight forwarders decide to stay at home, the ports will be completely shutdown and it will affect the economy as a whole; revenue generation will be on the decrease.
“Cargoes in the ports will start building up, demurrage will start building up, service charges will accumulate and there will be a multiplier effect on the supply chain, but we need to consider the safety of freight forwarders,” he said.
