The Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has identified inconsistencies in policy formulation by the government as the major problem militating against the operations of the terminal operators and shipping companies operating in the country.
The Executive Secretary of the NSC, Mr. Hassan Bello who made this known in a chat with a team from Primetime Reporters who paid him a courtesy visit at his office in Lagos hinted that they had told the government in no small measures that one don’t bring in inconsistencies when one had investors as investors like predictability and certainty.
According to him,” But the terminal operators, they too, they have a lot of problems, one of which is government inconsistency and we have told government in no small way that when you have investors , don’t bring in inconsistent policies because an investor likes predictability, certainty.
“So, we have intervened on their behalf but you don’t say RORO, that is Roll in, Roll out, that is where you are importing cars and then you allow importation of vehicles through the land borders, then the RORO man will not fulfil his obligations. So, now cars are going to be imported through the ports so that they will be able to employ people. This employment, I am telling you is very cardinal to us because it is lack of employment that destroys the country”.
Bello however informed that the council had reached out to shipping companies and terminal operators for efficiency even as he recalled that the council had a subsisting case pending before the court with the shipping companies and terminal operators which he said had hindered their job as the economic regulator of the port adding that,” that aspect we have not been able to do well because the court case somehow restricted us to, it is very painful as we could do nothing other than to negotiate about tariffs and tariffs are going up”.
He continued,” maybe there are explanations but what we are saying is if you charge, you have to tie it to service”.
Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary had said that the meeting he held with the Management of Maerskline was a continuous meeting with the shipping companies saying that the council intended to get them interested in the inland ports that it was developing even as he insisted that there must be a connection between the seaports and the inland ports.
According to him, some of them were interested and went to Kaduna adding that they were still in talks with the shipping companies since Nigeria was interested in having cargoes destined for Niger Republic coming to Nigeria on transit even as he hinted that the Republic of Chad had written that they wanted to transit their cargoes through the country.
“We want the shipping companies to have modal point, having known that these are ports so that they will assist in conveying the goods meant for these dry ports and they would market them internationally that we have a port in Kaduna so that you will consign your goods.
“We are targeting the Peugeot Automobile of Nigeria, if they are bringing all their goods, they will do that through the ports and that port is made, the economy of Kaduna is made in employment. But what we are interested in is and that I have told the concessionaires, we have to look at their employment, we have to check because Nigerians even if they are making money, they will still take three instead of five. So, that is what a regulator should be concerned with”, he said.
Send your news, press releases/articles as well as your adverts to info@primetimereporters.com. Also, follow us on Twitter @reportersinfo and on Facebook on facebook.com/primetimereporters or call the editor on 07030661526, 08053908817.
