The Chief Commercial Officer of AAJ Express Logistics Limited, Ini Daniel, has lamented about how uncertain the future of Nigeria’s export business is.
He recently revealed that the latest implementation of sweeping tariff regulations by the United States president, Donald Trump, has greatly affected shipments from Nigeria to America.
Daniel said that since the 2nd of April this year, when the latest regulations started getting enforced, more than seventy per cent of Nigerian products shipped via aeroplanes have either been blocked or delayed until further notice at American ports of entry.
According to him, the current situation is nothing but a crisis that has caught the country’s exporting industry off guard, so he can only urge U.S. authorities to intervene quickly before the matter further escalates.
“The enforcement, which caught many international businesses off guard, has triggered a ripple of disruption across export-dependent industries in Nigeria. Cargo and courier companies, particularly those operating in Lagos, say they are struggling to get clearance into the U.S., with limited information on the reasons behind the delays or rejections,” he said.
He confirmed that exporters who have invested a fortune in various goods are currently sitting and hoping their investments don’t go to waste, while racking up expensive storage fees amid their fear of the unknown.
He further said that the airline industry, which oversees the handling of a huge volume of Nigeria’s time-sensitive exports, has also been left in the dark until now.
“We are operating in total darkness, shipments are being held back or outrightly refused with no clear documentation or justification.”
Daniel concluded by saying the issue doesn’t affect Nigeria alone, and exporters across Europe, Asia and Africa are affected as well.
“This is not just about Nigeria. Exporters from Europe, Asia, and other parts of Africa are facing similar barriers.
But the lack of communication is especially damaging here because our exporters rely heavily on U.S. demand. If this continues, we are looking at a potential collapse of certain export sectors,” he added.
