…. Directs The Company To Register and Honor all future official invitations.
The Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) recently intervened and successfully resolved a complaint filed by Ms. Adenike Ajayi, an importer, against Holly Trans Limited. The complaint concerned a missing Wintouch 7-Inch Kids Tablet PC valued at $53.08.
To amicably resolve the case, the Complaints Unit organized a tripartite meeting, but the De-consolidating Company, Holly Trans Limited, failed to attend the scheduled session at the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, continuously claiming they were “on the way.” Consequently, officers from the Complaints Unit proceeded to the Company’s Office, located at Suite 95, 2nd Floor, Kingsway Building, 51/52 Marina, Lagos, to ensure the meeting took place.
At Holly Trans Limited, the Head of Complaints insisted that the Manager, Head of Operations, and HR be present for the meeting. Nikong Wang, the Nigeria Manager for Holly Trans, later attended.
The Head of the Complaints Unit, Dr. Bashir Ambi, said, “We have the mandate of our Executive Secretary/CEO, Pius Akutah Ukeyima, Esq, MON, FCILT, Ph.D., to be here.” The meeting started at 12:40 pm with a formal introduction by all participants. He stated the role of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council in the Country and that of the Unit in resolving disputes.
Dr. Ambi asked the case handler, Ijeoma Ugwu, an Assistant Chief Operations Officer, to summarize the complaint. Ugwu reported that NSC received a complaint of missing cargo specifically, a Children’s Tablet. The de-consolidating Company had repeatedly stated that the consignment was marked ready for pickup on July 14, 2025, but the importer never received it. Upon the importer’s inquiry, the Warehouse confirmed the item was missing.
Although Holly Trans Limited initially advised her to wait in case the item arrived in another container, it was later confirmed lost. The Company offered a compensation of 0.01cbm x2 for the lost consignment. The importer, however, expressed her dissatisfaction, stating that the proposed settlement was less than a quarter of the item’s actual value.
The Head of the Complaints Unit, Dr. Bashir Ambi, then stated the reasons for the meeting:
- Total disregard for constituted authorities, demonstrated by Holly Trans.
- Failure to attend scheduled meetings, which caused unnecessary delays.
- A complaint of missing cargo had been made against Holly Trans.
In response, the Managing Director, Nikong Wang, explained that “no further steps were taken because the Company’s policy states that claims below $60 are not compensated.”
Dr. Ambi inquired whether the Company had informed the client of this policy that no refund would be provided for lost cargo valued at less than $60 before finalizing the business transaction.
The following resolutions were reached under Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) principles:
- Holly Trans Limited was ordered to refund the complainant $56 within 24 hours and to notify the Council. This was based on the lack of a prior non-compensation agreement.
- The company was advised to route all future complaints to the Council’s Complaints Unit.
- The Council warned that failure to comply with the refund order would lead to severe sanctions and likely suspension of Holly Trans’s operating license.
- The complainant and other small business owners were advised to consider group cargo orders to maintain their business relationship with Holly Trans Limited.
- Holly Trans was urged to register with the Council’s Consumer Affairs Department.
The parties were grateful for the intervention, and the complainant confirmed receiving a full refund within 24 hours.
